Plant-Derived Deoxycholic Acid Synthesis With Fewer Steps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing synthetic routes for deoxycholic acid (DCA) are inefficient, costly, and involve starting materials of animal origin, leading to potential contamination and low yield, necessitating the development of simpler and more sustainable processes using plant-derived compounds.
Innovation Solution
A multi-step process involving plant-derived starting materials, including fermentation products, to synthesize DCA through intermediates, utilizing hydrogenation, oxidation, and carbon chain elongation methods, ensuring all carbon atoms originate from plant sources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If DCA is obtained from animal sources, then production cost is low, but risk of pathogen contamination increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the harmful element (animal pathogens) by completely replacing animal-derived starting materials with plant-derived alternatives, specifically using ferulic acid from plant sources to synthesize DCA without any animal origin components
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses inexpensive, readily available plant-derived starting materials (ferulic acid) that can be obtained from renewable plant sources, replacing expensive and risky animal-derived bile acids while maintaining cost-effectiveness through simple, scalable synthesis steps
2Reliability
If existing synthetic routes are used, then DCA can be produced without animal sources, but process complexity and production cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The synthesis is divided into discrete, manageable steps: (1) condensation of ferulic acid with acetone to form intermediate, (2) reduction to diol, (3) dehydration to form final DCA product. Each step uses simple, well-established reactions that can be independently optimized and controlled
Solution Approach 2:
The invention optimizes reaction parameters including using catalytic amounts of acid (0.1-5 equivalents), controlling temperature ranges (0-100°C), and selecting appropriate solvents to simplify the synthesis while maintaining high yields and avoiding complex purification steps
3Reliability
If existing synthetic routes from phytosterols are used, then animal origin is eliminated, but number of steps and production time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention starts with ferulic acid, a naturally occurring plant metabolite that is readily available from plant sources through simple extraction or fermentation processes, eliminating the need for complex multi-step synthesis from phytosterols and reducing overall production time
Solution Approach 2:
The invention skips intermediate steps required in traditional phytosterol-based syntheses by directly condensing ferulic acid with acetone to form the DCA core structure in just 3 steps, dramatically reducing production time and increasing throughput
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The process achieves high yield and purity of DCA while eliminating the risk of animal-derived contaminants, providing a cost-effective and environmentally friendly synthetic route.
Implementation Method 1
utilizing hydrogenation, oxidation, and carbon chain elongation methods
Implementation Method 2
utilizing hydrogenation, oxidation, and carbon chain elongation methods
Implementation Method 3
utilizing hydrogenation, oxidation, and carbon chain elongation methods
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to new and improved processes for the preparation of deoxycholic acid (DCA) and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, as well as to DCA and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, the carbon atoms of which are derived partially or solely from plant sources.