Mercian Corporation

Chugai Seiyaku Kabushiki Kaisha

Koji Takeda

Takeo Yoshioka

Kazuyuki Dobashi

Tadashi Terasawa

Takashi Adachi

Sadafumi Omura

Rokuro Okamoto

Joji Sasaki

Kazuhiko Okamura

Kiyoshi Kimura

A method for preparing at least one hydroxycholesterol chosen from the group consisting of 25-hydroxycholesterol, 17,25-dihydroxycholesterol and 25,26-dihydroxycholesterol by biological hydroxylation of cholesterol, and the aforementioned dihydroxycholesterols. In the above biological hydroxylation, a microorganism is used which has the abovementioned hydroxylation capacity and which belongs to the genus Amycolata and the genus Sphingomonas.

Dihydroxycholesterol hydroxylated at 17- and 25-positions

Process for producing hydroxylated cholesterols and

A biological process for producing steroids hydroxylated at the 25-position thereof comprises adding steroids (excluding cholesterol) to the cells or culture liquid of a microorganism of the genus Amycolata or Sphingomonas capable of hydroxylating the steroids at the 25-position thereof to convert a hydrogen atom bonded to a carbon atom at the 25-position of each steroid into hydroxyl group. By this process, steroids(other than cholesterol) can be biologically hydroxylated at the 25-position by using microorganisms other than those of the genus Streptomyces.

Biological process for producing steroids hydroxylated at the 25-position

A method for introducing hydroxyl groups into vitamin D compound at the 1.alpha.- and/or 25-positions in the presence of a cyclodextrin compound by the use of a reaction mixture containing a microorganism being capable of hydroxylating vitamin D compound or a enzyme produced from the microorganism, is disclosed.

Method for the biological preparation of hydroxyvitamin D compounds

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Iwata, Japan

Koji Takeda