Biocatalytic deprotection of a cetraxate ester by Microbacterium sp. strain 7-1W cells

Enzymatic deprotection of the terminal ester bond of a cetraxate methyl ester was done with resting cells of Microbacterium sp. strain 7-1W, which produces an esterase catalyzing a regioselective hydrolysis reaction, as the catalyst. When 20 g of cetraxate methyl ester in 50 ml of a reaction mixture was incubated with 5 g of wet cells for 17 h, 96% of the substrate was converted to the desired product, cetraxate, quantitatively.