MEVINOLINS AND THE RELATED ANALOGS - THE SYNTHETIC ASPECTS

Mevinolins are hypocholesterolemic agents as they reduce plasma choles terol levels. The bulk of their biological activity is due to the beta -hydroxy-delta-lactone segment and the role of the octalin unit is pur ely hydrophobic in nature. Mevinolins have, therefore, attracted consi derable. global attention for their HMG CoA reductase inhibiting prope rties. HMG CoA reductase is a major rate limiting enzyme which is resp onsible for the reduction of HMG CoA to mevalonic acid. In this articl e, literature up to the end of 1994 on the syntheses of mevinolins con sisting of the above active pharmacophore, the beta-hydroxy-delta-lact one unit, attached to a structurally simple substitute for the functio nalized decalin unit present in mevinolin and compactin is reviewed.