Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases - versatile biocatalysts

Advances in biochemistry have helped to understand the structure and function of enzymes, which in turn has led to an increase in their stability, activity and substrate specificity. Today, biocatalysis provides more sustainable, efficient and less polluting methods for the production of fine chemicals and advanced pharmaceutical intermediates. This paper presents the structure and the mechanism of action of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases and their use in the effective synthesis of biologically active compounds, which is more ecological, less time-consuming and cheaper compared to chemical synthesis. The pharmaceutical industry should take advantage of the advances in biochemistry to obtain biocatalysts for the production of fine chemicals on an industrial scale, improving the quality of end products while saving costs.