Garlic and garlic-derived compounds inhibit human squalene monooxygenase.
Although extracts of garlic inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis in cultured hepatocytes, the inhibitory components of garlic and the site or sites of inhibition in the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway have not been established. To elucidate potential mechanisms of inhibition, we examined the effect of fresh garlic extract and 16 water- or lipid-soluble compounds derived from garlic on purified recombinant human squalene monooxygenase. Squalene monooxygenase catalyzes the second and likely rate-limiting step in the downstream pathway for cholesterol biosynthesis. A 50% inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) of squalene epoxidation was achieved with 1 g/L of fresh garlic extract; of the 16 garlic compounds tested, only selenocystine (IC(50) = 65 micromol/L), S-allylcysteine (IC(50) = 110 micromol/L), alliin (IC(50) = 120 micromol/L), diallyl trisulfide (IC(50) = 195 micromol/L), and diallyl disulfide (IC(50) = 400 micromol/L) substantially inhibited the enzyme. Kinetic analysis showed that the inhibition by garlic and by these compounds was slow and irreversible, suggestive of covalent binding to the enzyme; the ability of thiol-containing compounds such as glutathione and 2,3-dimercaptopropanol to prevent and reverse the inhibition indicated that the garlic compounds were reacting with sulfhydryl groups on the protein. Dithiols were better reversal agents than monothiols, further suggesting that these inhibitors bind to the proposed vicinal sulfhydryls present on this enzyme. These results indicate that squalene monooxygenase may be one of the target enzymes through which garlic inhibits cholesterol biosynthesis.