PRODUCTION OF URSODIOL FROM POULTRY BILE

THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO COMMERCIALLY PRODUCE URSODEOXYCHOLIC ACID (URSODIOL) FROM WASTE PRODUCTS OF THE POULTRY INDUSTRY BY EITHER A ONE-STEP MICROBIAL TRANSFORMATION PROCESS OR BY A CHEMICAL EPIMERIZATION OF CHENDIOL TO URSODIOL. URSODIOL IS MEDICALLY USED TO DISSOLVE GALLSTONES. URSODIOL IS VERY EXPENSIVE ($800 TO $2,000/KG) AND ONLY PRODUCED BY COMPANIES OUTSIDE THE U. S. A.. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PHASE I GRANT IS TO DEMONSTRATE THE TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY OF CONVERTING THE CHENODEOXYCHOLIC ACID (CHENODIOL) TO URSODIOL IN > 80% YIELDS. THE OBJECTIVE OF SUBSEQUENT PHASE II WORK WILL BE TO SCALE-UP THE MOST VIABLE PROCESS VIA PILOT-PLANT TO COMMERCIAL QUANTITIES. THE SPECIFIC AIMS OF THE PHASE I GRANT ARE TO: 1) SCREEN KNOWN AEROBIC AND ANAEROBIC BACTERIA FOR THEIR ABILITY TO CONVERT CHENODIOL TO URSODIOL. 2) CONCURRENTLY, DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF CONVERTING CHENODIOL TO URSODIOL BY AN IMPROVED CHEMICAL EPIMERIZATION PATHWAY. 3) IDENTIFY OPTIMAL CONDITIONS SUCH AS PH, COFACTORS, METAL IONS, ETC. FOR THE BIOTRANSFORMATION OF CHENODIOL TO URSODIOL. 4) ISOLATE URSODIOL FROM THE CULTURE MEDIA BY FILTRATION THROUGH A CHROMATOGRAPHY COLUMN AND RECOVER URSODIOL FROM THE COLUMN BY A SOLVENT WASH. DETERMINE EFFICIENCY OF THE MICROBIAL VS. THE CHEMICAL PROCESS.