Zaima Azira Zainal Abidin

Biotransformation is acknowledged as one of the green chemistry methods to synthesis various analogues for further valorization of natural product compounds chemistry and bioactivities. It has huge advantage over chemical synthesis due to its cost-efficiency and higher selectivity. In this work, a xanthorrhizol derivatives, namely (7 R,10S)-10,11-dihydro-10,11-dihydroxyxanthorrhizol was produced in 60% yield from the biotransformation process utilizing A. niger. The structure of the compound was established by extensive spectroscopic methods and comparison with literature data. This biotransformation successfully afforded enantioselective dihydroxylation reaction via green chemistry route. This is the first report on both biotransformation of xanthorrhizol and utilization of A. niger as its biocatalyst. Graphical Abstract

Curcumin has been widely acclaimed for several pharmacological properties, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, and anti-inflammation. Curcumin’s poor aqueous solubility, bioavailability, and cellular uptake hamper its ability to display maximum pharmacological effect in the human body. Synthesis of curcumin analogues to enhance its properties can be achieved through biotransformation. Greener, simpler, and higher selectivity and specificity make biotransformation an alternative approach when preparing curcumin analogues for the structure–activity relationship (SAR) study intended for drug design. This work systematically reviews the biotransformation of curcumin by utilizing fungi, gut microbiota, and enzymes. The SAR study of curcumin and its analogues for several bioactivities is also highlighted. Graphical Abstract

Sesquiterpenoids have been identified as natural compounds showing remarkable biological activities found in medicinal plants. There is great interest in developing methods to obtain sesquiterpenoids derivatives and biotransformation is one of the alternative methods for structural modification of complex sesquiterpenes structures. Biotransformation is a great drug design tool offering high selectivity and green method. The present review describes a comprehensive summary of biotransformation products of sesquiterpenoids and its structural modification utilizing a variety of biocatalysts including microorganisms, plant tissue culture and enzymes. This review covers recent literatures from 2007 until 2020 and highlights the experimental conditions for each biotransformation process. Graphical Abstract