Figure 1.

Accumulation of neutral red in smooth muscle cells (SMCs) exposed to (a) 0.5% ethanol, (b) 25 μM 7-ketocholesterol, (c) 10 μM fluvastatin, (d) 7-ketocholesterol and 10 μM fluvastatin, (e) 100 μM simvastatin, (f) 7-ketocholesterol and 100 μM simvastatin, (g) 100 μM pravastatin or (h) 7-ketocholesterol and pravastatin for 18 h. The accumulation of neutral red in cytoplasmic granules (lysosomes) was suppressed by 7-ketocholesterol. The oxysterol-induced variable degrees of cell retraction with formation of spindle-shaped and round cells (arrows), in which granules seemed to merge. SMCs exposed to pravastatin or 10 μM simvastatin were indistinguishable from control, whereas 100 μM simvastatin caused cell retraction, rounding off (arrows) and cell loss. SMCs treated with pravastatin and 7-ketocholesterol were similar to SMCs exposed to 7-ketocholesterol alone, whereas 10 μM simvastin reduced and 100 μM increased the frequency of rounded SMCs.