Statins are Protective Against Beta - amyloid Pathology in Alzheimer ' s Disease ?

An increasing number of studies have supported that high cholesterol is a risk factor for the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease ( AD ), including beta-amyloid peptides ( Aβ ) pathology. Clinical and biomolecular research studies have accumulated that statins, cholesterol-lowering drugs, could stave off the symptoms of AD and have seemed one of the most promising drugs in the war against AD. The role of cholesterol in the process of Aβ production and deposition has been fully considered on the basis of scientific results during the last 2 decades. It is clear that statins play a neuroprotective role in limiting A pathology via cholesterol-lowering therapies. In addition, statins may favor the α-secretase nonamyloidogenic pathway of APP processing and inhibit the dimerization of -secretase. According to non-lipid property of statins, statins retard Aβ pathology via its anti-inflammation, anti-atherosclerotic actions, anti-oxidant and anti-apoptosis. However, compelling studies available indicate that statins have no benefit on AD and do not help prevent AD. Regarding statins as preventive medicines, there are a number of individual clinical cases where cognition is clearly and reproducibly adversely affected by statins. Statins have a range of mechanisms that could help or hurt cognition? In spite of limiting A pathology, several evidence reported that statins enhanced the development of A pathology. Statin medications were further harmful to Aβ pathology? It appears that there is still a lot of work to implement statin medications in clinical and preclinical studies of AD.