Latest development in the synthesis of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA): a critical review

• Fabio Tonin and
• Isabel W. C. E. Arends

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2018, 14, 470–483, doi:10.3762/bjoc.14.33

• Fabio Tonin Isabel W. C. E. Arends Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, The Netherlands 10.3762/bjoc.14.33 Abstract Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is a pharmaceutical ingredient widely used in clinics. As bile acid it solubilizes cholesterol

• gallstones and improves the liver function in case of cholestatic diseases. UDCA can be obtained from cholic acid (CA), which is the most abundant and least expensive bile acid available. The now available chemical routes for the obtainment of UDCA yield about 30% of final product. For these syntheses

• complexity and multitude of steps involved of the synthetic process. For these reasons, several studies have been performed towards the development of microbial transformations or chemoenzymatic procedures for the synthesis of UDCA starting from CA or chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA). This promising approach led