Inhibition of acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase by helminthosporol and its related compounds.

acyl-CoA and cholesterol. This enzyme plays key roles in both intestinal absorption of cholesterolX) and cholesteryl ester accumulation in macrophagederived foam cells, which are prominent in atherosclerotic plaques2). In the course of the search for microbial metabolites which inhibit cholesteryl ester formation in macrophages, helminthosporol (1)3), helminthosporal-derived acid (2)4) and helminthosporic acid (3)3) (Fig. 1) were isolated as