[Effect of the inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme-A reductase, pravastatin and simvastatin, on colony formation by hematopoietic progenitor cells].

The inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme-A (HMG-CoA) reductase, pravastatin and simvastatin, are widely used clinically as anti-hypercholesterolemic drugs. To determine whether these drugs affect hematopoiesis, we examined the effect of the drugs on colony formation by human bone marrow cells. Simvastatin strongly inhibited both erythroid and granulocyte-macrophage colony formation by total or CD34-positive bone marrow cells at the concentration of 10 microM, which is about 100-1,000 fold higher than the pharmacologically effective level. On the other hand, the inhibitory effect of pravastatin was much weaker than that of simvastatin. These findings show that these drugs, especially pravastatin have little effect on hematopoiesis.