Central Research Units, F. Hoffmann-La Roche & Co., Ltd., Basel, Switzerland.
Lipstatin, a new and very potent inhibitor of pancreatic lipase (the key enzyme of intestinal fat digestion) was isolated from Streptomyces toxytricini. Lipstatin contains a beta-lactone structure that probably accounts for the irreversible lipase inhibition. The IC50 of lipstatin for pancreatic lipase is 0.14 microM. In mice triolein absorption was dose-dependently inhibited by lipstatin, whereas oleic acid was absorbed normally. Other pancreatic enzymes, such as phospholipase A2 and trypsin, were not inhibited even at an inhibitor concentration of 200 microM.