Overview | monacolin J is a major precursor for the synthesis of the cardiovascular drug simvastatin. It has two forms of internal lipid (Simvastatin lactone diol) and trihydroxy acid, and there are two main routes to synthesize Simvastatin: one is to directly methylate lovastatin by chemical method to obtain simvastatin; second, simvastatin is obtained by chemically or biologically binding a 2, 2-dimethylbutyryl group to the hydroxyl group at the JC8 position of monacolin. The method reported in the US Patent: the acyltransferase expressed by LovD can efficiently and specifically bind 2, 2-dimethylbutyryl to the hydroxyl group at the JC8 position of monacolin to obtain simvastatin, the process is simple, the reaction conditions are mild, and there is a prospect of industrial production. Monacolin J is the main precursor for the synthesis of cardiovascular drug simvastatin, and its preparation process also determines the production cost of simvastatin. At present, in the technical route for synthesizing simvastatin from monacolin J, monacolin J is obtained by alkali hydrolysis using pure lovastatin as a raw material. |