EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT HORMONES ON MEVALONIC ACID AND CIRCADIAN-RHYTHM OF CHOLESTEROL-SYNTHESIS

Mevalonic acid (MVA) is a normal constituent of rat and human plasma. MVA is formed in organs involved in cholesterol synthesis, most notably in the liver, by the action of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA reductase (HMG-CoA reductase) and has been proven to be a good index of endogenous cholesterol biosynthesis. In this article we review the effects of corticosteroids, sex hormones, thyroid hormones and insulin on the circadian rhythm of mevalonate concentrations prevalently in animals. The measurements of MVA concentrations in human plasma or urine should prove useful in a number of areas where a knowledge of cholesterol biosynthesis is required and might be used to compare cholesterol synthesis rates in different endocrine and metabolic diseases.