Progesterone biotransformation

In every case the information provided has been obtained by collating public domain sources of information, but unfortunately very often little data is available, particularly on commercial aspects, even for products that have proved to be big successes. Thus microbial biotransformations for steroid modification, particularly stereoselective hydroxylations, such as the use of Rhizopus arrhizus to convert progesterone into antiinflammatory and other dmgs via 11- -hydroxyprogestrone, have proved to be very successful. However, comparatively little useful information exists from public domain sources, despite (or perhaps because) a market of hundreds of millions /a exists for such microbially transformed steroids (cortisone, aldosterone, prednisolone and prednisone etc.) produced by microbial hydroxylation and dehydrogenation reactions coupled with complimentary chemical steps. 

Several hydroxylation biotransformations have been conunercialised, such as steroid hydroxylation, e.g. the 11-bf-hydroxylation of progesterone by Rhizopus arrhizus, 6-... 

The microbiological hydroxylation of the steroid progesterone (1.35) at C-11 by Rhizopus arrhizus was reported in 1952. This biotransformation, which is now carried out commercially on a substantial scale, provided the facile means of... 

Figure 16.5-4. Mechanism of the biotransformation of progesterone into testololactone.

Manosroi A, Saowakhon S, Manosroi J (2008) Enhancement of androstadienedione production from progesterone by biotransformation using the hy-droxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin complexation technique. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 108 132-136... 

Roglic U, Znidarsic-Plazl P, Plazl I (2005) The influence of beta-cyclodextrin on the kinetics of progesterone transformation by Rhizopus nigricans. Bio-catal Biotransform 23 299-305... 

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