Microbial Models of Mammalian Metabolism: Stereoselective Metabolism of Warfarin in the Fungus Cunninghamella elegans

Biotransformation stereoselectivity of warfarin was studied in the fungus Cunninghamella elegans (ATCC 36112) as a model of mammalian metabolism. This organism was previously shown to produce all known phenolic mammalian metabolites of warfarin, including 6-, 7-, 8-, and 4-hydroxywarfarin, and the previously unreported 3-hydroxywarfarin, as well as the diastereomeric warfarin alcohols, warfarin diketone, and aliphatic hydroxywarfarins. Using S-warfarin and R-warfarin as substrates, and an HPLC assay with fluorescence detection to analyze metabolite profiles, the biotransformation of warfarin was found to be highly substrate and product stereoselective. Both aromatic hydroxylation and ketone reduction were found to be stereoselective for R-warfarin. Ketone reduction with the warfarin enantiomers exhibited a high level of product stereoselectivity in that R-warfarin was predominantly reduced to its S-alcohol, while S-warfarin was reduced primarily to the corresponding R-alcohol.