Non-enzymatic regeneration of nicotinamide and flavin cofactors for monooxygenase catalysis

Biocatalytic oxygenation chemistry is a rapidly evolving field in which monooxygenases are the tools of choice. Monooxygenases catalyze many industrially important synthetic transformations; however, their use in preparative applications is hampered by their intrinsic requirement for reducing equivalents. As a result, non-enzymatic strategies – where the reducing equivalents are introduced directly into the catalytic cycle – are being developed to supersede the well-established enzymatic NAD(P)H regeneration systems currently in use. In this review we summarize and evaluate recent achievements in this area.