👤 Zahra Salimi

Statins are a class of cholesterol-lowering agents widely used in clinical practice to reduce plasma levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in hyperlipidemic patients. Beyond their lipidlowering roles, statins exhibit several additional effects. In the current review, we searched PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar databases using the keywords "Statins," "HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors," "Anti-inflammatory," "Antioxidant," and "Anticancer" to provide an overview of the effects of statins. Articles published on these topics between 1990 and 2025 were included. The retrieved records were imported into EndNote, and duplicates were removed. Multiple potential therapeutic benefits of statins have been described, including suppression of apoptosis, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects, immunomodulation and neuroprotection. NADPH oxidases (NOX) play a crucial role in the development of various diseases through excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the creation of oxidative stress conditions. Stimulation of BDNF/Nrf2, inhibition of NOX pathways, and reduction of intracellular ROS via enhanced antioxidant activity represent possible mechanisms through which statins exert their effects. Interestingly, ROS and inflammatory cytokines activate nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), a critical factor in the development of malignant tumors, which induces the expression of genes involved in cell proliferation and carcinogenesis. Furthermore, statins inhibit NF-κB activity, a key transcriptional regulator in inflammatory responses. Clinical evidence suggests that statins may reduce the risk of various cancers and disease recurrence due to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. These findings form the basis for new therapeutic avenues in cancer treatment, potentially offering a more promising strategy than statin monotherapy. Show less

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most common type of thyroid cancer which its precise etiology remains unknown. However, environmental and genetic factors contribute to the etiology of PTC. Axis inhibition protein 1 (Axin1) is a scaffold protein that exerts its role as a tumor suppressor. In addition, Cathepsin B (Ctsb) is a cysteine protease with higher expression in several types of tumors. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the possible association of AXIN1 rs12921862 C/A and rs1805105 G/A and CTSB rs12898 G/A polymorphisms with PTC susceptibility. In total, 156 PTC patients and 158 sex-, age-, and BMI-matched control subjects were enrolled in the study. AXIN1 rs12921862 C/A and rs1805105 G/A and CTSB rs12898 G/A polymorphisms were genotyped using the PCR-RFLP method. There was a relationship between AXIN1 rs12921862 C/A polymorphism and an increased risk of PTC in all genetic models except the overdominant model. The AXIN1 rs1805105 G/A polymorphism was associated with an increased PTC risk only in codominant and overdominant models. The frequency of AXIN1 A The AXIN1 rs12921862 C/A and rs1805105 G/A polymorphisms were associated with PTC. AXIN1 rs1805105 G/A polymorphism was associated with higher tumor size. Show less