Figure 2.
Simvastatin enhances the anti-TB activity of the first-line regimen in mice. (a) Simvastatin 25 mg/kg alone (squares) given on the day after aerosol infection does not alter the course of acute infection compared with vehicle control (inverted triangles). (b) In combination with rifampicin/pyrazinamide/isoniazid (RHZ; inverted triangles), simvastatin significantly reduces the lung bacillary burden compared with standard treatment alone (triangles). (c) Histology of animals receiving 8 weeks of RHZ (i and iii) and RHZ + simvastatin (ii and iv). Haematoxylin/eosin stain, ×40 (i and ii) and ×100 (iii and iv) magnification. (d) No significant differences were observed between groups in the percentage of lung with inflammatory involvement. Results are presented as mean cfu per lung (log10) ± SD (a and b) taken from five animals per group, per timepoint, or as the percentage of lung with inflammatory involvement (d). Statistical comparison between groups was performed using a two-tailed Student's t-test. ***P < 0.01. This figure appears in colour in the online version of JAC and in black and white in the print version of JAC.