The Possible Role of Statins in a Flu Pandemic

The good news: this winter’s wave of flu cases has finally started to decline. The bad news: high-mortality, novel strains of influenza continue to arise (e.g. H7N9), raising the specter of a major pandemic if they acquire greater transmissibility from person-to-person.

A recent online article here discusses the possible use of statins to reduce mortality in a pandemic scenario, and includes comments by one of our AJP-Lung Associate editors, Dr.Lester Kobzik. 

  

AJP-Lung has been contributing to the scientific progress on this topic, with a review and several relevant articles in 2013 alone: 

Autophagy mediates avian influenza H5N1 pseudotyped particle-induced lung inflammation through NF-κB andp38 MAPK signaling pathways.

                             

Neonatal hyperoxia alters the host response to influenza A virus infection in adult mice through multiplepathways.

                                               

Adapting global influenza management strategies to address emerging viruses.

               

FABP5 deficiency enhances susceptibility to H1N1 influenza A virus-induced lung inflammation.

                               

Compromised respiratory function in lethal influenza infection is characterized by the depletion oftype I alveolar epithelial cells beyond threshold levels.

               

Influenza matrix protein 2 alters CFTR expression and function through its ion channel activity.

                

What do you think about this?  Care to tell us in the comments?