Preparation of ursodeoxycholic acid from 7-ketone lithocholic acid by stereoselective electroreduction

Background: Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is an important clinical drug in the treatment of liver disease. In previous work, ursodeoxycholic acid was prepared by traditional organic synthesis. The preparation of ursodeoxycholic acid through an electrochemical method with higher stereoselectivity and environmental friendliness is described herein. Results: Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), dimethylformamide (DMF), and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) were used as stereoselectivity additives during electroreduction. With 107.5 mM DMSO in methanol containing potassium bromide and a continuous current of 20 mA, 936 Coulombs was passed into the electrolysis system, achieving 88.5 % conversion of 7-ketone lithocholic acid (7K-LCA), while the yield of UDCA reached 72.8 %. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) was used to explore the electrochemical behavior of the reaction, and the electrolysis results were consistent with the cyclic voltammograms. Conclusions: Ursodeoxycholic acid can be prepared by electroreduction with high stereoselectivity. The method developed here offers a potential application for large-scale production of ursodeoxycholic acid and an interesting reference to asymmetric electrochemical reduction of the keto group.