Quantitation of plasma mevalonic acid using gas chromatography-electron capture mass spectrometry.
Circulating concentrations of mevalonic acid (MVA) change in parallel with, and may be used as a marker of cholesterol biosynthesis. Plasma MVA levels have been quantified using a sensitive and specific capillary gas chromatography-electron capture mass spectrometric assay. The detection limit for MVA in plasma is 100 pg/ml; the intra-assay variation is 5.11%; the inter-assay variation is 7.7%. Using this assay, the mean plasma MVA in 15 normolipidemic subjects was 2.37 +/- 1.2 ng/ml (range 0.41-5.31 ng/ml). Administration of 40 mg of simvastatin (an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor) significantly accenutated the diurnal decrease in plasma MVA levels. This assay may be useful in investigating cholesterol synthesis rates in different dyslipidemias and individual responses of HMG-CoA reductase-inhibiting drugs.
Medical Research Council Lipoprotein Team, Hammersmith Hospital, London, U.K.
A
A
Scoppola
V M
VM
Maher
G R
GR
Thompson
N B
NB
Rendell
G W
GW
Taylor
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D008148:Lovastatin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D008798:Mevalonic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D019821:Simvastatin
D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D008148:Lovastatin; D019821:Simvastatin; D008798:Mevalonic Acid