Stereochemistry of the enzymatic reduction of 2-(4-Methoxybenzyl)-1-cyclohaxanone by means of Solanum aviculare cells in vitro

During the investigation of chemical properties of the dicyclic system of insect juvenile hormone analogues, biotransformation of 2-(4-methoxybenzyl)-1-cyclohexanone (1) by plant cell cultures was studied. Among other components, the cis-(1S, 2S)- and cis-(1R, 2R)-2-(4-methoxybenzyl)-1-cyclohexanol enantiomers 2a and 2b were found in the reaction mixture. Higher stereoselectivity of the biotransformation was observed for trans-(1S, 2R)-enantiomer 3a formation, which occurred in at least 60% of calculated enantiomeric excess