Microbial production of steroids-anticancer agents

Steroids are one of the most important compounds in the pharmaceutical industry. These biodynamic agents are the most widely marketed products in the industry. They are widely utilized for development of drugs due to their affinities to various nuclear receptors. Steroidal biochemistry and its role in physiology of humans along with the selectivity and stereo specificity in their reactions, gives rise to the production of functionalized compounds with therapeutic use and high commercial value. These characteristics of steroids with certain conditions required for biological transformation led to processes with biological steroidal derivatives, more environmentally friendly than their chemical counterparts. The modifications in steroids have become a prime focus in the recent researches. Some of the successful steroidal pharmacophores are exemestane, SR16157, fulvestrant and 2-methoxyestradiol. Several steroidal compounds against cancerous cells such as cytotoxic and cytostatic molecules of both natural and synthetic origin have been shown. In this review an overview is given on the developments and advancements on steroidal production by use of microorganisms in the recent years is presented.​Master of Science (Biomedical Engineering