ABSTRACT
We present a comprehensive review of the advent and impact of continuous flow chemistry with regard to the synthesis of natural products and drugs, important pharmaceutical products and definitely responsible for a revolution in modern healthcare. We detail the beginnings of modern drugs and the large scale batch mode of production, both chemical and microbiological. The introduction of modern continuous flow chemistry is then presented, both as a technological tool for enabling organic chemistry, and as a fundamental research endeavor. This part details the syntheses of bioactive natural products and commercial drugs.
Subject(s)
Automation/methods , Biological Products/chemistry , Drug Design , Pharmaceutical Preparations/chemistry , Technology, Pharmaceutical/methods , Biological Products/chemical synthesis , Chemistry, Pharmaceutical , Pharmaceutical Preparations/chemical synthesisABSTRACT
Terpenoids constitute the largest and most diverse class of natural products. They are important factors for aroma and flavor, and their synthesis is basically done from two compounds: isopentenyl diphosphate and dimethylallyl diphosphate. Isopentenyl diphosphate is synthesized through two different pathways, one that occurs in the cytoplasm and one in the plastid. With the sequencing of ESTs from citrus, we were able to perform in silico analyses on the pathways that lead to the synthesis of terpenes as well as on the terpene synthases present in sweet orange. Moreover, expression analysis using real-time qPCR was performed to verify the expression pattern of a terpene synthase in plants. The results show that all the pathways for isopentenyl diphosphate are present in citrus and a high expression of terpene synthases seems to have an important role in the constitution of the essential oils of citrus.
