Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of the Intermediates in the Peppermint Monoterpenoid Biosynthetic Pathway

A chemoenzymatic approach providing access to all four intermediates in the peppermint biosynthetic pathway between limonene and menthone/isomenthone, including noncommercially available intermediates (-)-trans-isopiperitenol (2), (-)-isopiperitenone (3), and (+)-cis-isopulegone (4), is described. Oxidation of (+)-isopulegol (13) followed by enolate selenation and oxidative elimination steps provides (-)-isopiperitenone (3). A chemical reduction and separation route from (3) provides both native (-)-trans-isopiperitenol (2) and isomer (-)-cis-isopiperitenol (18), while enzymatic conjugate reduction of (-)-isopiperitenone (3) with IPR [(-)-isopiperitenone reductase)] provides (+)-cis-isopulegone (4). This undergoes facile base-mediated chemical epimerization to (+)-pulegone (5), which is subsequently shown to be a substrate for NtDBR (Nicotiana tabacum double-bond reductase) to afford (-)-menthone (7) and (+)-isomenthone (8).