Activity of human p450 2D6 in biphasic solvent systems

Several limitations have restricted the use of P450 enzymes in synthesis, including the narrow substrate specificity of some P450 isoforms, the need for a redox partner and an expensive cofactor, incompatibility with organic solvents, and poor stability. We previously demonstrated that the natural redox partner and cofactor of the promiscuous P450s 3A4 and 2D6 can be efficiently substituted with some cheap hydrogen peroxide donors or organic peroxides. We report here that P450 2D6 maintains as much as 76% of its activity when used in buffer/organic emulsions. Product formation in biphasic solvent systems is comparable whether the natural redox partner and cofactor are used, or a surrogate. As reported for the enzymes, a correlation is observed between the logP and suitability of a solvent for enzymatic activity. Moreover, the utility of our system was established by demonstrating the transformation of a novel hydrophobic substrate, not modified by P450 2D6 in the absence of organic solvent.