Efficient Preparation of a Key Intermediate in the Synthesis of Roxifiban by Enzymatic Dynamic Kinetic Resolution on Large Scale

Shortening Synthetic Routes to Small Molecule Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Employing Biocatalytic Methods

Biocatalysis, using enzymes for organic synthesis, has emerged as powerful tool for the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The first industrial biocatalytic processes launched in the first half of the last century exploited whole-cell microorganisms where the specific enzyme at work was not known. In the meantime, novel molecular biology methods, such as efficient gene sequencing and synthesis, triggered breakthroughs in directed evolution for the rapid development of process-stable enzymes with broad substrate scope and good selectivities tailored for specific substrates. To date, enzymes are employed to enable shorter, more efficient, and more sustainable alternative routes toward (established) small molecule APIs, and are additionally used to perform standard reactions in API synthesis more efficiently. Herein, large-scale synthetic routes containing biocatalytic key steps toward >130 APIs of approved drugs and drug candidates are compared with the corresponding chemical protocols (if available) regarding the steps, reaction conditions, and scale. The review is structured according to the functional group formed in the reaction.

Synthesis and absolute configuration assignment of 5-amino-1,3,5-triphenyl-pentane-1,3-diol stereoisomers

Starting from 2,4,6-triphenylpyrylium perchlorate, 5-amino-1,3,5-triphenyl-pentane-1,3-diol stereoisomers 4 were obtained in a simple two-step synthesis: reaction with hydroxylamine, and reduction with LAH of the resulting 2-isoxazoline ketone derivative 2. The eight stereoisomers of 4 were separated in a single shot on a chiral stationary phase cellulose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) (Chiralcel OD-H). The absolute configuration of the title compounds, intermediate 2-isoxazoline ketone 2 and isoxazoline alcohol derivative 3 were determined using a combination of diastereoselective synthesis, affiliation of the sign in chemical interconversion method, and X-ray determination. 2-Isoxazoline ketone 2 enantiomers and isoxazoline alcohol 3 enantiomers were obtained by chiral HPLC on Chiralpak AD column. 2-Isoxazoline ketone 2 enantiomers can be racemized via a retro Michael addition.