New applications of squalene synthase inhibitors: Membrane cholesterol as a therapeutic target.
Squalene synthase (SQS) inhibitors, mostly known as antihyperlipidemic agents for controlling blood cholesterol levels, have been increasingly used to study alterations of the cholesterol content in cell membranes. As such, SQS inhibitors have been demonstrated to control cellular activities related to cancer cell proliferation and migration, neuron degeneration, and parasite growth. While the mechanisms behind the effects of cellular cholesterol are still being revealed in detail, the evidence for SQS as a therapeutic target for several seemingly unrelated diseases is increasing. SQS inhibitors may be the next promising candidates targeting the three remaining primary therapeutic areas, beyond cardiovascular disease, which still need to be addressed; their application as anticancer, antimicrobial, and antineurodegenerative agents appears promising for new drug discovery projects underway.
['Kourounakis|Angeliki P|AP|http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8151-311X', 'Bavavea|Eugenia|E|']
D000818:Animals D000890:Anti-Infective Agents D000970:Antineoplastic Agents D002784:Cholesterol D055808:Drug Discovery D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors D013186:Farnesyl-Diphosphate Farnesyltransferase D006801:Humans D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents
squalene synthase cancer antimicrobial Alzheimer's disease lipid rafts