Synthesis of chiral pharmaceutical intermediates by biocatalysis

Chiral resolution of racemic p-methylsulfonylphenyl serine ethyl ester with lipases: the mechanism of side reaction and its suppression

The D-threo form of p-methylsulfonylphenyl serine ethyl ester (MPSE) is a key intermediate for the synthesis of florfenicol. In this study, chiral resolution of DL-threo-p-MPSE with lipases was investigated. Among a series of lipases, Novzyme 435 was the best to resolve DL-threo-p-MPSE with the conversion rate of 36.83% and ee value of 35.13%. To improve the conversion rate and ee value, a number of byproducts were identified and characterized using reverse-phase HPLC, normal-phase HPLC, (1)H NMR, and LC-MS when threo-p-MPSE was hydrolyzed by lipases in organic medium. Mechanisms of generating main byproducts are proposed, and a suppressing method is provided. The results showed that byproduct p-methylsulfonyl benzaldehyde serves as the key intermediate during the whole side reaction process. It was also observed that threo-p-MPSE with a proper hydrolytic velocity served as a driving force to generate p-methylsulfonyl benzaldehyde and accelerated the side reactions. Finally, a feasible approach to suppress side reactions in enzymatic catalysis is offered. The conversion rate and ee value were greatly improved by 69.29 and 46.26%, respectively, using Zn(2+) compared to those without Zn(2+).

Characterization and application of a newly synthesized 2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate aldolase

A codon-optimized 2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate aldolase (DERA) gene was newly synthesized and expressed in Escherichia coli to investigate its biochemical properties and applications in synthesis of statin intermediates. The expressed DERA was purified and characterized using 2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate as the substrate. The specific activity of recombinant DERA was 1.8 U/mg. The optimum pH and temperature for DERA activity were pH 7.0 and 35 °C, respectively. The recombinant DERA was stable at pH 4.0-7.0 and at temperatures below 50 °C. The enzyme activity was inhibited by 1 mM of Ni(2+), Ba(2+) and Fe(2+). The apparent K (m) and V (max) values of purified enzyme for 2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate were 0.038 mM and 2.9 μmol min(-1) mg(-1), for 2-deoxyribose were 0.033 mM and 2.59 μmol min(-1) mg(-1), respectively, which revealed that the enzyme had similar catalytic efficiency towards phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated substrates. To synthesize statin intermediates, the bioconversion process for production of (3R, 5S)-6-chloro-2,4,6-trideoxyhexose from chloroacetaldehyde and acetaldehyde by the recombinant DERA was developed and a conversion of 94.4 % was achieved. This recombinant DERA could be a potential candidate for application in production of (3R, 5S)-6-chloro-2,4,6-trideoxyhexose.

Computational protein engineering: bridging the gap between rational design and laboratory evolution

Enzymes are tremendously proficient catalysts, which can be used as extracellular catalysts for a whole host of processes, from chemical synthesis to the generation of novel biofuels. For them to be more amenable to the needs of biotechnology, however, it is often necessary to be able to manipulate their physico-chemical properties in an efficient and streamlined manner, and, ideally, to be able to train them to catalyze completely new reactions. Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in different approaches to achieve this, both in the laboratory, and in silico. There remains, however, a gap between current approaches to computational enzyme design, which have primarily focused on the early stages of the design process, and laboratory evolution, which is an extremely powerful tool for enzyme redesign, but will always be limited by the vastness of sequence space combined with the low frequency for desirable mutations. This review discusses different approaches towards computational enzyme design and demonstrates how combining newly developed screening approaches that can rapidly predict potential mutation “hotspots” with approaches that can quantitatively and reliably dissect the catalytic step can bridge the gap that currently exists between computational enzyme design and laboratory evolution studies.

Kinetically controlled nanostructure formation in self-assembled globular protein-polymer diblock copolymers

Aqueous processing of globular protein-polymer diblock copolymers into solid-state materials and subsequent solvent annealing enables kinetic and thermodynamic control of nanostructure formation to produce block copolymer morphologies that maintain a high degree of protein fold and function. When model diblock copolymers composed of mCherry-b-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) are used, orthogonal control over solubility of the protein block through changes in pH and the polymer block through changes in temperature is demonstrated during casting and solvent annealing. Hexagonal cylinders, perforated lamellae, lamellae, or hexagonal and disordered micellar phases are observed, depending on the coil fraction of the block copolymer and the kinetic pathway used for self-assembly. Good solvents for the polymer block produce ordered structures reminiscent of coil-coil diblock copolymers, while an unfavorable solvent results in kinetically trapped micellar structures. Decreasing solvent quality for the protein improves long-range ordering, suggesting that the strength of protein interactions influences nanostructure formation. Subsequent solvent annealing results in evolution of the nanostructures, with the best ordering and the highest protein function observed when annealing in a good solvent for both blocks. While protein secondary structure was found to be almost entirely preserved for all processing pathways, UV-vis spectroscopy of solid-state films indicates that using a good solvent for the protein block enables up to 70% of the protein to be retained in its functional form.

Discovery of a novel (+)-γ-lactamase from Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 6 by rational genome mining

A novel (+)-γ-lactamase used for the resolution of racemic γ-lactam from Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 6 was found as a result of sequence-structure guided genome mining. It consists of 409 amino acids, only 49% of which are identical to the amino acid sequences of the known (+)-γ-lactamase from Sulfolobus solfataricus. This is only the third (+)-γ-lactamase gene to be reported.

Nanopatterned Protein Films Directed by Ionic Complexation with Water-Soluble Diblock Copolymers

The use of ionic interactions to direct both protein templating and block copolymer self-assembly into nanopatterned films with only aqueous processing conditions is demonstrated using block copolymers containing both thermally responsive and pH responsive blocks. Controlled reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization is employed to synthesize poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-b-2-(dimethylamino)ethyl acrylate) (PNIPAM-b-PDMAEA) diblock copolymers. The pH-dependent ionic complexation between the fluorescent protein, mCherry, and the ionic PDMAEA block is established using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and UV-Vis spectroscopy. DLS shows that the size of the resulting coacervate micelles depends strongly on pH, while UV-Vis spectroscopy shows a correlation between the protein's absorption maximum and the ionic microenvironment. Zeta potential measurements clearly indicate the ionic nature of the complex-forming interactions. Spin casting was used to prepare nanostructured films from the protein-block copolymer coacervates. After film formation, the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the PNIPAM blocks allows the nanomaterial to be effectively immobilized in aqueous environments at physiological temperatures, enabling potential use as a controlled protein release material or polymer matrix for protein immobilization. At pH 9.2 and 7.8, the release rates are at least 10 times faster than that at pH 6.4 due to weaker interaction between protein and PNIPAM-b-PDMAEA (PND) diblock copolymer. Due to the ionic environment in which protein is confined, the majority of the protein (80%) remains active, independent of pH, even after having been dehydrated in vacuum and confined in the films.

Asymmetric chemoenzymatic synthesis of ramatroban using lipases and oxidoreductases

A chemoenzymatic asymmetric route for the preparation of enantiopure (R)-ramatroban has been developed for the first time. The action of lipases and oxidoreductases has been independently studied, and both were found as excellent biocatalysts for the production of adequate chiral intermediates under very mild reaction conditions. CAL-B efficiently catalyzed the resolution of (±)-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-carbazol-3-ol that was acylated with high stereocontrol. On the other hand, ADH-A mediated bioreduction of 4,9-dihydro-1H-carbazol-3(2H)-one provided an alternative access to the same enantiopure alcohol previously obtained through lipase-catalyzed resolution, a useful synthetic building block in the synthesis of ramatroban. Inversion of the absolute configuration of (S)-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-carbazol-3-ol has been identified as a key point in the synthetic route, optimizing this process to avoid racemization of the azide intermediate, finally yielding (R)-ramatroban in enantiopure form by the formation of the corresponding amine and the convenient functionalization of both exocyclic and indole nitrogen atoms.

Employing modular polyketide synthase ketoreductases as biocatalysts in the preparative chemoenzymatic syntheses of diketide chiral building blocks

Chiral building blocks are valuable intermediates in the syntheses of natural products and pharmaceuticals. A scalable chemoenzymatic route to chiral diketides has been developed that includes the general synthesis of α-substituted, β-ketoacyl N-acetylcysteamine thioesters followed by a biocatalytic cycle in which a glucose-fueled NADPH-regeneration system drives reductions catalyzed by isolated modular polyketide synthase (PKS) ketoreductases (KRs). To identify KRs that operate as active, stereospecific biocatalysts, 11 isolated KRs were incubated with 5 diketides and their products were analyzed by chiral chromatography. KRs that naturally reduce small polyketide intermediates were the most active and stereospecific toward the panel of diketides. Several biocatalytic reactions were scaled up to yield more than 100 mg of product. These syntheses demonstrate the ability of PKS enzymes to economically and greenly generate diverse chiral building blocks on a preparative scale.

Production of carbonyl reductase by Metschnikowia koreensis

A new strain of the yeast Metschnikowia koreensis was grown in shake flasks and a stirred bioreactor for the production of carbonyl reductase. The optimal conditions in the bioreactor for maximizing the biomass specific activity of the enzyme were found to be: a medium composed of glucose (20 g/L), peptone (5 g/L), yeast extract (5 g/L) and zinc sulfate (0.3g/L); the pH controlled at 7; the temperature controlled at 25 °C; an agitation speed of 500 rpm; and an aeration rate of 0.25 vvm. In the bioreactor, a biomass specific enzyme activity of 115.6 U/gDCW was obtained and the maximum biomass concentration was 15.3 gDCW/L. The biomass specific enzyme activity obtained in the optimized bioreactor culture was 11-fold higher than the best result achieved in shake flasks. The bioreactor culture afforded a 2.7-fold higher biomass concentration than could be attained in shake flasks.

Solid-state nanostructured materials from self-assembly of a globular protein-polymer diblock copolymer

Self-assembly of three-dimensional solid-state nanostructures containing approximately 33% by weight globular protein is demonstrated using a globular protein-polymer diblock copolymer, providing a route to direct nanopatterning of proteins for use in bioelectronic and biocatalytic materials. A mutant red fluorescent protein, mCherryS131C, was prepared by incorporation of a unique cysteine residue and site-specifically conjugated to end-functionalized poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) through thiol-maleimide coupling to form a well-defined model protein-polymer block copolymer. The block copolymer was self-assembled into bulk nanostructures by solvent evaporation from concentrated solutions. Small-angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy illustrated the formation of highly disordered lamellae or hexagonally perforated lamellae depending upon the selectivity of the solvent during evaporation. Solvent annealing of bulk samples resulted in a transition toward lamellar nanostructures with mCherry packed in a bilayer configuration and a large improvement in long-range ordering. Wide-angle X-ray scattering indicated that mCherry did not crystallize within the block copolymer nanodomains and that the β-sheet spacing was not affected by self-assembly. Circular dichroism showed no change in protein secondary structure after self-assembly, while UV-vis spectroscopy indicated approximately 35% of the chromophore remained optically active.

Transformation of isosteviol lactam by fungi and the suppressive effects of its transformed products on LPS-induced iNOS expression in macrophages

From the screening of 21 microbial strains, Absidia pseudocylindrospora ATCC 24169 and Aspergillus niger BCRC 32720 were found to reproducibly transform isosteviol lactam (4α-carboxy-13α-amino-13,16-seco-ent-19-norbeyeran-16-oic acid 13,16-lactam) (3) into various compounds. Preparative-scale transformation of 3 with Abs. pseudocylindrospora yielded two new hydroxylated compounds (4 and 5), with conservation of the lactam ring. Preparative-scale transformation of 3 with Asp. niger afforded seven new compounds, 6 and 9-14, together with the known compounds 7 and 8. A single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiment confirmed the structure of 14. The suppressive effects of compounds 1-14 on the lipopolysaccharide-induced expression of the inducible nitric oxide synthase gene in RAW 264.7 macrophages were examined by a reverse-transcription real-time PCR analysis. With the exception of 7, all other compounds significantly reduced levels of iNOS mRNA relative to control cells, which were induced by LPS alone. Compounds 2, 3, and 5 were similar in activity to dexamethasone, while 9 was more potent.

Diverse approaches for the enhancement of oral drug bioavailability

In conscious and co-operating patients, oral drug delivery remains the preferable route of drug administration. However, not all drugs possess the desirable physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties which favor oral administration mainly due to poor bioavailability. This has in some cases led to the choice of other routes of administration, which may compromise the convenience and increase the risk of non-compliance. Poor bioavailability has necessitated the administration of higher than normally required oral doses which often leads to economic wastages, risk of toxicity, erratic and unpredictable responses. The challenge over the years has been to design techniques that will allow oral administration of most drugs, irrespective of their properties, to achieve a therapeutic systemic availability. This will be a worthy achievement since over 90% of therapeutic compounds are known to possess oral bioavailability limitations. In this review, an attempt has been made to explore various approaches that have been used in recent years to improve oral drug bioavailability, including physical and chemical means. This review strives to provide a comprehensive overview of advances made over the past 10 years (2000-2010) in the improvement of the oral bioavailability of drugs. Briefly, the design of prodrugs to bypass metabolism or to enhance solubility as well as modification of formulation techniques such as the use of additives, permeation enhancers, solubilizers, emulsifiers and non-aqueous vehicles have been discussed. Arising approaches, such as formulation modification techniques; novel drug delivery systems, which exploit the gastrointestinal regionality of drugs, and include the pharmaceutical application of nanotechnology as an emerging area in drug delivery; inhibition of efflux pumps; and inhibition of presystemic metabolism have been more extensively addressed. This critical review sought to assess each method aimed at enhancing the oral bioavailability of drugs in terms of the purpose, scientific basis, limitations, commercial application, as well as the areas in which current research efforts are being focused and should be focused in the future.

Preparation of ethyl 3R,5S-6-(benzyloxy)-3,5-dihydroxy-hexanoate by recombinant diketoreductase in a biphasic system

Diketoreductase from Acinetobacter baylyi ATCC 33305 is a unique carbonyl reductase, which can stereoselectively reduce ethyl-6-(benzyloxy)-3,5-dioxohexanoate to ethyl 3R,5S-6-(benzyloxy)-3,5-dihydroxy-hexanoate, an advanced intermediate for statin drugs. In the present study, we explored an aqueous-organic biphasic reaction system to make this biocatalyst more practical and valuable. Different from most oxidoreductases, diketoreductase displayed an excellent tolerance to certain organic solvents without any changes on the catalytic properties. After optimizing reaction conditions, an aqueous-hexane (1:1) biphasic system was established for the preparation of 3R,5S-dihydroxy product by diketoreductase. This system was further scaled up to 0.5 l at a substrate concentration of 105 g/l (378 mM), and the 3R,5S-hydroxy product was obtained with a yield of 83.5% and excellent stereoselectivity (de>99.5%, ee>99.5%).

Achiral bis-imine in combination with CoCl₂: A remarkable effect on enantioselectivity of lipase-mediated acetylation of racemic secondary alcohol

A bis-imine (prepared via a new FeCl₃-based method) in combination with CoCl₂ facilitated lipase-mediated acetylation of the (R)-isomer of a racemic benzylic secondary alcohol with 91% ee_s. The methodology was used for the preparation of the known drug rivastigmine.

Enzymatic and whole cell catalysis: finding new strategies for old processes

The use of enzymes and whole bacterial cells has allowed the production of a plethora of compounds that have been used for centuries in foods and beverages. However, only recently we have been able to master techniques that allow the design and development of new biocatalysts with high stability and productivity. Rational redesign and directed evolution have lead to engineered enzymes with new characteristics whilst the understanding of adaptation mechanisms in bacterial cells has allowed their use under new operational conditions. Bacteria able to thrive under the most extreme conditions have also provided new and extraordinary catalytic processes. In this review, the new tools available for the improvement of biocatalysts are presented and discussed.