[Action of lovastatin--an inhibitor of cholesterol biosynthesis on bacterial bioluminescence].

The action of lovastatin, a competing inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase, on bacterial bioluminescence was studied. The lovastatin lactone form and sodium salt of mevinolinic acid inhibited bacterial luciferase in vitro but did not affect bioluminescence of the intact cells of the luminous bacteria. The inhibition was found to be of a competing character in regard to aliphatic aldehyde, the bacterial luciferase substrate. Conditions under which the bioluminescence inhibition was proportional to the lovastatin concentration in the incubation mixture and a bioluminescence method for quantitative determination of the inhibitor were developed.