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Transformation of saturated nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds by microorganisms

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Abstract

The saturated nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds include many drugs and compounds that may be used as synthons for the synthesis of other pharmacologically active substances. The need for new derivatives of saturated nitrogen-containing heterocycles for organic synthesis, biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry, including optically active derivatives, has increased interest in microbial synthesis. This review provides an overview of microbial technologies that can be valuable to produce new derivatives of saturated nitrogen-containing heterocycles, including hydroxylated derivatives. The chemo-, regio- and enantioselectivity of microbial processes can be indispensable for the synthesis of new compounds. Microbial processes carried out with fungi, including Beauveria bassiana, Cunninghamella verticillata, Penicillium simplicissimum, Aspergillus niger and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and bacteria, including Pseudomonas sp., Sphingomonas sp. and Rhodococcus erythropolis, biotransform many substrates efficiently. Among the biological activities of saturated nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds are antimicrobial, antitumor, antihypertensive and anti-HIV activities; some derivatives are effective for the treatment and prevention of malaria and trypanosomiasis, and others are potent glycosidase inhibitors.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Vitaly Lashin (ACD/Labs, Moscow) for the consultations in organic chemistry and Dr. John B. Sutherland (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) for the great help with English.

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  1. Institute of Applied Mechanics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia

    Igor A. Parshikov

  2. Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Eliane O. Silva & Niege A. J. C. Furtado

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  1. Igor A. Parshikov
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  2. Eliane O. Silva
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Correspondence to Igor A. Parshikov.

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Parshikov, I.A., Silva, E.O. & Furtado, N.A.J.C. Transformation of saturated nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds by microorganisms. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 98, 1497–1506 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-013-5429-1

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