The chance discovery of hydroxymethylglutaryl (
HMG)-CoA reductase inhibitors has revolutionized the care of patients with
cardiovascular disease. The unexpected finding that these
cholesterol-lowering drugs (or '
statins') also possess pleiotropic immunomodulatory properties, has opened a new area of research which investigates the anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative properties of
statins. In this brief commentary, we discuss the potential application of these drugs in
asthma, where metabolic pathways pertinent to
lung inflammation, in addition to the
mevalonate cascade, may be targeted. We review mechanisms of action, discuss the potential
therapeutic use of
statins in
asthma, share some preliminary data from our laboratory, discuss results from recent clinical trials in
asthma, and propose a new target
asthma subpopulation that could potentially benefit. We conclude our essay by highlighting the
mevalonate-dependent and -independent pathways that may be modulated by
statins, including the emerging area of
cholesterol,
sphingolipid, and
lipid raft biology in
lung disease. In this is an opportunity to develop new treatments for
asthma, where
innovative therapies are urgently needed to prevent acute exacerbations and alter
disease progression.