GB846914A - Production of steroid compounds - Google Patents

Abstract

17-Hydroxy substituted steroids are produced by subjecting steroids having a hydrogen atom and no hydroxy group attached to the 17-position to the action of an oxygenating enzyme produced by growing an oxygenating strain of a micro-organism of the species Sporomia minima. The oxygenation may be carried out by growing the micro-organism in a nutrient medium containing assimilable sources of carbon and nitrogen under aerobic conditions in intimate contact with the steroid, or by subjecting the steroid reactant under aerobic conditions to the action of homogenized resting cells obtained by growing the micro-organism under aerobic conditions in a nutrient medium. The nutrient medium may contain assimilable sources of carbon and nitrogen, particularly dextrose, lactalbumin digest and corn steep liquor. The steroid reactant may be a pregnene, pregnane, allopregnane, and may be unsubstituted or may contain substituents such as keto, hydroxy, acyloxy, halogen and alkyl substituents, e.g. androstanes, bile acids and their esters, sterols, sapogenins and derivatives of such compounds. The 17-position in a reactant may contain a side chain such as a ketol side chain, a saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon side chain or a carboxylic side chain. Specified reactants are progesterone, 4-pregnene-21-ol-3,20-dione-21-acetate, desoxycorticosterone, 4-pregnene-3,20-dione, 3-keto, cholanic acid, lithocholic acid, 4-pregnene-3-ol-20-one, 5-6-dichloropregnane-3-ol-20-one, and 5,-6-dichloropregnane-21-ol-3,20-dione. In the examples 4-pregnene-17a -ol-3,20-dione, 4-pregnene-11 b , 17a , 21-triol-3, 20-dione, 4-pregnene-11m, 17a -diol-3,20-dione and 4-Oregnene-17a ,21-diol-3,20-dione are prepared.