Fungi of the genus Pleurotus were shown to produce the 3-hydroxy-3-met
hylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitor mevinolin. Crude methanol extracts
and the purified inhibitor from three different species, P. sapidus,
P. saca and P. ostreatus, were tested using the solubilized microsomal
HMGCoA reductase from Chinese hamster ovary cells. The identity of th
e inhibitor was also confirmed by thin layer chromatography, high pres
sure liquid chromatography and mass spectroscopy.