Virtuelle (Nano) Welten PDB Molecule of the Month 96: Oxidosqualene Cyclase

Lowering Cholesterol

Currently, drugs that reduce levels of cholesterol in the blood are the some of the largest-selling drugs in the world. The most commonly-prescribed drugs are statins, which block the action of an enzyme that performs one of the first steps in cholesterol synthesis. The enzyme--HMG CoA reductase ( PDB entry 1hwk), --is shown here with atorvastatin (marketed as Lipitor) bound in its active sites. Researchers are now looking for other compounds to block different steps in the synthesis of cholesterol, such as the reaction performed by oxidosqualene cyclase.