Figure 2.

The role of statins in inducing cancer cell death through inhibition of lipoprotein metabolism. Statins are the cholesterol-lowering drugs that inhibit the mevalonate pathway. Apart from cholesterol biosynthesis, the mevalonate pathway is the key regulator for the synthesis of kRas, which is a critical regulator of the cell cycle. On the other hand, studies suggest that statins could also potentially inhibit TNF-alpha and Akt, which are important for angiogenesis and inhibition of apoptosis, respectively.