Production aspects of testosterone by microbial biotransformation and future prospects

[madman]

Abstract

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. Bioransformation 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.




Table of Content

1. Introduction
2. Biosynthesis of Testosterone
3. Production of testosterone by microbial biotransformation
4. Pharmacological activity of testosterone
5. Role of fermentation in production of testosterone
6. Conclusion






6. Conclusion

To conclude, TS is a pharmaceutically significant, principal male steroid with high therapeutic value. Many chemical synthesis methods have been developed for steroid production but due to asymmetric centres in TS molecule, its synthetic synthesis becomes a difficult and non-specific process. Presently microbial transformation is trending among the pharmaceutical industries therefore, to alternate the chemical route, microbial biotransformation is preferred as a suitable method for TS production providing high specificity, efficient yield and an emerging step towards green synthesis.






Highlights

 Microbial biotransformation provides alternate route for synthesis of testosterone.
 Microbial biotransformation provides green synthesis of steroids
 Cholesterol is an essential skeleton molecule for the production of TS

 

[madman]

Fig. 1. Origin of steroidal compounds from Sterane, the parent ring structure of steroid compounds in vertebrates.

 

[madman]

Fig. 2. Scheme representing transformation of AD into TS by 17β-HSD

 

[madman]

Fig. 3. Overall production of testosterone

 

[madman]

Table 1.
Microorganisms reported for the biotransformation of sterols for the production of steroids and their analogues.

 

[madman]

Fig. 4. Illustration of fermentation process for the production of steroids.