Figure 2. Time- and concentration-dependent effects of six statin drugs on adult S. mansoni in vitro.

Adult worms were incubated out to six days in the presence of the concentrations of statins indicated. A severity score was devised based on previously employed phenotype descriptors that record changes in movement, shape, translucence, surface integrity, and the ability of the parasite to adhere to the floor of the culture plate well [35]. Each descriptor was assigned a score of 1, except where damage to the parasite's surface was evident, in which case the maximum score of 4 was awarded. For each concentration tested, each bar (from left to right) represents simvastatin, lovastatin, atorvastatin, fluvastatin, rosuvastatin and pravastatin. At the bottom, co-incubation with mevalonate (2 mM) for three days prior to the addition of 20 µM simvastatin or lovastatin prevented worm degeneration. Representative data from two independent experiments are shown.