Biocatalysis of Steroids with Mycobacterium sp. in Aqueous and Organic Media.

Mycobacterium sp. can convert steroids such as β-sitosterol, campesterol, and cholesterol into commercially interesting products. In aqueous systems, the biocatalysis is limited by the low solubility of the steroids in water. This may be overcome by the introduction of an organic phase acting as a substrate and/or product reservoir.In this chapter, we describe the biocatalysis of β-sitosterol to 4-androstene-3,17-dione (AD) and 1,4-androstadiene-3,17-dione (ADD) both in aqueous and organic-aqueous systems. In the latter case, both traditional organic solvents and green solvents are proposed.