Effects of statins on α7 nicotinic receptor, cholinesterase and α-form of secreted amyloid precursor peptide in SH-SY5Y cells

In order to reveal the neuroprotective effects of statins that could be of interest for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD), we investigated the expression of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) detected by RT-PCR, the activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) by colorimetric determination, and the levels of the α-form of secreted β-amyloid precursor protein (αAPPs) by Western blotting in neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells exposed to lovastatin, atorvastatin, rosuvastatin and simvastatin, respectively. The results indicated that all statins studied, both lipophilic and hydrophilic, induced high expression of α7 nAChR, decreased cholinesterase activities, and increased αAPPs, which suggests that statins might play important neuroprotective roles in AD treatment.