Biocatalysis applied to the preparation of pharmaceuticals

Biotransformations are now accepted as a methodology for the preparation of fine chemicals. The majority of enzyme-catalysed reactions involve the use of hydrolases, especially lipases, in hydrolysis, esterification or aminolysis reactions. Lyases, enzymes much less exploited in organic synthesis, are proving increasingly interesting, especially,the use of (R)-oxynitrilases for the synthesis of optically active cyanohydrins which are intermediates of many compounds of pharmacological, importance. In this account, we report the utility of four kinds of processes which we have carried out recently in our laboratory in the field of pharmaceutical chemistry. Enzymatic resolution of alcohols, enzymatic acylation of amines, regioselective acylation, and alkoxycarbonylation of natural products, and chemoenzymatic synthesis of products of high added value using (R)-oxynitrilase as biocatalyst are described.