Abstract

CHEGWIN-ANGARITA, Carolina; NIETO-RAMIREZ, Ivonne J.; ATEHORTUA, Lucia  and  SEPULVEDA A., Liuda J.. Statins: Biological activity and biotechnological production. Rev. colomb. biotecnol [online]. 2012, vol.14, n.2, pp.157-178. ISSN 0123-3475.

Statins of type I are fungic metabollites of great importance not only by its hypocholestorolemic but also by its number pleoitropic effects that they show. The role of statins in the reduction of lipids in the blood is broadly reported. Currently, clinic surveys have put into evidence that statins both impact in a positive manner on several organs and in different stages of some diseases, regardless of the cholesterol reduction levels. They show an anti-inflammatory effect, anti-oxidant, and immune modulator action, which give them a therapeutic potential in the treatment of several diseases. Recent studies place them as anti-retrovirus avoiding the replication of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The fact that they generate pro-apoptosis, inhibition on growing, and an favorable effect of the neo-plastic cell differentiation of diverse origins make them useful in the leukemia treatment, breast-cancer, colorectal, lung cancer, prostate cancer, and pancreas cancer. The beneficial side effects on bone metabolism should not be left aside due to its association with the increase of bone mineral density, the protector effect against Alzheimer and other types of dementia, possibly due to its participation in the relationship between Β-amyloid and the cholesterol levels. The need of its production at large amounts has led biotechnologists to the optimization of biotechnology processes seeking for a better performance on short-time processing; finding results as worth as those obtained from basiodiomycetes, eliminating the problems generated by the toxins in the micromycetes. These processes correspond to fermentations whether in liquid state or in solid state solid being the former the most used. Even though biosynthesis of statins is deeply linked as much to the fungus as to the strain of the same, the composition of the culture, aeration, pellet’s morphology, agitation, fermentation processing type, pH , temperature, light, inoculation type, are determinant variables to the optimization of biotechnological production of these bio-actives. Comparative studies show that sometimes, solid state fermentation (SSF), present some advantages over liquid state fermentation (LSF) with both a greater amount and fast processing of the product. However, the lovastatin production through SSF present difficulties and limitations as much as there many variables of the process that required to be controlled. In this review are presented the most relevant results in the latest 12 years, related with both fields, bio-actions, and the biotechnology of the production of statins type 1.

Keywords : HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors; mushroom growing; bioactions.

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