NOS2 and cystic fibrosis: On the other hand, decreased iNOS expression in CF patients is associated with increased bacterial adherence [39], and the simvastatin-mediated reduction of iNOS expression that was observed in si-luc-transfected cells (Figure 3E) and untransfected A549 cells (data not shown) may potentially be responsible for the increased adhesion of P. aeruginosa in the presence of this compound.