The molecule is a carboxylic ester resulting from the formal condensation of (S)-2-methylbutyric acid with the hydroxy group adjacent to the ring junction of (3R,5R)-7-[(1S,2S,6S,8S,8aR)-6,8-dihydroxy-2-methyl-1,2,6,7,8,8a-hexahydronaphthalen-1-yl]-3,5-dihydroxyheptanoic acid. Derived from microbial transformation of mevastatin, pravastatin is a reversible inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA). The sodium salt is used for lowering cholesterol and preventing cardiovascular disease. It is one of the lower potency statins, but has the advantage of fewer side effects compared with lovastatin and simvastatin. It has a role as a metabolite, an anticholesteremic drug, a xenobiotic and an environmental contaminant. It is a 3-hydroxy carboxylic acid, a hydroxy monocarboxylic acid, a carboxylic ester, a secondary alcohol, a carbobicyclic compound and a statin (semi-synthetic). It derives from a (3R,5R)-7-[(1S,2S,6S,8S,8aR)-6,8-dihydroxy-2-methyl-1,2,6,7,8,8a-hexahydronaphthalen-1-yl]-3,5-dihydroxyheptanoic acid and a (S)-2-methylbutyric acid. It is a conjugate acid of a pravastatin(1-).
(3R,5R)-7-[(1S,2S,6S,8S,8aR)-6-hydroxy-2-methyl-8-[(2S)-2-methylbutanoyl]oxy-1,2,6,7,8,8a-hexahydronaphthalen-1-yl]-3,5-dihydroxyheptanoic acid