In: Biology
Statin drugs, like Mevacor (lovastatin) and Lipitor (atorvastatin), act as competitive inhibitors of HMG-CoA reductase by mimicking the structure of mevalonate. However, it is not this inhibition that directly lowers cholesterol levels in the blood.
A) What enzymatic reaction does HMG CoA-reductase catalyze? What is important about this step of cholesterol synthesis?
B) How can statins mechanistically cause a decrease in LDL cholesterol in the blood if it is not a direct effect of decreased cellular cholesterol synthesis?