Atorvastatin suppresses glioma invasion and migration by reducing microglial MT1-MMP expression

• Microglia promotes glioma migration and invasion.
• Atorvastatin reduces glioma migration and invasion when microglia is involved.
• Atorvastatin inhibits microglial MT1-MMP expression.
• Decreased MT1-MMP leads to suppression of MMP-2 activity.
• Down-regulation of MT1-MMP is controlled by a p38 MAPK pathway in microglia.

Microglia, the immune cells of the brain, often present in large numbers in gliomas, where they promote tumor growth and invasiveness. This study found that atorvastatin reduced the pro-tumorigenic effects of microglia on glioma migration and invasion by reducing the microglial expression of membrane type 1 metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP). The results suggest that down-regulation of MT1-MMP is controlled by a p38 MAPK pathway in microglia. Taken together, the results support further research on atorvastatin as a candidate for glioma therapy by targeting microglia.