Abstract:
To address the challenges of regioselective oxidation at the C2 position and precise control of stereochemistry at the C5 position in the total synthesis of Erythrina alkaloids, a relay oxidation system comprising P450 BM3 and
SjAKR was constructed. However, the distinct cofactor requirements of P450 BM3 (for NADPH) and
SjAKR (for NADP
+) posed a bottleneck for the enzymatic synthesis of chiral intermediates. To achieve cofactor regeneration in this relay oxidation system, this study systematically evaluated three cofactor regeneration strategies: self-recycling, competitive, and independent formats. Results indicated that constructing independent cofactor regeneration systems for each enzymatic step was the most efficient approach. Among the enzymes tested,
BstFDH
G164M/A287G was identified as the optimal NADPH-regenerating enzyme for the P450 BM3 catalytic cycle, while
SmNOX was the best NADP
+-regenerating enzyme to support the kinetic resolution catalyzed by
SjAKR. After optimizing the reaction conditions, a "one-pot" enzymatic reaction was performed. The process involved an initial hydroxylation catalyzed by the P450 BM3/
BstFDH
G164M/A287G system, followed by kinetic resolution via the
SjAKR/
SmNOX system. This strategy afforded the chiral intermediates (2
R, 5
S)-
3 and (5
R)-
4 with isolated yields of 32% and 28%, and optical purities of 99%
ee and 97%
ee, respectively. Through systematic optimization of cofactor regeneration, this study achieved the efficient and highly selective synthesis of chiral intermediates, providing crucial technical support for the chemoenzymatic total synthesis of Erythrina alkaloids.