Industrial Biotransformations

Oxygenase
Nocardia autotropica
● With a final product concentration of 0.8 g · L –1 and a 19,000 L reactor 15.2 kg of 6-β-hydroxymethyl-simvastatin
can be produced.
● The substrate is fed at an overpressure of 20 psig through an on-line filter sterilization system
(microporous stainless steel prefilter, 1–2 µm, Pall) with a concentration of 20 g · L –1 . The feed
tank is maintained at 45 °C to prevent precipitation.
3) Flow scheme
4) Process parameters
yield: 24 %
selectivity: 70 %
reactor type: fed batch
reactor volume: 19,000 L
company: Merck Sharp & Dohme, USA
5) Product application
● Simvastatin (and derivatives) belong to the family of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, which
are, like lovastatin, potent cholesterol-lowering therapeutic agents.
6) Literature
analytics
E
EC 1.14.14.1
● Gbewonyo, K., Buckland, B.C., Lilly, M.D. (1991) Development of a large-scale continuous substrate
feed process for the biotransformation of simvastatin by Nocardia sp., Biotech. Bioeng.
37, 1101–1107
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O
O
HO
H
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cells
OH
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