• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.283-288
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• 1998

Lovastatin, one of the potent cholesterol-lowering agents, is an inactive lactone prodrug which is metabolized to its active open acid, lovastatin acid (LVA). Bioequivalence study of two lovastatin preparations, the test drug ($Mevacor^{\circledR}$: Chungwae Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) and the reference drug ($Lovaload^{\circledR}$: Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.), was conducted according to the guidelines of Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA). Fourteen healthy male volunteers, $23.9{\pm}3.9$ years old and $67.6{\pm}8.0$ kg of body weight in average, were divided randomly into two groups and administered the drug orally at the dose of 160 mg as lovastatin in a $2{\times}2$ crossover study. Plasma concentrations of lovastatin acid were analysed by HPLC method for 12 hr after administration. The extent of bioavailability was obtained from the plasma concentration-time profiles of total lovastatin acid after alkaline hydrolysis of the plasma samples. By alkaline hydrolysis, trace amounts of unmetabolized lovastatin were converted to lovastatin acid. The $AUC_{0-12hr}$ was calculated by the linear trapezoidal rule method. The $C_{max}$ and $T_{max}$ were compiled directly from the plasma drug concentration-time data. Student's t-test indicated no significant differences between the formulations in these parameters. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that there were no differences in AUC, $C_{max}$, and $T_{max}$ between the formulations. The apparent differences between the formulations were far less than 20% (e.g., 7.07, 5.77 and 1.18% for AUC, $C_{max}$, and $T_{max}$, respectively). Minimum detectable differences(%) between the formulations at ${\alpha}=0.05$ and $1-{\beta}=0.8$ were less than 20% (e.g., 17.2, 15.1, and 15.9% for AUC, Cmax, and Tmax, respectively). The 90% confidence intervals for these parameters were also within ${\pm}20%$ (e.g.. $-5.20{\sim}19.3$, $-5.00{\sim}16.5$, and $-10.2{\sim}12.5%$ for AUC, $C_{max}$, and $T_{max}$, respectively). These results satisfied the bioequivalence criteria of KFDA guidelines, indicating that the two formulations of lovastatin were bioequivalent.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.58 no.3
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• pp.171-180
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• 2014

To enhance the in vitro permeation of lovastatin through excised hairless mouse and human cadaver skins, solubility was determined in various hydrophilic and lipophilic vehicles, and the effects of vehicles and penetration enhancers on the skin permeation from solution formulations were investigated. Solubility of lovastatin was highest in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) ($278.2{\pm}10.1$ mg/ml) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) ($162.2{\pm}9.7$ mg/ml). Among different pure vehicles used, NMP, DMSO, propylene glycol and isopropyl myristate provided some drug permeation ($6.9{\pm}1.1$, $5.9{\pm}1.6$, $3.0{\pm}0.5$ and $2.2{\pm}0.3{\mu}g/cm^2$ at 24 hr, respectively) through hairless mouse skin. The addition of oleic acid, linoleic acid and oleyl alcohol to DMSO showed the maximum permeation at around 5 v/v%, however, capric acid and caprylic acid had no enhancing effect. The increase of enhancer concentrations showed bell-shaped permeation rate, suggesting the presence of optimal concentration in lovastatin penetration. Increasing donor concentration from 10 mg/ml to 80 mg/ml in DMSO and a cosolvent of DMSO, NMP and DGME (3 : 3 : 4 v/v) did not show significant dose dependent permeation in both hairless mouse and human cadaver skins. The maximum lovastatin flux through human cadaver skin was found to be $0.87{\pm}0.46{\mu}g/cm^2$/hr with 5 v/v% linoleic acid and donor dose of 4 mg/0.64 $cm^2$ in the cosolvent. These results suggest that transdermal delivery of lovastatin would be feasible by establishing the optimal concentrations of donor dose and unsaturated fatty acids in appropriate vehicles.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.566-570
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• 2004

Cultivation conditions for overproduction of lovastatins were investigated from the lovastatin producing strain N-03 which was obtained with NTG (N-methyl-N'-nitro-nitrosoguanidine) treatment from Aspergiliu ferrous ATCC 20542. Produced lactone and acid form of lovastatin were detected, and analyzed by HPLC method. In liquid culture, medium No. 2 containing soy protein produced higher amounts of the lovastatins than medium No. 1 (contained rapeseed oil). In solid culture, maximum production was obtained at 28$^{\circ}C$ for 15 days cultivation using cooked wheat bran. For the overproduction of lovastatin from this strain, solid culture method using plastic bag is more superior than liquid culture.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.107-112
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• 1998

Lovastatin is a lipid lowering agent for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and belongs to a new class of pharmacologic compounds called the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase inhibitors. By competitively inhibiting HMG CoA reductase, lovastatin disrupts the biosynthesis of cholesterol in hepatic and peripheral cells and increases the synthesis of high-density-lipoprotein HDL) receptors. Following oral administration, the lactone ring of lovastatin is hydrolysed to the active inhibitor of HMG CoA reductase, lovastatin acid. Lovastatin is known to have poor oral absorption and wide individual variation. In this study, bioequivalence test of two lovastatin formulations, the test drug ($Lovaload^{TM}$, Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceutical Co.) and the reference drug ($Mevacor^{TM}$, Chung Wae Pharmaceutical Co.) were conducted according to the guidelines of Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA). A total of 18 healthy male volunteers, $31.90\pm3.60$ years old and $72.17\;7.88$ kg of body weight in average, were evaluated in a randomized crossover manner with a 2-week washout period. Concentrations of lovastatin acid in plasma were measured upto 12 hours following a single oral administration of eight tablets (20 mg of lovastatin per tablet) by high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection at 238 nm. The area under the concentration-vs-time curve from 0 to 12 hours $(AUC_{0-12h})$ was calculated by the trapezoidal summation method. The statistical analysis showed that there are no significant differences in $AUC_{0-12h),\;C_{max}\;and\;T_{max}$ between the two formulations ($6.72\%,\;1.52\%,\;and\;0.88\$, respectively). The least significant differences between the formulations at $\alpha$=0.05 were less than $20\%\;(11.65\%,\;19.73\%,\;and\;14.81\%\;for\;AUC_{0-12h},\;C_{max}\;and\;T_{max}$, respectively). The $90\%$ confidence intervals for these parameters were also within $\pm20\%\;(-1.50{\leq}{\delta}{\leq}15.00$, $-12.50{\leq}{\delta}{\leq}15.50,\;and\;-9.64{\leq}{\delta]{\leq}11.40{\leq}\;for\;\;AUC_{0-12h}$ ,$C_{max}\;and\;T_{max}$, respectively). In conclusion, the new generic product $Lovaload^{TM}$ was proven to be bioequivalent with the reference drug.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.163-169
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• 2009

Lovastatin (also known as Mevinolin, Mevacor, and Monacolin K), an inhibitor of the HMG-CoA reductase produced by Aspergillus terreus and other fungi, is used to reduce serum cholesterol levels in human beings. It is derived biosynthetically from two polyketides. One of these is a nonaketide that undergoes cyclization at a hexahydronaphthalene ring system, and the other is a simple diketide, 2-methylbutyrate. Two primer pairs were designed based on the amino acid sequences of lovastatin polyketide synthase and lovastatin diketide synthase for the PCR screening of lovastatin-producing strains. Among the seven selected strains, SJ-2 evidenced the highest level of lovastatin production in both liquid and solid cultures. Soybeans with SJ-2 were treated via 1 hour of heat shock at $30^{\circ}C$ for the mass production of lovastatin. The heat-treated soybeans were inoculated on rice bran and the koji extract was obtained after 15 days of incubation. It yielded the highest level of lovastatin production among the strains, and also evidenced 75% inhibition activity against HMG-CoA reductase. We developed an efficient PCR screening method for lovastatin-producing strains, using lovastatin biosynthesis genes.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.184-187
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• 2002

Lovastatin is a cholesterol-lowering agent, which plays a role of an inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3- methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA). When thiamine was supplemented in 3L batch fermentation, the production of lovastatin was improved. At the same time, the levels of pyruvic acid and NAD(P)H were estimated in the course of the fermentation of A. terreus. For the high level production of lovastatin, semi fed-batch fermentation was performed. And the thiamine level was maintained to a concentration of 20 mg/L and glucose was supplied. The final dry cell weight was lowered by 30 % and final lovastatin concentration was increased by 33 %. Final lovastatin concentration of 3.3 g/L was achieved in 8 days.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.137-144
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• 2007

Although lovastatin, a competitive inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMGCoA) reductase, has been shown to have anti-cancer actions, the effect on human hepatoma cells was not investigated. Moreover, the exact mechanism of this action is not fully understood. In this study we investigated the mechanism by which lovastatin induces apoptosis using HepG2 human hepatoblastoma cells. Lovastatin induced apoptotic cell death in a dose-dependent manner in the cells, assessed by the flow cytometric analysis. Treatment with mevalonic acid, a precursor of cholesterol, did not significantly suppress the lovastatin-induced apoptosis. Lovastatin induced a rapid and sustained increase in intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ concentration. Treatment with EGTA, an extracellular $Ca^{2+}$ chelator did not significantly alter the lovastatin-induced intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ increase and apoptosis, whereas intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ reduction with BAPTA/AM and intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ release blockers (dantrolene and TMB-8) completely blocked these actions of lovastatin. In addition, the lovastatin-induced apoptosis was significantly reduced by a calpain inhibitor, a broad spectrum caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk and inhibitors specific for caspase-9 and caspase-3 (z-LEHD-fmk and z-DEVD-fmk, respectively), but not by an inhibitor specific for caspase-8 (z-IETD-fmk). Collectively, these results suggest that lovastatin induced apoptosis of HepG2 hepatoma cells through intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ release and calpain activation, leading to triggering mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. These results further suggest that lovastatin may be valuable for the therapeutic management of human hepatoma.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.78-84
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to optimize the solid state cultivation of Monascus ruber on sterile rice. A single-level-multiple-factor and a single-factor-multiple-level experimental design were employed to determine the optimal medium constituents and to optimize carbon and nitrogen source concentrations for lovastatin production. Simultaneous quantitative analyses of the ${\beta}$-hydroxyacid form and ${\beta}$-hydroxylactone for of lovastatin were performed by the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with a UV photodiode-array (PDA) detector. The total lovastatin yield ($4{\sim}6\;mg/g$, average of five repeats) was achieved by adding soybean powder, glycerol, sodium nitrate, and acetic acid at optimized levels after 14 days of fermentation. The maximal yield of lovastatin under the optimal composition of the medium increased by almost 2 times the yield observed prior to optimization. The experimental results also indicated that the ${\beta}$-hydroxylactone form of lovastatin (LFL) and the ${\beta}$-hydroxyacid form of lovastatin (AFL) simultaneously existed in solid state cultures of Monascus ruber. while the latter was the dominant form in the middle-late stage of continued fermentation. These results indicate that optimized culture conditions can be used for industrial production of lovastatin to obtain high yields.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.220-226
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• 2001

A bioequivalence study of Lovastati $n^{TM}$ tablets (Dong Sung Pharmaceutical Co., Korea) to Mevaco $r^{TM}$ tablets (Choong Wae Pharmaceutical Co., Korea) was conducted according to the guidelines (No. 98-56) of Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA). Each tablet contained 20 mg of lovastatin. Eighteen healthy Korean male subjects received each formulation at a lovastatin dose of 80 mg (i.e., four tablets) in a 2 $\times$ 2 crossover study. There was a washout period of a week between the dose of the two formulations. Plasma concentrations of lovastatin acid were monitored by a GC/MS method for over a period of 12hr after each administration. The area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time zero to 12hr (AUC) was calculated by a linear trapezoidal method. The maximum plasma drug concentration ( $C_{max}$) and the time to reach $C_{max}$ ( $T_{max}$) were compiled from the plasma drug concentration-time data. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) of these parameters revealed that there are no differences in AUC and $C_{max}$ between the formulations. The apparent differences between the formulations in these parameters were 4.87 and 8.03% for AUC and $C_{max}$, respectively. Minimum detectable differences (%) at $\alpha$=0.1 and 1-$\beta$=0.8 were 17.84 and 15.36% for AUC and $C_{max}$ respectively. The 90% confidence intervals were -15.30~5.56 and -17.02-0.95% for AUC and $C_{max}$, respective1y. Thus, the criteria of the KFDA guidelines for the bioequivalence was satisfied, indicating Mevaco $r^{TM}$ tablets and Dong Sung Lovastati $n^{TM}$ tablets are bioequivalent.ivalent.ent.alent.ent.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.22 no.12
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• pp.1615-1624
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• 2013

The aims of this study were to investigate and confirm the occurrence and distribution patterns of blood lipid lower agents (BLLAs) in Nakdong river basin (mainstream and its tributaries). 4 (atorvastatin, lovastatin, mevastatin and simvastatin) out of 5 statins and 2 (clofibric acid and zemfibrozil) out of 3 fibrates were detected in 29 sampling sites and simvastatin (>50%) was predominant compound followed by atorvastatin, lovastatin and clofibric acid. The total concentration levels of BLLAs on April, August and November 2009 in surface water samples ranged from ND~25.7 ng/L, ND~18.8 and ND to 38.8 ng/L, respectively. The highest concentration level of BLLAs in the mainstream and tributaries in Nakdong river were Goryeong and Jincheon-cheon, respectively. The sewage treatment plants (STPs) along the river affect the BLLAs levels in river and the BLLAs levels decreased with downstream because of dilution effects.