Biotechnology Letters, Vol.42, No.7, 1229-1236, 2020
Biotransformation of cladribine by a magnetic immobilizated biocatalyst of Lactobacillus animalis
A stable biocatalyst with magnetic properties based on immobilized Lactobacillus animalis ATCC 35,046 to obtain 2-chloroadenine-2 '-deoxyriboside, known as cladribine, is reported for the first time. This nucleoside analogue is an antitumor agent used in the treatment of a wide variety of types of leukemia. In this study, an eco-compatible and alternative bioprocess to obtain cladribine was developed. Product conversion was close to 90% at 2 h in optimized nonconventional reaction media. The microscale biosynthesis of the compound of interest afforded a total productivity close to 370 mg/L/h in the presence of DMSO, and it was stable at least for 30 days in storage conditions.