Lactones 42. Stereoselective enzymatic/microbial synthesis of optically active isomers of whisky lactone

Two different methods, enzyme-mediated reactions and biotrasformations with microorganisms, were applied to obtain optically pure cis- and trans-isomers of whisky lactone 4a and 4b. In the first method, eight alcohol dehydrogenases were investigated as biocatalysts to enantioselective oxidation of racemic erythro- and threo-3-methyloctane-1,4-diols (1a and 1b). Oxidation processes with three of them, alcohol dehydrogenases isolated from horse liver (HLADH) as well as recombinant from Escherichia coli and primary alcohol dehydrogenase (PADH I), were characterized by the highest degree of conversion with moderate enantioselectivity (ee = 27–82%) of the reaction. In all enzymatic reactions enantiomerically enriched not naturally occurring isomers of trans-(−)-(4R,5S)-4b or cis-(+)-(4R,5R)-4a were formed preferentially. In the second strategy, based on microbial lactonization of γ-oxoacids, naturally occurring opposite isomers of whisky lactones were obtained. Trans-(+)-(4S,5R)-isomer (ee = 99%) of whisky lactone 4b was stereoselectively formed as the only product of biotransformations of 3-methyl-4-oxooctanoic acid (5) catalyzed by Didimospheria igniaria KCH6651, Laetiporus sulphurens AM525, Chaetomium sp.1 KCH6670 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae AM464. Biotransformation of γ-oxoacid 5, in the culture of Beauveria bassiana AM278 and Pycnidiella resinae KCH50 afforded a mixtures of trans-(+)-(4S,5R)-4b with enantiomeric excess ee = 99% and cis-(−)-(4S,5S)-4a with enantiomeric excesses ee = 77% and ee = 45% respectively.