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Updated: Oct 8, 2026

Antimicrobial Peptides Produced by Selective Pressure Incorporation of Non-canonical Amino Acids
Published on: May 4, 2018
Highly efficient synthesis of ampicillin in an "aqueous solution-precipitate" system: repetitive addition of
M I Youshko1, L M van Langen, E de Vroom
1Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119899 Moscow, Russia.
Abstract:
The synthesis of ampicillin catalyzed by Escherichia coli penicillin acylase was optimized in an aqueous system with partially dissolved antibiotic nucleus 6-aminopenicillanic acid (6-APA). The yields of both 6-APA and acyl donor could be improved by repetitively adding substrates to the reaction, allowing the concentration of 6-APA to remain saturated throughout. In this reaction concept, with four subsequent additions of substrates, 97% conversion of 6-APA and 72% of D-(-)-phenylglycine methyl ester (D-PGM) to ampicillin was achieved. The synthetic potential of this concept was estimated using a mathematical model which showed that by increasing the amount of added substrates a nearly quantitative conversion of 6-APA and 85% conversion of acyl donor into ampicillin could be achieved.
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