Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of Apremilast: A Study Using Ketoreductases and Lipases

The key step in the chemoenzymatic synthesis of apremilast was to produce the chiral alcohol (R)-1-(3-ethoxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-2-(methylsulfonyl)ethanol, (R)-3. Two enzymatic approaches were evaluated to obtain (R)-3, one using ketoreductases and the other lipases. Bioreduction of 1-(3-ethoxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-2-(methylsulfonyl)ethanone (2), using ketoreductase KRED‑P2-D12, led to (R)-3 with 48% conversion and 93% enantiomeric excess (ee). Kinetic resolution of rac-1-(3-ethoxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-2-(methylsulfonyl)ethyl acetate (rac-4), via hydrolysis reaction, with 20% of n-butanol, catalyzed by lipase from Aspergillus niger yielded (R)-3 with > 99% ee, 50% conversion and E-value (enantiomeric ratio) > 200. The reaction between enantiomerically pure (R)-3 and 4-acetylamino-isoindol-1,3-dione (8) afforded apremilast in 65% yield and 67% ee.