Figure 1.
Steroid synthesis pathway. Inhibition of this steroid pathway by a statin (red) may have pleiotropic effects, influencing antioxidant activity (pink); intracellular processes (blue), including signal transduction, cell proliferation, and apoptosis; structural components (green); and steroid hormones (yellow). Arrows may reflect more than one enzyme reaction. Copyright © 2008 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission from de Ferranti S, Ludwig DS. Storm over statins–the controversy surrounding pharmacologic treatment of children. N Engl J Med. 2008;359(13): 1309–1312.30
Abbreviations: FPP, farnesyl pyrophosphate; GGPP, geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate; HMG-CoA, 3-hydroxy-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A.