Enhancement of 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone production from progesterone by biotransformation using...

An enhancement of 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone (17alpha-HP) production from progesterone by biotransformation using hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HPbetaCD) complexation together with aeration and sonication technique was demonstrated. The progesterone-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin complex was prepared by co-evaporation method. The percentage yield of 17alpha-HP from P of 11.26+/-0.64% at 24h was observed in Curvularia lunata ATCC 12017. In the complex form of P, together with sonication at 40kHz for 5s and aeration, the yield of 17alpha-HP was increased to 72.92+/-4.28% which was about 6.5 and 1.3 times of that from the uncomplexed (P) and the complexed (PC), respectively without sonication and aeration. The increased aqueous solubility of P by complexation with HPbetaCD was the main factor which increased the yield of 17alpha-HP, while aeration had more effect on P than PC. Sonication did not significantly increased the yield of the product from both P and PC. When both aeration and sonication were used in the PC system, the product yield was increased significantly more than that from P. The result from this study can be applied for the biotransformation of other poor aqueous soluble precursors.