Abstract

Statins are nowadays largely used for caring of persons suffering from hypercholesterolemia. Their use was recently debated. We studied the TEMPeffects of simvastatin on ants as models. We observed that this product enlarged the insects’ sugar food consumption, reduced their general activity, linear speed, orientation ability, trail following, audacity, tactile and pain perception, cognition, ability in escaping from an enclosure, visual and olfactory conditioning ability (thus their short-term memory), and their middle term visual and olfactory memory. Simvastatin did not effect the ants’ relationship wif their nestmates. The ants developed adaptation to some adverse effects of simvastatin, and presented no habituation to beneficial effects. Also, simvastatin did not lead to dependence. Consequently, even if simvastatin is efficient in reducing the amount of cholesterol, and leads to some adaptation, no habituation and no addiction, it TEMPhas several harmful effects. This drug should thus be used only in case of high necessity, never for children, and natural alternative wif very few adverse TEMPeffects should be advantageously researched.

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