Exploring the Enantioselective Mechanism of Halohydrin Dehalogenase from Agrobacterium radiobacter AD1 by Iterative Saturation Mutagenesis

Halohydrin dehalogenase from Agrobacterium radiobacter AD1 (HheC) shows great potential in producing valuable chiral epoxides and β-substituted alcohols. The wild-type (WT) enzyme displays a high R-enantiopreference toward most aromatic substrates, whereas no S-selective HheC has been reported to date. To obtain more enantioselective enzymes, seven noncatalytic active-site residues were subjected to iterative saturation mutagenesis (ISM). After two rounds of screening aspects of both activity and enantioselectivity (E), three outstanding mutants (Thr134Val/Leu142Met, Leu142Phe/Asn176His, and Pro84Val/Phe86Pro/Thr134Ala/Asn176Ala mutants) with divergent enantioselectivity were obtained. The two double mutants displayed approximately 2-fold improvement in R-enantioselectivity toward 2-chloro-1-phenylethanol (2-CPE) without a significant loss of enzyme activity compared with the WT enzyme. Strikingly, the Pro84Val/Phe86Pro/Thr134Ala/Asn176Ala mutant showed an inverted enantioselectivity (from an E_R of 65 [WT] to an E_S of 101) and approximately 100-fold-enhanced catalytic efficiency toward (S)-2-CPE. Molecular dynamic simulation and docking analysis revealed that the phenyl side chain of (S)-2-CPE bound at a different location than that of its R-counterpart; those mutations generated extra connections for the binding of the favored enantiomer, while the eliminated connections reduced binding of the nonfavored enantiomer, all of which could contribute to the observed inverted enantiopreference.     

Improved enantioselective conversion of styrene epoxides and meso-epoxides through epoxide hydrolases with a mutated nucleophile-flanking residue

In epoxide hydrolase from Agrobacterium radiobacter (EchA), phenylalanine 108 flanks the nucleophilic aspartate and forms part of the substrate-binding pocket. The influence of mutations at this position on the activity and enantioselectivity of the enzyme was investigated. Screening for improved enantioselectivity towards para-nitrophenyl glycidyl ether (pNPGE) using spectrophotometric progress curve analysis yielded five different mutants with 3- to 7-fold improved enantioselectivity. The increase in enantioselectivity was in most cases the result of an enhanced catalytic efficiency toward the preferred enantiomer. Several mutations at position F108 resulted in a higher activity toward cis-disubstituted meso-epoxides, which were converted to a single product enantiomer. Mutant F108C converted cis-2,3-epoxybutane to (2R,3R)-2,3-butanediol of >99% ee with a 7-fold improved activity, and mutant F108A hydrolyzed cyclohexene oxide to (1R,2R)-1,2-cyclohexanediol of >99% ee with a more than 150-fold higher activity than wild-type enzyme. It is concluded that single amino acid substitutions in the active site of epoxide hydrolase can result in enzyme variants with catalytic properties that are suitable for preparative scale production of (S)-epoxides and chiral vicinal diols in high yield and with excellent ee.     

Lipases fromRhizomucor miehei andHumicola lanuginosa: Modification of the lid covering the active site alters enantioselectivity

The homologous lipases fromRhizomucor miehei andHumicola lanuginosa showed approximately the same enantioselectivity when 2-methyldecanoic acid esters were used as substrates. Both lipases preferentially hydrolyzed theS-enantiomer of 1-heptyl 2-methyldecanoate (R. miehei:E _S =8.5;H. lanuginosa:E _S =10.5), but theR-enantiomer of phenyl 2-methyldecanoate (E _R =2.9). Chemical arginine specific modification of theR. miehei lipase with 1,2-cyclohexanedione resulted in a decreased enantioselectivity (E _R =2.0), only when the phenyl ester was used as a substrate. In contrast, treatment with phenylglyoxal showed a decreased enantioselectivity (E _S =2.5) only when the heptyl ester was used as a substrate. The presence of guanidine, an arginine side chain analog, decreased the enantioselectivity with the heptyl ester (E _S =1.9) and increased the enantioselectivity with the aromatic ester (E _R =4.4) as substrates. The mutation, Glu 87 Ala, in the lid of theH. lanuginosa lipase, which might decrease the electrostatic stabilization of the open-lid conformation of the lipase, resulted in 47% activity compared to the native lipase, in a tributyrin assay. The Glu 87 Ala mutant showed an increased enantioselectivity with the heptyl ester (E _S =17.4) and a decreased enantioselectivity with the phenyl ester (E _R =2.5) as substrates, compared to native lipase. The enantioselectivities of both lipases in the esterification of 2-methyldecanoic acid with 1-heptanol were unaffected by the lid modifications.     

Easy Access to Enantiomerically Pure Nonproteinogenic Amino Acids

The protease from Bacillus licheniformis (alcalase) shows a remarkable broad substrate tolerance and high enantioselectivity against nonproteinogenic racemic amino acid derivatives. N‐acetyl protected amino acid esters of mono‐, di‐ or tri‐substituted phenyl alanines and even tert.‐leucine were hydrolyzed with high enantioselectivity. The obtained mixtures of (S)‐N‐acetyl amino acid and (R)‐N‐acetyl amino acid ester can easily be separated. The R‐ or S‐amino acids were obtained by acidic cleavage of the optically pure derivatives or the (R)‐ester was racemized by treatment with potassium t‐butylate.     

A Simple Chiral Cu(II) Complex as an Effective Phase‐Transfer Catalyst for the Enantioselective Alkylation of Dissymmetric Glycinate Ketimines

Catalytic asymmetric benzylation of a dissymmetric tert‐butylglycinate ketimine, incorporating 1‐naphthyl and phenyl groups as the Schiff base substituents, under phase‐transfer conditions was investigated. It was interesting to note that the sense of asymmetric induction of the alkylation of Z‐imine stereoisomer is opposite to that of the corresponding E stereoisomer with a similar degree of enantioselectivity. More interestingly, the chiral Cu(II) complex of the Schiff base derived from (R)‐2‐phenylglycinol and 2‐hydroxy‐1‐naphthaldehyde was found to catalyze the same reaction under solid‐liquid conditions with comparable enantioselectivity (up to 60% ee) with respect to known cinchona alkaloid catalysts. The solvent/base‐system parameter was shown to control the optimal catalytic activity. Chirality 27:944–950, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Influence of Gasoline Inhalation on the Enantioselective Pharmacokinetics of Fluoxetine in Rats

Fluoxetine is used clinically as a racemic mixture of (+)‐(S) and (–)‐(R) enantiomers for the treatment of depression. CYP2D6 catalyzes the metabolism of both fluoxetine enantiomers. We aimed to evaluate whether exposure to gasoline results in CYP2D inhibition. Male Wistar rats exposed to filtered air (n = 36; control group) or to 600 ppm of gasoline (n = 36) in a nose‐only inhalation exposure chamber for 6 weeks (6 h/day, 5 days/week) received a single oral 10‐mg/kg dose of racemic fluoxetine. Fluoxetine enantiomers in plasma samples were analyzed by a validated analytical method using LC‐MS/MS. The separation of fluoxetine enantiomers was performed in a Chirobiotic V column using as the mobile phase a mixture of ethanol:ammonium acetate 15 mM. Higher plasma concentrations of the (+)‐(S)‐fluoxetine enantiomer were found in the control group (enantiomeric ratio AUC_{(+)‐(S)/(–)‐(R)} = 1.68). In animals exposed to gasoline, we observed an increase in AUC_0‐∞ for both enantiomers, with a sharper increase seen for the (–)‐(R)‐fluoxetine enantiomer (enantiomeric ratio AUC_{(+)‐(S)/(–)‐(R)} = 1.07), resulting in a loss of enantioselectivity. Exposure to gasoline was found to result in the loss of enantioselectivity of fluoxetine, with the predominant reduction occurring in the clearance of the (–)‐(R)‐fluoxetine enantiomer (55% vs. 30%). Chirality 25:206–210, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Protein Engineering of Toluene Monooxygenases for Synthesis of Chiral Sulfoxides

Enantiopure sulfoxides are valuable asymmetric starting materials and are important chiral auxiliaries in organic synthesis. Toluene monooxygenases (TMOs) have been shown previously to catalyze regioselective hydroxylation of substituted benzenes and phenols. Here we show that TMOs are also capable of performing enantioselective oxidation reactions of aromatic sulfides. Mutagenesis of position V106 in the α-hydroxylase subunit of toluene ortho-monooxygenase (TOM) of Burkholderia cepacia G4 and the analogous position I100 in toluene 4-monooxygenase (T4MO) of Pseudomonas mendocina KR1 improved both rate and enantioselectivity. Variant TomA3 V106M of TOM oxidized methyl phenyl sulfide to the corresponding sulfoxide at a rate of 3.0 nmol/min/mg protein compared with 1.6 for the wild-type enzyme, and the enantiomeric excess (pro-S) increased from 51% for the wild type to 88% for this mutant. Similarly, T4MO variant TmoA I100G increased the wild-type oxidation rate by 1.7-fold, and the enantiomeric excess rose from 86% to 98% (pro-S). Both wild-type enzymes showed lower activity with methyl para-tolyl sulfide as a substrate, but the improvement in the activity and enantioselectivity of the mutants was more dramatic. For example, T4MO variant TmoA I100G oxidized methyl para-tolyl sulfide 11 times faster than the wild type did and changed the selectivity from 41% pro-R to 77% pro-S. A correlation between regioselectivity and enantioselectivity was shown for TMOs studied in this work. Using in silico homology modeling, it is shown that residue I100 in T4MO aids in steering the substrate into the active site at the end of the long entrance channel. It is further hypothesized that the main function of V106 in TOM is the proper positioning or docking of the substrate with respect to the diiron atoms. The results from this work suggest that when the substrate is not aligned correctly in the active site, the oxidation rate is decreased and enantioselectivity is impaired, resulting in products with both chiral configurations.     

Resolution of 4-(1-hydroxy-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)phenol and its derivatives by lipase-catalyzed enantioselective alcoholysis

Lipase LIP from Pseudomonas aeruginosa,one of nine commercially available hydrolytic enzymes, catalyzed the enantioselective alcoholysis of racemic 4-(1-acetoxy-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)phenyl acetate with n-butanol, affording (S)-4-(1-hydroxy-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)phenol at >99% e.e. (E = >100). Moreover, it also showed high enantioselectivity (E = >100) for the alcoholysis of the racemic o-substituted isomer, 2-(1-acetoxy-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)phenyl acetate.     

Lipases fromRhizomucor miehei andHumicola lanuginosa: Modification of the lid covering the active site alters enantioselectivity

The homologous lipases fromRhizomucor miehei andHumicola lanuginosa showed approximately the same enantioselectivity when 2-methyldecanoic acid esters were used as substrates. Both lipases preferentially hydrolyzed theS-enantiomer of 1-heptyl 2-methyldecanoate (R. miehei:E _S =8.5;H. lanuginosa:E _S =10.5), but theR-enantiomer of phenyl 2-methyldecanoate (E _R =2.9). Chemical arginine specific modification of theR. miehei lipase with 1,2-cyclohexanedione resulted in a decreased enantioselectivity (E _R =2.0), only when the phenyl ester was used as a substrate. In contrast, treatment with phenylglyoxal showed a decreased enantioselectivity (E _S =2.5) only when the heptyl ester was used as a substrate. The presence of guanidine, an arginine side chain analog, decreased the enantioselectivity with the heptyl ester (E _S =1.9) and increased the enantioselectivity with the aromatic ester (E _R =4.4) as substrates. The mutation, Glu 87 Ala, in the lid of theH. lanuginosa lipase, which might decrease the electrostatic stabilization of the open-lid conformation of the lipase, resulted in 47% activity compared to the native lipase, in a tributyrin assay. The Glu 87 Ala mutant showed an increased enantioselectivity with the heptyl ester (E _S =17.4) and a decreased enantioselectivity with the phenyl ester (E _R =2.5) as substrates, compared to native lipase. The enantioselectivities of both lipases in the esterification of 2-methyldecanoic acid with 1-heptanol were unaffected by the lid modifications.     

Discovery of an Escherichia coli Esterase with High Activity and Enantioselectivity toward 1,2-O-Isopropylideneglycerol Esters

Escherichia coli has been widely used as an expression host for the identification of desired biocatalysts through screening or selection assays. We have previously used E. coli in growth selection and screening assays for identification of Bacillus subtilis lipase variants (located in the periplasm) with improved activity and enantioselectivity toward 1,2-O-isopropylideneglycerol (IPG) esters. In the course of these studies, we discovered that E. coli itself exhibits significant cytoplasmic esterase activity toward IPG esters. In order to identify the enzyme (or enzymes) responsible for this esterase activity, we analyzed eight E. coli knockout strains, in which single esterase genes were deleted, for their ability to hydrolyze IPG butyrate. This approach led to the identification of esterase YbfF as the major E. coli enzyme responsible for the hydrolytic activity toward IPG esters. The gene coding for YbfF was cloned and overexpressed in E. coli, and the corresponding protein was purified and characterized for its biocatalytic performance. YbfF displays a high level of activity toward IPG butyrate and IPG caprylate and prefers the R-enantiomer of these substrates, producing the S-enantiomer of the IPG product with high enantiomeric excess (72 to 94% ee). The enantioselectivity of YbfF for IPG caprylate (E = 40) could be significantly enhanced when using dimethylformamide (DMF) or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as cosolvents in kinetic resolution experiments. The enzyme also shows high enantioselectivity toward 1-phenylethyl acetate (E ≥ 200), giving the chiral product (R)-1-phenylethanol with >99% ee. The high activity and enantioselectivity of YbfF make it an attractive enzyme for organic synthesis.     

Characterization of Diastereo‐ and Enantioselectivity in Degradation of Synthetic Pyrethroids in Soils

Permethrin (PM), cypermethrin (CP), and cyfluthrin (CF) are three important synthetic pyrethroids, which contain two, four, and four enantiomeric pairs (diastereomers) and thus have four, eight, and eight stereoisomers, respectively. In this study, the stereo‐ and enantioselective degradation of PM, CP, and CF in a Shijiazhuang alkaline yellow soil and a Wuhan acidic red soil were studied in detail by a combination of achiral and chiral high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that PM, CP, and CF degraded faster in Shijiazhuang soil than in Wuhan soil, and the dissipation rate followed an order of PM > CF > CP in both soils. The three pyrethroids exhibited similar diastereomer selectivity, while CP and CF showed higher enantioselectivity than PM. Moreover, the trans‐diastereomers degraded faster, and showed higher enantioselectivity than the corresponding cis‐diastereomers. For PM, the enantiomer 1S‐trans‐PM degraded most rapidly in both soils. As for CP and CF, the highest enantioselectivity was observed for diastereomer trans‐3, and the insecticidally active enantiomer 1R‐trans‐αS degraded fastest among the 8 CP or CF stereoisomers in both soils. In addition, the Wuhan acidic soil displayed higher diastereomer and enantiomer selectivity than the Shijiazhuang alkaline soil for the three pyrethroids. Further incubation of CF in an alkaline‐treated Wuhan soil showed that the dissipation rate greatly increased and the diastereo‐ and enantioselectivity significantly decreased after the alkaline treatment process. Chirality 28:72–77, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Crosslinked aggregates of Rhizopus oryzae lipase as industrial biocatalysts: Preparation, optimization, characterization, and application for enantioselective resolution reactions

Lipase from Rhizopus oryzae (ROL) was immobilized as crosslinked enzyme aggregate (CLEA) via precipitation with ammonium sulfate and simultaneous crosslinking with glutaraldehyde. The optimum conditions of the immobilization process were determined. Lipase CLEAs showed a twofold increase in activity when Tween 80‐pretreated lipase was used for CLEA preparation. CLEAs were shown to have several advantages compared to free lipase. CLEAs were more stable at 50°C and 60°C as well as for a wide range of pH. After incubation at 50°C, CLEA showed 74% of initial activity whereas free enzyme was totally inactivated. Reduction of Schiff bases has been performed for the first time in the CLEA preparation process significantly improving the chemically modified CLEAs' reusability, thus providing an enzyme with high potential for recycling even under aqueous reaction conditions where enzyme leakage is, in general, one of the major problems. The CLEA retained 91% activity after 10 cycles in aqueous medium. The immobilized enzyme was used for kinetic resolution reactions. Results showed that immobilization had an enhancing effect on the conversion (c) as well as on the enantiomeric ratio (E). ROL CLEA displayed five times higher enantioselectivity for the hydrolysis of (R,S)‐1‐phenylethyl acetate and likewise 1.5 times higher enantioselectivity for the transesterification of racemic (R–S)‐1‐phenylethanol with vinylacetate. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 28: 937–945, 2012 This article was published online on June 26, 2012. An edit was subsequently requested. This notice is included in the online and print versions to indicate that both have been corrected [27 June 2012].     

Directed evolution of metagenome-derived epoxide hydrolase for improved enantioselectivity and enantioconvergence

We performed a directed evolution study with a metagenome-derived epoxide hydrolase (EH), termed Kau2. Homology models of Kau2 were built; we selected one of them and used it as a guide for saturation mutagenesis experiments targeted at specific residues within the large substrate binding pocket. During the molecular evolution process, we found several enzyme variants with higher enantioselectivity or enhanced enantioconvergence toward para-Chlorostyrene oxide. Improved enantioselectivities by up to a factor of 5, reaching an E-value of up to 130 with the R-enantiomer as the residual epoxide, were achieved by replacing amino acid pairs at the positions 110 and 113, or 290 and 291, which are positions located in the vicinity of two presumed binding sites for the epoxide enantiomers. The (R)-para-Chlorophenylethane-1,2-diol product exhibited a high enantiomeric excess (ee) of 97% at 50% conversion of the racemic epoxide for the most enantioselective variant. Further, five amino acid substitutions were sufficient to substantially increase the degree of enantioconvergence and to lower the E-value to 17 for the final evolved EH variant, enabling the production of the R-diol with an ee-value of 93% at 28 °C in a complete conversion of the racemic epoxide. Higher ee_p-values of up to 97% were determined in enantioconvergent reactions using lower temperatures. The EH activities of whole cells were found to be within the range of 74–125% of the wild-type activity for all investigated variants. We show in this report that the metagenome-derived Kau2 EH is amenable to the redesign of its enantioselectivity and regioselectivity properties by directed evolution using a homology model as a guide. The generated enzyme variants should be useful for the production of the chiral building blocks (R)-para-Chlorostyrene oxide and (R)-para-Chlorophenylethane-1,2-diol.     

Enhanced enantioselectivity of a carboxyl esterase from Rhodobacter sphaeroides by directed evolution

The present work created an esterase variant from Rhodobacter sphaeroides (RspE) with enhanced selectivity in hydrolytic kinetic resolutions by directed evolution. A “model” substrate, methyl mandelate, was introduced in the high-throughput screening procedure. E values of a variant CH (Asn62Cys/Leu145His) for six different esters were 10–83, which were a relative improvement compared to 2–20 for the wild type. Our subsequent crystal structure interpretation and molecular dynamics simulations helped shed light on the source of enantioselectivity modified by directed evolution. Though mutations displayed no “direct” interaction with the substrate, they were hypothesized to strengthen the intramolecular interaction in the catalytic cavity of variant. Conformation analysis revealed that the enhanced enantioselectivity of variant CH for the seven substrates applied in this study was derived from the decrease in size of the substrate binding pocket.     

Residue Val237 is critical for the enantioselectivity of Penicillium expansum lipase

The shape of the hydrophobic tunnel leading to the active site of Penicillium expansum lipase (PEL) was redesigned by single-point mutations, in order to better understand enzyme enantioselectivity towards naproxen. A variant with a valine-to-glycine substitution at residue 237 exhibited almost no enantioselectivity (E = 1.1) compared with that (E = 104) of wild-type PEL. The function of the residue, Val237, in the hydrophobic tunnel was further analyzed by site-directed mutagenesis. For each of these variants a significant decrease of enantioselectivity (E < 7) was observed compared with that of wild-type enzyme. Further docking result showed that Val237 plays the most important role in stabilizing the correct orientation of (R)-naproxen. Overall, these results indicate that the residue Val237 is the key amino acid residue maintaining the enantioselectivity of the lipase.     

Resolution of 2-phenoxy-1-propanols through the enantioselective acylation mediated by Achromobacter sp. lipase as biocatalyst

Enantioselective acylation employing vinyl alkanoates as acyl donors was exploited for the resolution of 2-(substituted phenoxy)-1-propanols carrying different substituents on the benzene ring using Achromobacter sp. lipase. These primary alcohols with an oxygen atom at the stereocenter, were resolved with moderate to good enantioselectivity, based on the enantiomeric ratio E (up to 27), through acylation with vinyl butanoate in diisopropyl ether, after the examination of potential factors affecting the reaction such as organic solvents and acyl donors. Using this procedure, enantiomerically enriched (R)-2-(4-chlorophenoxy)-1-propanol was prepared in 97% e.e. and 33% yield in a gram-scale reaction.     

A screening system for active and enantioselective amidase based on its acyl transfer activity

A novel enantioselective amidase screening system was developed and proved to be efficient and accurate. This screening system employed acyl transfer activity of amidase in the presence of hydroxylamine, leading to the formation of hydroxamic acids, followed by spectrophotometric quantification of hydroxamic acid/iron(III) complexes. The enantioselectivities of amidase were evaluated by employing (R, S)-2, 2-dimethyl cyclopropanecarboxamide (1), (S)-2, 2-dimethyl cyclopropanecarboxamide and their mixture as substrates concurrently under the same conditions. To prove the accuracy of the screening system, enantioselectivity of acyl transfer reaction (E _T) and that of hydrolytic reaction (E _H) was compared. With this method, we obtained eight microorganism strains with enantioselective amidase from 523 isolates, two of which showed R-stereospecific avtivity for (R, S)-1.     

The discovery of 2,5-isomers of triazole-pyrrolopyrimidine as selective Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) inhibitors versus JAK1 and JAK3

Members of the Janus kinase (JAK) family are potential therapeutic targets. Abnormal signaling by mutant JAK2 is related to hematological malignancy, such as myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), and tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-resistance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We discovered a potent and highly selective inhibitor of JAK2 over JAK1 and -3 based on the structure of 4-(2,5-triazole)-pyrrolopyrimidine. Among all triazole compounds tested, 2,5-triazole regioisomers more effectively inhibited JAK2 kinase activity than isomers with substitutions of various alkyl groups at the R₂ position, except for methyl-substituted 1,5-triazole, which was more potent than the corresponding 1,4- and 2,5-triazoles. None of the synthesized 1,4-isomers inhibited all three JAK family members. Compounds with phenyl or tolyl group substituents at the R₁ position were completely inactive compared with the corresponding analogues with a methyl substituted at the R₁ position. As a result of this structure–activity relationship, 54, which is substituted with a cyclopropylmethyl moiety, exhibited significant inhibitory activity and selectivity (IC₅₀ = 41.9 nM, fold selectivity JAK1/2 10.6 and JAK3/2 58.1). Compound 54 also exhibited an equivalent inhibition of wild type JAK2 and the V617F mutant. Moreover, 54 inhibited the proliferation of HEL 92.1.7 cells, which carry JAK2 V617F, and gefitinib-resistant HCC827 cells. Compound 54 also suppressed STAT3 phosphorylation at Y705.     

Exploration of the expeditious potential of Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase in the kinetic resolution of racemic intermediates and its validation through molecular docking

A profoundly time‐efficient chemoenzymatic method for the synthesis of (S)‐3‐(4‐chlorophenoxy)propan‐1,2‐diol and (S)‐1‐chloro‐3‐(2,5‐dichlorophenoxy)propan‐2‐ol, two important pharmaceutical intermediates, was successfully developed using Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase (PFL). Kinetic resolution was successfully achieved using vinyl acetate as acylating agent, toluene/hexane as solvent, and reaction temperature of 30°C giving high enantioselectivity and conversion. Under optimized condition, PFL demonstrated 50.2% conversion, enantiomeric excess of 95.0%, enantioselectivity (E = 153) in an optimum time of 1 hour and 50.3% conversion, enantiomeric excess of 95.2%, enantioselectivity (E = 161) in an optimum time of 3 hours, for the two racemic alcohols, respectively. Docking of the R‐ and S‐enantiomers of the intermediates demonstrated stronger H‐bond interaction between the hydroxyl group of the R‐enantiomer and the key binding residues of the catalytic site of the lipase, while the S‐enantiomer demonstrated lesser interaction. Thus, docking study complemented the experimental outcome that PFL preferentially acylated the R form of the intermediates. The present study demonstrates a cost‐effective and expeditious biocatalytic process that can be applied in the enantiopure synthesis of pharmaceutical intermediates and drugs.