Studies on Bacillus stearothermophilus.: Part 1.: Transformation of progesterone to a new metabolite 9,10-seco-4-pregnene-3,9,20-trione

When Bacillus stearothermophilus, a thermophilic bacterium isolated from the Kuwaiti desert, was incubated with exogenous progesterone for 24 h, three monohydroxylated metabolites were produced. 20 alpha -Hydroxyprogesterone was the major metabolite produced in 60.8 relative percentage yield. The other two monohydroxylated metabolites were identified as 6 beta -hydroxyprogesterone and the rare 6 alpha -hydroxyprogesterone in 21.0 and 13.6 relative percentage yields, respectively. A new metabolite 9,10-seco-4-pregnene-3,9,20-trione was isolated in 3.7 relative percentage yield. All metabolites were purified by preparative TLC and HPLC followed by their identification using H-1, C-13 NMR and other spectroscopic data. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.