Modulating effect of simvastatin on the DNA damage induced by doxorubicin in somatic cells of Drosophila melanogaster

• Protective effects of simvastatin was evaluated against damage induced by doxorubicin.
• Simvastatin revealed absence of a mutagenic effect.
• Simvastatin revealed a modulatory effect on damage induced by doxorubicin.

Simvastatin is an antilipemic drug that promotes inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase. Simvastatin can also inhibit the formation of other products, such as isoprenoids, conferring additional benefits to this drug, which include antiproliferative, anti-invasive and pro-apoptotic effects. This study was carried out with the aim of evaluating the mutagenic/recombinogenic effect of simvastatin as well as the possible modulatory effects of this statin on the DNA damage induced by doxorubicin (DXR). This analysis was performed using the somatic mutation and recombination test (SMART) in Drosophila melanogaster. To study these effects, larvae descendants of both crosses (ST and HB) were chronically treated with five concentrations of simvastatin, separately and in association with DXR. The results revealed no mutagenic/recombinogenic effect of simvastatin for any of the concentrations tested. A modulating effect of simvastatin was also observed on DNA damage induced by DXR. The reduction of total mutant frequency was observed for spots from descendants of both crosses, but the inhibition was more effective in descendants from the standard cross (ST). It is believed that this modulating effect is mainly associated with the antioxidant activity of this class of drugs, although this parameter has not been directly assessed in this study.