Lovastatin

Product : Technology and high-productive strain producing Lovastatin

Strain-producer Aspergillus terreus

Productivity At present our best mutant produces up to 16 G/L of product and technology is optimized both in shaken flasks and lab scale fermentors.

Fermentation time 216-254 hours (depends on mutant)

Analysis HPLC

Standard Mevinolin (Lovastatin) of Sigma cat# M2147

Remarks Initial productivity of the strain of Aspergillus terreus was 30-60 mg/L. First mutant with productivity of 1.5-2.0 G/L in shaken flasks obtained by applying combined (chemical and physical) induced mutagenesis methods after 18 months of studies. Keeping on working at the strain, mutants with productivity more than 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 G/L were obtained. During experiments easily applicable method of extraction and purification for the product was developed.

Product Recovery technology for Lovastatin

Yield 60 %

Purity Not less than 98.5%

Remarks Cholesterol-lowering agent Lovastatin represents the first of a new class of cholesterol-lowering agents, the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, which are indicated for the treatment of primary hypercholesterolaemia. It is a fungal metabolite that was originally isolated from cultures of Monascus ruber and Aspergillus terreus. Lovastatin was also the first HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor acknowledged to slow coronary arteriosclerosis. Lovastatin was purposely developed as a pro-drug to concentrate active drug in the liver during first-pass circulation. Lovastatin was approved by the FDA for the treatment of hypercholesterolaemia in August 1987.