Biotransformation of Dehydroepiandrosterone by Cell Suspension Culture of Codiaeum variegatum

Dehydroepiandrosterone (1) was incubated with a cell suspension culture of Codiaeum variegatum for biotransformational studies. After 10 days of incubation, four metabolites, 5-androstane-3,17-dione (2), 5-androstane-3,17-dione (3), androst-4-ene-3,17-dione (4), and 17-hydroxyandrost-4-en-3-one (5), were obtained. The structures of these biotransformed products were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. Biotransformation using a cell suspension culture of Codiaeum variegatum provides an effective and convenient method to oxidize the 3-hydroxy group in 1.