3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors. 2. Structural modification of 7-(substituted aryl)-3,5-dihydroxy-6-heptenoic acids and their lactone derivatives.

A series of 7-(substituted aryl)-3,5-dihydroxy-6-heptenoic (heptanoic) acids and their lactone derivatives have been prepared and tested for inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase in vitro. A systematic exploration of the structure-activity relationships in this series led to the synthesis of (+)-trans-(E)-6-[2-[2,4-dichloro-6-[(4-fluorophenyl) methoxyl]phenyl]ethyl]-3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-4-hydroxy-2H-pyran-2-one (66(+)), which has one-half of the inhibitory activity of compactin.