Lipid peroxidation: the role of Ca2+ and protection by calcinine

The use of baker's yeast in the generation of asymmetric centers to produce chiral drugs and others compounds

This review gives a general idea about the importance of chiral carbon in medicine and a way to obtain chiral building blocks with baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) or synthesis of medicaments and other organic compounds. Reactions with these microorganisms are cheaper and easier to be executed than with chemicals (for example, organometallics). Examples of important and practical reactions catalyzed by enzymes inside Saccharomyces cerevisiae are given and probable mechanisms of action of these enzymes are shown. Although these microbes have advantages such as low cost and availability, there are some cares that are necessary to be taken, like NAD(P)H dosage to choose strains more adequate for reduction reactions.

Comparison of biochemical effects produced by calcium ions and by monomers of polyacrylamide (acrylamide and bisacrylamide) on strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae used for production of chiral synthons

The biochemical behaviour of four commercial strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was studied in the presence of calcium ions, acrylamide and bisacrylamide. Calcium ions at a concentration of 300 microM induced an increase of NAD(P)+ reduction in commercial Turkish and American strains, while in Chilean and Brazilian commercial strains, it diminished NAD(P)+ reduction. On the other hand, polyacrylamide monomers (acrylamide and bisacrylamide) induced a decrease of NAD(P)+ reduction in all strains studied in this paper. When membrane potential (delta psi) and oxygen consumption were measured in the presence of polyacrylamide monomers, a decrease of both was observed in all strains studied.