High-throughput assay of (R)-phenylacetylcarbinol synthesized by pyruvate decarboxylase

摘要

A novel assay has been developed for the detection of (R)-phenylacetylcarbinol, (R)-PAC, a chiral intermediate in the industrial synthesis of ephedrine. It is the product of a biotransformation of benzaldehyde catalysed by the enzyme pyruvate decarboxylase. The assay, using 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride, enables high-throughput photometric analysis of the activity of the enzyme thus avoiding time-consuming chromatographic procedures.