Toward Sustainable Testosterone Manufacturing: Green Chemistry and Microbial Biotransformation Approaches

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Organic Chemistry
• Green Chemistry

Background:

• Testosterone is a crucial steroid hormone with significant physiological and clinical roles.
• Traditional chemical synthesis of testosterone is complex, hazardous, and environmentally detrimental.
• Increasing demand for sustainability drives interest in biotechnological production methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comparative analysis of chemical and microbial methods for testosterone production.
• To review advancements in microbial steroid biotransformation pathways and enzymatic processes.
• To critically evaluate bacterial and fungal cell factories for sustainable steroid synthesis.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of chemical synthesis versus microbial biotransformation.
• Focus on microbial pathways, sterol breakdown, and key enzymes (e.g., 17β-HSDs, P450s).
• Analysis of bacterial (e.g., *Mycolicibacterium*) and fungal (e.g., *Aspergillus*) cell factories.

Main Results:

• Microbial biotransformation presents a viable, environmentally friendly alternative to chemical synthesis.
• Engineered enzymes and microbial platforms enhance efficiency and specificity in testosterone production.
• Specific microbial species show promise as efficient cell factories for steroid biosynthesis.

Conclusions:

• Microbial platforms can complement and potentially replace traditional chemical synthesis for testosterone.
• Engineered biocatalysts pave the way for more sustainable steroid hormone production.
• Adoption of green chemistry principles is crucial for advancing biotechnological steroid manufacturing.