Simvastatin treatment aggravates the glucocorticoid insufficiency associated with hypocholesterolemia in mice

We have shown that simvastatin treatment aggravates the glucocorticoid insufficiency associated with hypocholesterolemia in mice. Our data suggest that (1) HMG-CoA reductase activity controls the adrenal steroidogenic capacity under hypocholesterolemic conditions and (2) imply that it might be important to monitor adrenal function in humans subjected to statin-based treatments aimed at achieving sub-physiological LDL-cholesterol levels, as these may potentially execute a negative impact on the glucocorticoid function in humans.