Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of Steroidal Products: Recent Advances

The synthesis of steroidal products has garnered sustained interest due to their versatile bioactivities and physicochemical properties in pharmaceutics. However, the complicated structure of steroids, especially their highly oxygenated skeleton, has presented significant challenges. Benefitted from recent advancements in bioinformatics, genetics, and enzyme engineering, chemoenzymatic strategy combines the flexibility of chemical synthesis with the high regio- and stereo-selectivity of biocatalysis, being an effective approach for the concise synthesis of natural products. In this concept, we review and discuss the recent advances in chemoenzymatic approaches for efficient synthesis of steroids and their analogs, as well as future research opportunities and challenges. This article summarizes the recent breakthroughs in chemoenzymatic synthesis of steroidal products. Integrating steroid hydroxylase, reductase, or dehydrogenase to produce regio- and stereoselective catalysis, enabling the synthetic route more concise, effective and environment-friendly.image