16.6.3.6 Altered Physiological Factors
The physiological conditions like being pregnant, diseased, or suffering from hormonal imbalances have drastic effects on the biotransformation process of several
drugs. These states can reduce the individual’s drug metabolizing ability due to high
steroid hormones, or enhance half-life of almost all the drugs or may inhibit the
activity of few enzymes while may induce others.
16.7 Biological Agents Used for Biotransformation
Biotransformation process has been witnessed by humans from the ancient times but
was not understood then. The products of transformations have been extensively
used and enjoyed for thousands of years for manufacturing bread, dairy products,
and alcoholic beverages. Ethanol to vinegar was probably the first true biotransformation process applied in an industrial manner.
In a broad sense, biotransformation refers to the process in which microorganisms convert organic compounds into structurally related products. Microbes
develop mechanisms to acclimatize to changing environmental conditions, thus
proving very useful as biological agents or biocatalysts for biotransformation
processes.
Certain reasons have been listed by researchers which make microbial cells as an
ideal choice for biotransformation over conventional chemical methods (Smitha et
al. 2017) such as:
1. Surface–volume ratio: Microbial biotransformation needs a high surface–volume
ratio in the microbial cells.
2. High growth rate: The higher growth rate of microbial cells reduces the time of
biomass transformation.
3. High metabolic rate: The higher rate of the metabolism in microbes leads to
efficient transformation of the substrate.
4. Toxic waste products: Microbial biotransformation usually produces reduced
levels of toxic waste products.
5. Non-extreme conditions: A highly selective biotransformation procedure can be
performed with microbes at non-extreme pH and near room temperature.
6. Desired stereoselectivity: Use of specific microbes for regio- and stereoselective
reactions, or to introduce chirality in end products.
These biocatalysts or the agents are not limited to microbes as whole cells. In fact,
the enzymes are the principal biocatalysts. Their properties were recognized in the
early 1900s during the phase of kinetic studies (Lin and Tao 2017).
16 Biotransformation: Basics and Applied Perspectives
351
The physiological conditions like being pregnant, diseased, or suffering from hormonal imbalances have drastic effects on the biotransformation process of several
drugs. These states can reduce the individual’s drug metabolizing ability due to high
steroid hormones, or enhance half-life of almost all the drugs or may inhibit the
activity of few enzymes while may induce others.
16.7 Biological Agents Used for Biotransformation
Biotransformation process has been witnessed by humans from the ancient times but
was not understood then. The products of transformations have been extensively
used and enjoyed for thousands of years for manufacturing bread, dairy products,
and alcoholic beverages. Ethanol to vinegar was probably the first true biotransformation process applied in an industrial manner.
In a broad sense, biotransformation refers to the process in which microorganisms convert organic compounds into structurally related products. Microbes
develop mechanisms to acclimatize to changing environmental conditions, thus
proving very useful as biological agents or biocatalysts for biotransformation
processes.
Certain reasons have been listed by researchers which make microbial cells as an
ideal choice for biotransformation over conventional chemical methods (Smitha et
al. 2017) such as:
1. Surface–volume ratio: Microbial biotransformation needs a high surface–volume
ratio in the microbial cells.
2. High growth rate: The higher growth rate of microbial cells reduces the time of
biomass transformation.
3. High metabolic rate: The higher rate of the metabolism in microbes leads to
efficient transformation of the substrate.
4. Toxic waste products: Microbial biotransformation usually produces reduced
levels of toxic waste products.
5. Non-extreme conditions: A highly selective biotransformation procedure can be
performed with microbes at non-extreme pH and near room temperature.
6. Desired stereoselectivity: Use of specific microbes for regio- and stereoselective
reactions, or to introduce chirality in end products.
These biocatalysts or the agents are not limited to microbes as whole cells. In fact,
the enzymes are the principal biocatalysts. Their properties were recognized in the
early 1900s during the phase of kinetic studies (Lin and Tao 2017).
16 Biotransformation: Basics and Applied Perspectives
351