Repurposing simvastatin as a therapy for preterm labor: evidence from preclinical models

What is it about?

Preterm labour is when labour begins before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Premature babies are not fully developed, which can lead to a number of health complications. Common causes of preterm labour include infection and inflammation. Statins are drugs that lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease. However, they are also believed to have other beneficial effects, such as reducing inflammation. We investigated the effect simvastatin on a mouse model of preterm birth and on inflammation and contraction in human myometrial cells. _x000D_ _x000D_ Preterm labour was initiated in mice by administering lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a bacterial component that causes inflammation, into the uterus. Simvastatin prevented preterm delivery and reduced inflammation in the uterus of these mice. The myometrium is the smooth muscle tissue found in the uterus that contracts during labour. Myometrial cells were treated with LPS to cause inflammation. Simvastatin reduced the expression of genes associated with promoting inflammation and increased the expression of genes associated with reducing inflammation. To study the contraction of the myometrial cells, the cells were mixed with collagen to form a solid gel. As the cells contracted, this caused the gel to shrink in size. When the cells were treated with simvastatin, the gel size did not reduce, suggesting that simvastatin stopped the contraction. _x000D_ _x000D_ Simvastatin treatment may be a novel therapy for preterm labour as it prevented preterm birth in mice and reduced inflammation in the uterus. In addition, simvastatin reduced inflammation and prevented the contraction of human myometrial cells.

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