NO IS NOT INVOLVED IN THE SIMVASTATIN-INDUCED CELL-DIVISION AND DIFFERENTIATION IN PC12 CELLS

Simvastatin, a potent 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor has been reported to inhibit cell division and ind uce neurite-like outgrowth in PC12 cells [Sato-Suzuki, I. and Murota, S., Neurosci. Lett., 220 (1996) 21-24]. In the present paper, we exami ned whether the induced nitric oxide (NO) in the simvastatin-treated P C12 cells is involved in the growth arrest and differentiation as repo rted in nerve growth factor (NGF) treated PC12 cells. Treatment of PC1 2 cells with simvastatin caused peripherin formation and enhanced NO p roduction just like NGF-treated PC12 cells. Different from NGF, howeve r, NO synthase inhibitors could not affect the growth arrest and diffe rentiation in simvastatin-treated PC12 cells. In conclusion, NO had no thing to do with cell division and differentiation in simvastatin-trea ted PC12 cells. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.