New metabolites of drospirenone obtained in Mucorales fungi culture

Pharmacokinetics, metabolism and serum concentrations of progestins used in contraception

Many different forms of hormonal contraception are used by millions of women worldwide. These contraceptives differ in the dose and type of synthetic progestogenic compound (progestin) used, as well as the route of administration and whether or not they contain estrogenic compounds. There is an increasing awareness that different forms of contraception and different progestins have different side-effect profiles, in particular their cardiovascular effects, effects on reproductive cancers and susceptibility to infectious diseases. There is a need to develop new methods to suit different needs and with minimal risks, especially in under-resourced areas. This requires a better understanding of the pharmacokinetics, metabolism, serum and tissue concentrations of progestins used in contraception as well as the biological activities of progestins and their metabolites via steroid receptors. Here we review the current knowledge on these topics and identify the research gaps. We show that there is a paucity of research on most of these topics for most progestins. We find that major impediments to clear conclusions on these topics include a lack of standardized methodologies, comparisons between non-parallel clinical studies and variability of data on serum concentrations between and within studies. The latter is most likely due, at least in part, to differences in intrinsic characteristics of participants. The review highlights the importance of insight on these topics in order to provide the best contraceptive options to women with minimal risks.

Screening a Strain of Klebsiella sp. O852 and the Optimization of Fermentation Conditions for Trans-Dihydrocarvone Production

Flavors and fragrances have high commercial value in the food, cosmetic, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. It is interesting to investigate the isolation and characterization of new microorganisms with the ability to produce flavor compounds. In this study, a new strain of Klebsiella sp. O852 (accession number CCTCC M2020509) was isolated from decayed navel orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck), which was proved to be capable of converting limonene to trans-dihydrocarvone. Besides, the optimization of various reaction parameters to enhance the trans-dihydrocarvone production in shake flask was performed for Klebsiella sp. O852. The results showed that the yield of trans-dihydrocarvone reached up to 1 058 mg/L when Klebsiella sp. O852 was incubated using LB-M medium for 4 h at 36 °C and 150 rpm, and the biotransformation process was monitored for 36 h after adding 1680 mg/L limonene/ethanol (final ethanol concentration of 0.8% (v/v)). The content of trans-dihydrocarvone increased 16 times after optimization. This study provided a basis and reference for producing trans-dihydrocarvone by biotransformation.

Biotransformation of drospirenone, a contraceptive drug, with Cunninghamella elegans

Biotransformation of an orally active contraceptive drug, drospirenone (1), by Cunninghamella elegans ATCC 36114 yielded four new metabolites, 6β,7β,15β,16β-dimethylene-3-oxo-14α-hydroxy-17α-pregn-4-ene-21,17-carbolactone (2), 6β,7β,15β,16β-dimethylene-3,11-dioxo-17α-pregn-4-ene-21,17-carbolactone (3), 6β,7β,15β,16β-dimethylene-3,12-dioxo-17α-pregn-4-ene-21,17-carbolactone (4), and 6β,7β,15β,16β-dimethylene-3-oxo-11β,14α-dihydroxy-17α-pregn-4-ene-21,17-carbolactone (5), along with a known metabolite, 6β,7β,15β,16β-dimethylene-3-oxo-11α-dihydroxy-17α-pregn-4-ene-21,17-carbolactone (6). This study provides not only new analogues of orally active contraceptive drug, drospirenone, but also help in understanding the metabolism of this important drug.