The active pharmaceutical ingredient levetiracetam has anticonvulsant properties and is used to treat epilepsies. Herein, we describe the enantioselective preparation of the levetiracetam precursor 2-(pyrrolidine-1-yl)butanamide by enzymatic dynamic kinetic resolution with a nitrile hydratase enzyme. A rare representative of the family of iron-dependent nitrile hydratases from Gordonia hydrophobica (GhNHase) was evaluated for its potential to form 2-(pyrrolidine-1-yl)butanamide in enantioenriched form from the three small, simple molecules, namely, propanal, pyrrolidine and cyanide. The yield and the enantiomeric excess (ee) of the product are determined most significantly by the substrate concentrations, the reaction pH and the biocatalyst amount. GhNHase is also active for the hydration of other nitriles, in particular for the formation of N-heterocyclic amides such as nicotinamide, and may therefore be a tool for the preparation of various APIs.

Nitrile hydratases (NHase) catalyze the hydration of nitriles to the corresponding amides. We report on the heterologous expression of various nitrile hydratases. Some of these enzymes have been investigated by others and us before, but sixteen target proteins represent novel sequences. Of 21 target sequences, 4 iron and 16 cobalt containing proteins were functionally expressed from Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) Gold. Cell free extracts were used for activity profiling and basic characterization of the NHases using the typical NHase substrate methacrylonitrile. Co-type NHases are more tolerant to high pH than Fe-type NHases. A screening for activity on three structurally diverse nitriles was carried out. Two novel Co-dependent NHases from Afipia broomeae and Roseobacter sp. and a new Fe-type NHase from Gordonia hydrophobica were very well expressed and hydrated methacrylonitrile, pyrazine-carbonitrile, and 3-amino-3-(p-toluoyl)propanenitrile. The Co-dependent NHases from Caballeronia jiangsuensis and Microvirga lotononidis, as well as two Fe-dependent NHases from Pseudomonades, were—in addition—able to produce the amide from cinnamonitrile. Summarizing, seven so far uncharacterized NHases are described to be promising biocatalysts.

AbstractHochreines Periodat ist relativ teuer, wird jedoch für viele anspruchsvolle Anwendungen, wie zur Synthese von Pharmawirkstoffen (API) benötigt. Die hohen Kosten entstehen durch die Verwendung von Bleidioxid‐Anoden und durch den Einsatz von teuren Edukten in den zurzeit verfügbaren elektrochemischen Herstellungsmethoden. Eine direkte und kosteneffiziente elektrochemische Synthese von Periodat aus Iodid als kostengünstiges und leicht verfügbares Edukt wird berichtet. Die Oxidation wird an bordotierten Diamantanoden durchgeführt, die beständig, metallfrei und ungiftig sind. Die Vermeidung von Bleidioxid reduziert letztendlich die Kosten für die Aufreinigung sowie die Qualitätssicherung. Der elektrolytische Prozess wurde in statistischen Versuchsreihen optimiert und in einer elektrochemischen Flusszelle skaliert. Die Raumzeitausbeute konnte durch mehrfaches Durchpumpen erhöht werden. Eine LC‐PDA‐Analysemethode wurde etabliert, die eine einfache und simultane Quantifizierung von Iodid, Iodat und Periodat in hoher Präzision erlaubt.

High‐grade periodate is relatively expensive, but is required for many sensitive applications such as the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients. These high costs originate from using lead dioxide anodes in contemporary electrochemical methods and from expensive starting materials. A direct and cost‐efficient electrochemical synthesis of periodate from iodide, which is less costly and relies on a readily available starting material, is reported. The oxidation is conducted at boron‐doped diamond anodes, which are durable, metal‐free, and nontoxic. The avoidance of lead dioxide ultimately lowers the cost of purification and quality assurance. The electrolytic process was optimized by statistical methods and was scaled up in an electrolysis flow cell that enhanced the space–time yields by a cyclization protocol. An LC‐PDA analytical protocol was established enabling simple quantification of iodide, iodate, and periodate simultaneously with remarkable precision.

Ozanimod represents a recently developed, promising active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) molecule in combating multiple sclerosis. Addressing the goal of a scalable, economically attractive, and technically feasible process for the manufacture of this drug, a novel alternative synthetic approach toward ( S)-4-cyano-1-aminoindane as a chiral key intermediate for ozanimod has been developed. The total synthesis of this intermediate is based on the utilization of naphthalene as a readily accessible, economically attractive, and thus favorable petrochemical starting material. At first, naphthalene is transformed into 4-carboxy-indanone within a four-step process by means of an initial Birch reduction, followed by an isomerization of the C═C double bond, oxidative C═C cleavage, and intramolecular Friedel-Crafts acylation. The transformation of the 4-carboxy-indanone into ( S)-4-cyano-1-aminoindane then represents the key step for introducing the chirality and the desired absolute S configuration. When evaluating complementary biocatalytic approaches based on the use of a lipase and transaminase, respectively, the combination of a chemical reductive amination of the 4-carboxyindanone followed by a subsequent lipase-catalyzed resolution turned out to be the most efficient route, leading to the desired key intermediate ( S)-4-cyano-1-aminoindane in satisfactory yield and with excellent enantiomeric excess of 99%.

12-ketoursodeoxycholic acid (12-keto-UDCA) is a key intermediate for the synthesis of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), an important therapeutic agent for non-surgical treatment of human cholesterol gallstones and various liver diseases. The goal of this study is to develop a new enzymatic route for the synthesis 12-keto-UDCA based on a combination of NADPH-dependent 7β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (7β-HSDH, EC 1.1.1.201) and NADH-dependent 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3α-HSDH, EC 1.1.1.50). In the presence of NADPH and NADH, the combination of these enzymes has the capacity to reduce the 3-carbonyl- and 7-carbonyl-groups of dehydrocholic acid (DHCA), forming 12-keto-UDCA in a single step. For cofactor regeneration, an engineered formate dehydrogenase, which is able to regenerate NADPH and NADH simultaneously, was used. All three enzymes were overexpressed in an engineered expression host Escherichia coli BL21(DE3)Δ7α-HSDH devoid of 7α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, an enzyme indigenous to E. coli, in order to avoid formation of the undesired by-product 12-chenodeoxycholic acid in the reaction mixture. The stability of enzymes and reaction conditions such as pH value and substrate concentration were evaluated. No significant loss of activity was observed after 5 days under reaction condition. Under the optimal condition (10 mM of DHCA and pH 6), 99 % formation of 12-keto-UDCA with 91 % yield was observed.

A gene encoding an NADPH-dependent 7β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (7β-HSDH) from Collinsella aerofaciens DSM 3979 (ATCC 25986, formerly Eubacterium aerofaciens) was identified and cloned in this study. Sequence comparison of the translated amino acid sequence suggests that the enzyme belongs to the short-chain dehydrogenase superfamily. This enzyme was expressed in Escherichia coli with a yield of 330 mg (5,828 U) per liter of culture. The enzyme catalyzes both the oxidation of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDA) forming 7-keto-lithocholic acid (KLA) and the reduction of KLA forming UDA acid in the presence of NADP(+) or NADPH, respectively. In the presence of NADPH, 7β-HSDH can also reduce dehydrocholic acid. SDS-PAGE and gel filtration of the expressed and purified enzyme revealed a dimeric nature of 7β-HSDH with a size of 30 kDa for each subunit. If used for the oxidation of UDA, its pH optimum is between 9 and 10 whereas for the reduction of KLA and dehydrocholic acid it shows an optimum between pH 4 to 6. Usage of the enzyme for the biotransformation of KLA in a 0.5-g scale showed that this 7β-HSDH is a useful biocatalyst for producing UDA from suitable precursors in a preparative scale.