Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 25, 2026

Two Methods of Heterokaryon Formation to Discover HCV Restriction Factors
Published on: July 16, 2012
Statins can exert dual, concentration dependent effects on HCV entry in vitro
Matthieu Blanchet1, Quoc-Tuan Le1, Nabil G Seidah2
1INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laval, Canada.
Abstract:
Statins are used daily by a large and increasing number of individuals worldwide. They were initially designed as 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutharyl-coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoAR) inhibitors to treat patients with hypercholesterolemia. Recent studies on HCV chronically infected individuals have suggested that their use in vivo in combination with PEG-IFN and ribavirin favor the sustained viral response (SVR). Herein, we describe the effects of a set of statins on HCV entry and on HCV key entry factors in vitro. Our results suggest that all tested statins exert a proviral effect through the upregulation of LDLR. Interestingly, at higher concentration, we also provide evidence of a yet unknown competing antiviral effect of statins (except for pravastatin) through the downregulation of CLDN-1. Importantly, this work enlightens the blunt proviral effect of pravastatin at the entry step of HCV in vitro.
Related Concept Videos
Lipid-Lowering Drugs: Statins and Miscellaneous Agents
Hepatitis
Hepatic Drug Clearance: Effect of Protein Binding
For low-extraction-ratio drugs that are less than 80% protein-bound, minor changes in protein binding...
Inhibitors of Viral Protein Synthesis
Hepatic Drug Excretion: Influencing Factors
Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Active Drug, Metabolite and Fraction of Metabolized Drug

