Simvastatin, but not pravastatin, inhibits the proliferation of esophageal adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma cells: a cell-molecular study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Long-term statin therapy has been shown to protect against several cancers, including esophageal cancer (EC). While the mechanisms underlying this effect are not clear. We investigated the effect of hydrophobic simvastatin and hydrophilic pravastatin on the proliferation of EC cells and sought to explore the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: Esophageal adenocarcinoma OE-19 cells and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma Eca-109 cells were treated with different concentrations of simvastatin or pravastatin for 24 h and 48 h. Cell proliferation was assessed by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were measured by thiobarbituric acid (TBA) assay. mRNA and protein expression of COX-2 were determined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot, respectively; The expression of prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) was measured by ELISA. RESULTS: Simvastatin, but not pravastatin, significantly inhibited the proliferation of OE-19 and Eca-109 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner, accompanying with the increasing of the MDA level. Moreover, simvastatin suppressed the expression of COX-2 and PGE(2) in both OE-19 and Eca-109 cells in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS: Lipophilic simvastatin, but not hydrophilic pravastatin, had significant inhibitory effects on the proliferation of Eca-109 and OE-19 cells. The reduction of COX-2 and PGE(2) by simvastatin suggested that the inhibitory effect of simvastatin on the proliferation of EC cells may be independent of its lipid-lowering effect. Simvastatin may be a promising agent for the prevention and treatment of EC.