The Mechanism of The Microbial Hydroxylation of Steroids. Part 1. The C-21 Hydroxylation of Progesterone by Aspergillusniger ATCC 9142

Abstract

The mechanism of the C-21 hydroxylation of progesterone (1a) by Aspergillusniger ATCC 9142 to give 11-deoxycorticosterone (1b) has been studied by the use of progesterone derivatives and of C-21 deuterium labelled progesterones. The requirement of the C-21 hydroxylase system for a C-20 carbonyl group is demonstrated and the possibility of the involvement of this group, in the C-20,21 enol form, in the C-21 hydroxylation reaction has been discussed. However, on the basis of the observed deuterium isotope effect (KH/KD = 1.25), a mechanism for the microbial C-21 hydroxylation reaction is proposed in which the rate-determining step is the direct insertion of oxygen into a C-21 carbon–hydrogen bond and not one involving enolization of the C-20 carbonyl.In addition, C-11α and C-15β hydroxylation of both 20α- and 20β-hydroxypregn-4-ene-3-one (2a and 2b) by A. niger has been observed.