Synthesis of some 3-hydroxy-5-aminopentanoic acid derivatives

The 5-amino analogues of mevalonic acid and mevalonolactone, 5-amino-3-hydroxy-3-methylpentanoic acid (VII a) and 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-piperidone (III a), and some related compounds were synthesized as possible inhibitors of cholesterol biosynthesis. None of them was found effective on the synthesis of cholesterol in rat liver slices and on HMG-CoA reductase activity in vitro, but 4-hydroxy-4-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-piperidone (III b) raised high density lipoproteins (HDL) in normolipaemic rats.