PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Vyas, K P
AU  - Kari, P H
AU  - Prakash, S R
AU  - Duggan, D E
TI  - Biotransformation of lovastatin. II. In vitro metabolism by rat and mouse liver microsomes and involvement of cytochrome P-450 in dehydrogenation of lovastatin.
DP  - 1990 Mar 01
TA  - Drug Metabolism and Disposition
PG  - 218--222
VI  - 18
IP  - 2
4099  - http://dmd.aspetjournals.org/content/18/2/218.short
4100  - http://dmd.aspetjournals.org/content/18/2/218.full
SO  - Drug Metab Dispos1990 Mar 01; 18
AB  - Metabolism of lovastatin, a new cholesterol-lowering drug, by liver microsomes from rats and mice was investigated. Liver microsomes from rats catalyzed biotransformation of lovastatin at a rate of 3 nmol/mg of protein/min, whereas the rate of metabolism was 37% higher with liver microsomes from mice. The profiles of metabolites were similar, but the relative abundance of individual metabolites was species dependent. Hydroxylation at the 6'-position was the principal pathway of lovastatin biotransformation, whereas hydroxylation at the 3"-position of the side chain was a minor pathway. In both species the 6'-beta-hydroxy-lovastatin accounted for half of the total metabolism. Liver microsomes from rats produced 2- to 4-fold higher amounts of the other three metabolites, namely, 6'-exomethylene-, 3"-hydroxy-, and the hydroxy acid form, than mouse liver microsomes. The conversion of lovastatin to the novel 6'-exomethylene metabolite was catalyzed by cytochrome P-450 since it required microsomes and NADPH and was inhibited by SKF-525A, metyrapone, and 2,4,-dichloro-6-phenylphenoxyethylamine (DPEA). Furthermore, neither 6'-beta-hydroxy-lovastatin nor the 6'-hydroxymethyl analogs could be demonstrated to be intermediates in the formation of the 6'-exomethylene metabolite. The hydroxy acid form of lovastatin was not a substrate for liver microsomes from either species.