Characterization of β-Hydroxy-β-methylglutaryl Coenzyme A Reductase Inhibitor from Pueraria thunbergiana

This study describes the extraction and characterization of an inhibitor for β-hydroxy-β-methylglutaryl (HMG) coenzyme A (CoA) reductase from Pueraria thunbergiana. The maximum HMG-CoA reductase inhibitory activity (IC50 = 79 μg) was obtained when P. thunbergiana was extracted with 70% ethanol at 30 °C for 12 h. After purification of the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor by means of systematic solvent extraction, silica gel column chromatography, and HPLC, an active fraction with an IC50 of 0.9 μg (4.25 μM) and a yield of 1.3% was obtained. The purified HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor was identified as daidzein (C15H10O4; molecular mass, 254 Da). Keywords: Pueraria thunbergiana; β-hydroxy-β-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitor