Hydrolysis of di-substituted hydantoins, by an enzyme preparation from lentil (Lens esculenta) seeds, for the synthesis of ?,?-dialkylated amino acids with linear and cyclic substituents

Papain catalysed hydantoin hydrolysis in the synthesis of amino acids

Papain has been shown, for the first time, to exhibit hydantoinase activity. It hydrolyzes the 5-mono and 5,5'-disubstituted hydantoins with linear and cyclic substituents, with a higher activity for the latter, to the corresponding N-carbamoyl amino acids, which on chemical hydrolysis yield the corresponding amino acids. The up-scaling of this simple procedure could be a major break-through for amino acid synthesis in chemical and pharmaceutical industries.