Molecule

Drug Groups

experimental

Description

Mevastatin or compactin is a cholesterol-lowering agent isolated from Penicillium citinium. It was the first discovered agent belonging to the class of cholesterol-lowering medications known as statins. During a search for antibiotic compounds produced by fungi in 1971, Akira Endo at Sankyo Co. (Japan) discovered a class of compounds that appeared to lower plasma cholesterol levels. Two years later, the research group isolated a compound structurally similar to hydroxymethylglutarate (HMG) that inhibited the incorporation of acetate. The compound was proposed to bind to the reductase enzyme and was named compactin. Mevastatin is a competitive inhibitor of HMG-Coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase with a binding affinity 10,000 times greater than the HMG-CoA substrate itself. Mevastatin is a pro-drug that is activated by in vivo hydrolysis of the lactone ring. It has served as one of the lead compounds for the development of the synthetic compounds used today.

Indication

Not used therapeutically due to its many side effects.

Pharmacology

The primary cause of cardiovascular disease is atherosclerotic plaque formation. Sustained elevations of cholesterol in the blood increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Mevastatin lowers hepatic production of cholesterol by competitively inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase, the enzyme that catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway via the mevalonic acid pathway. Decreased hepatic cholesterol levels causes increased uptake of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and reduces cholesterol levels in the circulation.

Toxicity

Side effects include those of other statins, such as myalgias, abdominal pain, nausea. It also has a higher chance of giving more severe side effects related to myotoxicity (myopathy, myositis, rhabdomyolysis), and hepatotoxicity, than other statins. Due to these major side effects and their enhanced rate of occurance, Mevastatin is not given therapeutically.

Affected Organisms

References

External Links