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HCV Basic Science

Atorvastatin Does Not Inhibit HCV Replication at Normal Doses

In July 2006, researchers reported data from a laboratory study showing that HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors -- better known as statins -- suppressed replication in an HCV "replicon" system. Statins are widely used to manage elevated blood cholesterol. According to a study published in the April 2007 issue of Hepatology, however, statins may not be active against HCV in patients at the doses typically used.

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Low-density Lipoprotein Receptor Plays a Role in HCV Infection of Liver Cells

Past research has suggested that the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol receptor plays a role in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, but the process is not well understood. As reported in the March 2007 Journal of Hepatology, in a laboratory study French researchers assessed expression and activity of the LDL receptor in the absence or presence of squalestatin (which up-regulates LDL receptor expression) or 25-hydroxycholesterol (which down-regulates LDL receptor expression).

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