Anju Chadha

This review highlights the importance of the biocatalyst, Candida parapsilosis for oxidation and reduction reactions of organic compounds and establishes its versatility to generate a variety of chiral synthons. Appropriately designed reactions using C. parapsilosis effect efficient catalysis of organic transformations such as deracemization, enantioselective reduction of prochiral ketones, imines, and kinetic resolution of racemic alcohols via selective oxidation. This review includes the details of these biotransformations, catalyzed by whole cells (wild type and recombinant strains), purified enzymes (oxidoreductases) and immobilized whole cells of C. parapsilosis. The review presents a bioorganic perspective as it discusses the chemo, regio and stereoselectivity of the biocatalyst along with the structure of the substrates and optical purity of the products. Fermentation scale biocatalysis using whole cells of C. parapsilosis for several biotransformations to synthesize important chiral synthons/industrial chemicals is included. A comparison of C. parapsilosis with other whole cell biocatalysts for biocatalytic deracemization and asymmetric reduction of carbonyl and imine groups in the synthesis of a variety of enantiopure products is presented which will provide a basis for the choice of a biocatalyst for a desired organic transformation. Thus, a wholesome perspective on the present status of C. parapsilosis mediated organic transformations and design of new reactions which can be considered for large scale operations is provided. Taken together, C. parapsilosis can now be considered a ‘reagent’ for the organic transformations discussed here.

Asymmetric reduction of alkyl-3-oxobutanoates mediated by Candida parapsilosis ATCC 7330 resulted in optically pure alkyl-3-hydroxybutanoates in good yields (up to 72 %) and excellent enantiomeric excess (up to >99 %). A detailed and systematic optimisation study was necessary and was carried out to avoid the undesired transesterification reaction during the course of asymmetric reduction. Under optimised conditions, the (S)-alkyl hydroxyesters were produced predominantly except for the methyl ester which formed the (R)-enantiomer. To the best of our knowledge, the biocatalytic asymmetric reduction of isoamyl-3-oxobutanoate to (S)-isoamyl-3-hydroxybutanoate is reported here for the first time. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Optically pure (S)-ethyl 3-hydroxy 4,4,4-trifluorobutanoate was prepared using the biocatalyst Candida parapsilosis ATCC 7330 by deracemisation of the racemic alcohol ester in high optical purity (96%) and yield (65%) and by asymmetric reduction from its prochiral ketone (ee up to 84% and yield 60%) under different reaction conditions. This study highlights the possibility of using the same biocatalyst to produce (S)-ethyl 3-hydroxy 4,4,4-trifluorobutanoate using different strategies.

Asymmetric reduction of ethyl-4-chloro-3-oxobutanoate to (S)-ethyl-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutanoate in aqueous medium by resting cells of Candida parapsilosis ATCC 7330 was optimized. The influence of culture parameters (inoculum size, inoculum age and biocatalyst harvest time) and reaction parameters (co-substrate, resting cell, pH and substrate concentrations) on the asymmetric reduction were studied. It was found that these parameters significantly influenced the rate of the asymmetric reduction. Under the optimum conditions, the final concentration of (S)-ethyl-4-chloro-3- hydroxybutanoate, enantiomeric excess and the isolated yield of (S)-ethyl-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutanoate were 1.38 M (230 g/l), >99 and 95%, respectively. The space time yield was 115 mmol/lh, which is significantly higher than other whole cell biocatalysts reported so far. © 2009 Society for Industrial Microbiology.