Monascus ruber, mevinolin

In 1976, mevastatin (ML-236B, 6-demethylmevinolin) (2) was first reported as a potent competitive inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase from the culture of Penicillium citrinum [23,24], which is identical with compactin, an antifungal compound isolated from P. brevicompactum [25,26]. Lovastatin (mevinolin, monacolin K) (3) has been isolated from the cultures of Aspergillus terreus [27] and Monascus ruber [28,29], separately. 

It was discovered by the Merck Sharp Dohme Research Laboratories that a strain of Aspergillus terreus obtained from a soil sample produced the cholesterol lowering fungal metabolite lovastatin (initially named mevinolin). Details of the isolation, structural characterization and biochemicai properties of iovastatin have been summarized by Alberts et al. (1). Lovastatin is identicai to monacoiin K isoiated independently from Monascus ruber by Endo (2). 

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