Inhibition of hepatic cholesterol biosynthesis by chloroquine.

Chloroquine is shown to be a potent inhibitor of cholesterol biosynthesis by isolated rat hepatocytes. Half-maximal inhibition of cholesterogenesis occurs at ca. 10 micro M chloroquine. Chloroquine does not affect fatty acid synthesis by isolated hepatocytes. This suggests that chloroquine acts on the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway beyond the cytosolic acetyl-coA branchpoint of cholesterol and fatty acid synthesis.