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Ubiquinone does not rescue acute myeloid leukemia cells from growth inhibition by statins

Leukemia volume 17, pages 267–268 (2003)Cite this article

TO THE EDITOR

The HMG-CoA reductase family of drugs (‘statins’), which includes drugs such as mevastatin, lovastatin and atorvastatin, is widely used to treat patients with hypercholesterolemia. Statins inhibit HMG-CoA reductase, blocking the synthesis of mevalonate, a precursor of cholesterol, ubiquinone, and other intracellular moieties. In vitro, lovastatin causes apoptosis in a number of malignant cell lines and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines are particularly sensitive to this effect.1,2 Serum concentrations of ubiquinone, a coenzyme involved in mitochondrial respiratory metabolism, are decreased in patients taking statin drugs.3 Oral supplementation with ubiquinone may allow patients to tolerate higher doses of statins as may be required for the treatment of AML and other malignancies.4 Therefore, prior to considering a therapeutic trial of statins for the treatment of leukemia, we wished to determine whether ubiquinone would rescue AML cells from the cytotoxic effects of statins.

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Acknowledgements

LB has received support from the Friends of the Norris Cotton Cancer Center of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, CALGB Young Investigator Award/ Aventis Oncology, and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. RP was supported by NIH CA84081.

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  1. Department of Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH, USA

    L P Burke, L D Lewis & R P Perez

  2. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH, USA

    L D Lewis & R P Perez

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Burke, L., Lewis, L. & Perez, R. Ubiquinone does not rescue acute myeloid leukemia cells from growth inhibition by statins. Leukemia 17, 267–268 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2402695

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