Enzymatic deacylation of l,2-diacyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholines to sn-glycerol-3-phosphocholine

This research was undertaken to study the enzymatic deacylation of l,2-diacyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholines (sn-1,2-PC) to sn-glycerol-3-phosphocholine (GPC); this compound could be an useful intermediate in the synthesis of “structured” sn-1,2-PC, after re-acylations of the two sn-positions of the glycerol backbone. The enzymatic reactions represent a valid alternative to the chemical deacylation that can be simply obtained in alkaline conditions. High conversion were achieved using a lipase selective for the sn-1-position of sn-1,2-PC (Lipozyme IM, from Mucor miehei) together with a Phospholipase A₂ from hog pancreas, enzyme selective for the sn-2-position; the best results were obtained carrying out the enzymatic reaction in a microemulsion system.