Production aspects of testosterone by microbial biotransformation and future prospects

In human males, TS plays a key role in maintaining health and sexual functioning. Cholesterol acts as a precursor molecule for its biosynthesis. The microbial biotransformation of cholesterol by numerous microbes like bacteria, fungi, yeasts, etc. has led to the synthesis of TS out of human body making it a great example for industrial steroid production due to its therapeutic properties. Biotransformation through microbes is more advantageous over chemical synthesis as it gives higher conversion rates, higher specificity; reaction goes under mild conditions like temperature and neutral pH, thus being an effective alternate to chemical route. Current review focuses on production aspects of TS by microbial biotransformation and its future prospects with recent advancement.