Steroidal hormone pharmaceuticals are the second largest class of medicines after antibiotics. At present, the initial materials of the steroidal industry have shifted from sapogenins, which were extracted from plants of the genus Dioscore to phytosterols. As a byproduct of soybean oil production, phytosterols are readily available and of low prices. Androstenedione (AD), androstadiendione (ADD), 9α-hydroxy-androstenedione (9α-OH-AD) and a series of key intermediates used in the synthesis of steroidal pharmaceuticals can be produced from phytosterols by microbial transformation. Nevertheless, due to the long metabolic pathways, the byproducts and the complex regulation, traditional microbial screening, mutagenizing methods and the oil-water biphasic transformation systems are no longer suitable for current industrial production. A new generation strains for the production of key steroidal pharmaceutical intermediates have been constructed and an intelligent production process has been jointly developed by us and Zhejiang Xianju Junye Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.. Taking these products and processes as an example, this article reviews the improvement of strains for the production of steroidal pharmaceutical intermediates and the development of biotransformation process on an industrial scale. With the development of synthetic biology, it is expected to develop a new generation of intermediates which are more suitable for the synthesis of steroidal medicines. Moreover, de novo biosynthesis the steroidal active pharmaceutical ingredients from glucose is also expected. The application of these new-generation strains constructed by biotechnology (BT) in modern factories based on informatization and intelligent technology (IT) will be more efficient and greener, and create remarkable social and economic values.
Keywords: androstenedione; intelligent factory; key intermediates; microbial transformation; steroidal pharmaceuticals.