Enzymatic Conversion of Phospholipids

Abstract

Various natural phospholipids which are difficult to be obtained from natural sources can be synthesized from lecithin by phopholipase D-catalyzed transphosphatidylation. It is also able to synthesize novel unnatural phopholipids which contain biologically active compounds such as vitamins at the polar heads of the phospholipids. Initinally phospholipase D from cabbage leaves were mostly used, but recently bacterial enzymes having high transphosphatidylation activities have been mainly employed.
Lipase-catalyzed ester exchange and phospholipase A₂-catalyzed ester synthesis can be used to introduce arbitrary fatty acid to phospholipids under some mild reaction conditions. Howev er, the efficiency of these enzymatic acyl exchange reactions are still low, and further research will be needed.