Amino acid similarity, between statin binding site of hmg coa reductase and taste perception-related proteins: A possible mechanism for statin-induced taste disorders

Objective: Statins are widely prescribed worldwide and used by millions of people to decrease blood cholesterol level. Taste disorders are among many documented side effects of statins and reported in less than 2% of the patients who use a statin. The molecular mechanism of statin-induced taste disorders is not known. In this study, a bioinformatics approach was used for the elucidation of this mechanism. Material and Method: In order to gain insight into the mechanism of statin-induced taste disorders, we searched human protein database by using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) and 3-hydroxy-3- methylglutarylcoenzyme A reductase QiMGCR) as query.Results: Our search revealed two proteins: Polycystic kidney disease 1 like 1 (PKD1L1) and transcription factor AP-2 beta (TFAP2B) both of which are involved in taste perception. Our results suggest a possible partial interaction between statins and PKD1L1 and TFAP2B. Conclusion: Further studies such as molecular docking and identification of statin binding proteins by affinity column chromatography using statins as substrate can clarify the contribution of such an interaction to the mechanisms of statin induced taste disorders.