This book describes examples of the use of microbial technologies for the preparation of artemisinins derivatives. Some examples of the formation of various metabolites depending on the composition of the nutrient medium are considered. The production of new artemisinins derivatives with increased antimalarial and antitumor activity is an important research task in the field of microbial biotechnology and medical chemistry
Dallas: Primedia E-launch LLC, 2018. − 30 p.

The monograph describes microbial technologies for obtaining of derivatives of terpenoids. Obtaining new derivatives of terpenoids, including artemisinin derivatives with increased antimalarial activity, is an important goal of research in microbial biotechnology and medicinal chemistry.
Dallas: Primedia E-launch LLC, 2016. − 102 p. (ISBN 978-1-68419-775-0)

The monography describes microbial technologies for obtaining of derivatives from a series of nitrogen heterocycles (saturated nitrogen heterocycles, azaarenes and quinolones). It is proposed alternative ways for synthesize substances that are difficult to obtain by the methods of organic chemistry. Microbial technologies of synthesis of organic compounds may find out a practical application in the production of various drugs.
Dallas: Primedia E-launch LLC, 2016. − 130 p. (ISBN 978-1-68419-830-6)

Steroids are derivatives of the triterpenoid squalene, containing three fused cyclohexane rings and a cyclopentane ring, and flavonoids are derivatives of L-phenylalanine, containing two aromatic rings joined by a three-carbon bridge that may form part of a heterocyclic ring. A great variety of steroids and flavonoids are produced by plants, and many additional steroids are produced by animals or fungi. Because these compounds have many nutritional and pharmaceutical values, and many of them cannot be produced by chemical synthesis, biotechnological processes are being developed that use cultures of Aspergillus niger and other fungi to transform steroids and flavonoids to a variety of metabolites. These biochemical reactions, including hydroxylation, dehydrogenation, O-methylation, demethylation, cleavage of rings, epoxide hydrolysis, double bond reduction, and others, may be used for the production of higher-value compounds.
Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology V.176, N 3, P.903-923

Aspergillus niger is a well-known fungus that has been used for many different biotransformations of organic compounds. The terpenoids include a large variety of natural hydrocarbons and their derivatives, mostly obtained from plant essential oils, but some obtained from animals or fungi. They may be acyclic or have one or more rings of various sizes, and they show a variety of biological activities that include antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, antiviral, and anticancer activities. Terpenoids are classified as monoterpenoids (C10), sesquiterpenoids (C15), diterpenoids (C20), triterpenoids (C30), and others. This review summarizes experimental processes that use cultures of various A. niger strains to carry out stereoselective biochemical reactions in terpenoids, including related epoxides, lactones, N-phenylcarbamates, and saponins, to produce metabolites that may be useful as flavors and fragrances or as new experimental drug candidates. Cultures of A. niger that add hydroxyl, carbonyl, and other groups at specific positions or reduce double bonds have resulted in the production of valuable new compounds.
Process Biochemistry. 2014. V.49. N 12. P. 2086-2100. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.procbio.2014.09.005

Probiotics are currently added to a variety of functional foods to provide health benefits to the host and are commonly used by patients with gastrointestinal complaints or diseases. The therapeutic effects of lapachol continue to inspire studies to obtain derivatives with improved bioactivity and lower unwanted effects. Therefore, the general goal of this study was to show that probiotics are able to convert lapachol and are important to assess the effects of bacterial metabolism on drug performance and toxicity. The microbial transformations of lapachol were carried out by Bifidobacterium sp. and Lactobacillus acidophilus and different metabolites were produced in mixed and isolated cultures. The cytotoxic activities against breast cancer and normal fibroblast cell lines of the isolated metabolites (4α-hydroxy-2,2-dimethyl-5-oxo-2,3,4,4α,5,9β-hexahydroindeno[1,2-β]pyran-9β-carboxilic acid, a new metabolite produced by mixed culture and dehydro-α-lapachone produced by isolated cultures) were assessed and compared with those of lapachol. The new metabolite displayed a lower activity against a breast cancer cell line (IC50 = 532·7 μmol l−1) than lapachol (IC50 = 72·3 μmol l−1), while dehydro-α-lapachone (IC50 = 10·4 μmol l−1) displayed a higher activity than lapachol. The present study is the first to demonstrate that probiotics are capable of converting lapachol into the most effective cytotoxic compound against a breast cancer cell line.
Letters in Applied Microbiology. 2014. V. 59. N1. P.108-114

The formation of conjugates from two antibacterial fluoroquinolone drugs, ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin, was observed in cultures of Trichoderma viride that had been grown in sucrose-peptone broth and extracted 16 d after dosing with the drugs. Both conjugates were purified by high-performance liquid chromatography and found to be optically active. They were identified by mass and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra as 4-hydroxy-3-oxo-4-vinylcyclopent- 1-enyl ciprofloxacin and 4-hydroxy-3- oxo-4-vinylcyclopent-1-enyl norfloxacin. The transformation of veterinary fluoroquinolones in the presence of fungi may have ecological significance.
Mycologia, 2002, v.94, N 1. P.1-5.

To investigate the microbial biotransformation of veterinary fluoroquinolones, Mucor ramannianus was grown in sucrose/peptone broth with sarafloxacin for 18 days. Cultures were extracted with ethyl acetate and extracts were analyzed by liquid chromatography. The two metabolites (26% and 15% of the A 280, respectively) were identified by mass and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectra as N-acetylsarafloxacin and desethylene-N-acetylsarafloxacin. The biological formation of desethylene-N-acetylsarafloxacin has not been previously observed.
J. Ind. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 2001. V. 26. P.140-144.

The ability of the fungus Beauveria bassiana ATCC 7159 to transform the antibacterial agent cinoxacin was investigated. Cultures in sucrose–peptone broth were dosed with cinoxacin, grown for 20 days, and then extracted with ethyl acetate. Two metabolites were detected and purified by high-performance liquid chromatography. The major metabolite was identified by mass and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra as 1-ethyl-1,4-dihydro-3-(hydroxymethyl)[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-g]cinnolin-4-one and the minor metabolite was identified as 1-ethyl-1,4-dihydro-6,7-dihydroxy-3-(hydroxymethyl)cinnolin-4-one. B. bassiana also reduced quinoline-3-carboxylic acid to 3-(hydroxymethyl)quinoline.
FEMS Microbiol. Lett., 2002, v.214, N 1, P.133-136

Cultures of the fungi Aspergillus niger, Cunninghamella verticillata, and Penicillium simplicissimum, grown in a sucrose/peptone medium, transformed N-acetylphenothiazine to N-acetylphenothiazine sulfoxide (from 13% to 28% of the total) and phenothiazine sulfoxide (from 5% to 27%). Phenothiazin-3-one (4%) and phenothiazine N-glucoside (4%) were also produced by C. verticillata. The probable intermediate, phenothiazine, was detected only in cultures of P. simplicissimum (6%)
Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 1999. V. 52. P.553-557.