Skip to main content

Chemical Pathways of Corticosteroids, Industrial Synthesis from Sapogenins

  • Protocol
  • First Online:
Microbial Steroids

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1645))

Abstract

Corticosteroids are products of high industrial and commercial importance. There are dozens of different synthesis published for all of them. Some are coming from academia and some from industry. Here, industrial processes for the synthesis of prednisone, prednisolone, hydrocortisone, dexamethasone, betamethasone, and methylprednisolone are described. The starting material is diosgenin and the desired molecules are reached due to a good combination of chemistry and biotechnology that was developed along the second part of the twentieth century.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Protocol
USD 49.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Hench PS, Kendall EC, Slocumb CH, Polley HF (1949) The effect of a hormone of the adrenal cortex (17-hydroxy-11-dehydrocorticosterone: compound E) and of pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormone on rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis 8:97–104

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Marker RE, Rohrmann E (1940) Sterols. LXXXVIII. Pregnanediols from sarsasapogenin. J Am Chem Soc 62:518–520

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Marker RE, Tsukamoto T, Turner DL (1940) Sterols. C. Diosgenin. J Am Chem Soc 62:2525–2532

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. American Chemical Society, Sociedad Química de Mexico (1999) https://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/progesteronesynthesis/marker-degradation-creation-of-the-mexican-steroid-industry-by-russell-marker-commemorative-booklet.pdf

  5. Oppenauer RV (1937) Eine methode der dehydrierung von sekundaren alkoholen zu ketonen. I, zur herstellung von sterinketonen und sexualhormonen. Recl Trav Chim Pays-Bas 56:137–144

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Peterson DH, Murray HC (1952) Microbiological oxygenation of steroids at carbon-11. J Am Chem Soc 74:1871–1872

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Peterson DH, Murray HC (1952) Oxygenation of steroids by Mucorales fungi. US Patent US2602769

  8. Peterson DH, Murray HC, Eppstein SH, Reineke LM, Weintraub A, Meister PD, Leigh HM (1952) Microbiological transformation of steroids. I. Introduction of oxygen at carbon-11 of progesterone. J Am Chem Soc 75:5933–5936

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Stork G, Ringold HJ, Sondheimer F, Rosenkranz G (1959) Process for the production of 20-Keto-21-Iodo steroids. US Patent US2874154

    Google Scholar 

  10. Joly R, Jolly J (1961) Procédé d'acétoxylation de stéroïdes en 21 par l'intermédiaire de dérivés diiodés. French patent FR1243528

    Google Scholar 

  11. Burn D, Kirk DN, Petrow V (1960) A new reagent for the preparation of Δ1,4- and Δ1,4,6-steroidal ketones. Proc Chem Soc 14

    Google Scholar 

  12. Meystre C, Frey H, Voser W, Wettstein A (1956) Gewinnung von 1;4-Bisdehydro-3-oxo-steroiden. Helv Chim Acta 34:734–742

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Nobile A (1958) Process for production of dienes by Corynebacteria. US Patent US2837464

    Google Scholar 

  14. Herzog HL, Payne CC, Hughes MT, Gentles MJ, Hershberg EB, Nobile A, Charney W, Federbush C, Sutter D, Perlman PL (1962) Microbiological transformations of steroids. X. 1-Dehydro analogs of cortical steroids. Tetrahedron 18:581–589

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Oliveto EP, Rausser R, Weber L, Shapiro E, Gould D, Hershberg EB (1956) 11-Oxygenated steroids. XVI. The preparation of Hydrocortisone from cortisone acetate. J Am Chem Soc 78:1736–1738

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Slates HL, Wendler NL (1959) Reaction of diazomethane with Δ16-21-keto steroids. J Am Chem Soc 81:5472–5475

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Gardner JN, Carlon FI, Gnoj O (1968) A one-step procedure for the preparation of tertiary α-ketols. J Org Chem 33:3294–3297

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Gardner JN (1967) Method for introducing an oxygen function into a steroid molecule containing a keto group. US Patent US3356696

    Google Scholar 

  19. Suvorov NN, Sokolova LV, Makarov NV (1960) Reaction of methyl magnesium iodide with ketoxides of steroids. Izvestiya Academii Nauk SSRR, seriya khimicheskaya 2257–2258

    Google Scholar 

  20. Sciaky R (1961) Synthesis of 16β-methyl-17α-acetoxyprogesterone. Gaz Ch Ital 91:562–570

    Google Scholar 

  21. Amiard G, Torelli V, Cerede J (1963) Process of preparation of β-Methasone. US Patent US3104246

    Google Scholar 

  22. Fu X, Tann CH, Thiruvengadam TK (2001) Process improvements in the synthesis of corticosteroid 9,11β-epoxides. Org Process Res Dev 5:376–382

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Hanc O, Capek A, Kakac B (1961) Microbiological transformations of steroids. XV. Transformation of steroid S (Reichstein) by Absidia orchidis 310. Folia Microbiol 6:392–397

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Hanc O, Capek A, Tadra M (1962) Microbiological transformation of steroids. XVI. Preparation of cortisol and cortisone from 17alpha-hydroxycortexone with the use of microbial hydroxylation with the aid of Absidia orchidis 310. Cesk Farm 11:181–185

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Wix G, Weisz E, Albrecht K, Varga M, Kassazan B, Doczi B (1966) Verfahren zur Herstellung von Hydrocortison. Austrian Patent AT 248630

    Google Scholar 

  26. Breuker E, Hamann KH, Singer S Wagner B (1968) Process for the manufacture of Δ4-Pregnene-11β and 11α,17α, 21-triol-3,20-Diones. British Patent GB 1100505

    Google Scholar 

  27. Bowers A, Ringold HJ (1958) Synthesis of 6a-Methyl-21-desoxycortisone. A new route to 6a-Methylcortisone. J Am Chem Soc 80:3091–3093

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. (1962) Cyclopentanophenanthrene derivatives. British Patent GB 897732

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ignacio Herráiz .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media LLC

About this protocol

Cite this protocol

Herráiz, I. (2017). Chemical Pathways of Corticosteroids, Industrial Synthesis from Sapogenins. In: Barredo, JL., Herráiz, I. (eds) Microbial Steroids. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1645. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7183-1_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7183-1_2

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-7182-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-7183-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

Publish with us

Policies and ethics