FIGURE 2.

Different rationales behind the use of statins in cancer therapy for modulation of membrane lipids. The beneficial effects of statins in cancer therapy are achieved by a combination of classical and pleiotropic effects. The classical cholesterol lowering activity decreases the cholesterol concentration in the plasma membrane influencing membrane fluidity and thickness. Pleiotropic effects include lipid rafts clustering and displacement of receptors in non-raft domains. All these effects contribute to an increase in apoptosis and in decrease in resistance of cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents.