Recently, our laboratory demonstrated that human neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y) are capable of synthesizing morphine, the major active metabolite of opium poppy. Now our experiments are further substantiated by extending the biochemical studies to the entire morphine pathway in this human cell line. L-[1,2,3-13C3]- and [ring-2',5',6'-2H3]dopa showed high isotopic enrichment and incorporation in ...

Introduction Buprenorphine is a thebaine derivative that was developed in the 1970s for pain relief. It was approved for substitution therapy in France in 1996, and in the USA in 2002. In Singapore, sublingual buprenorphine (2 and 8 mg tablets) has been available since 2002 for the treatment of opioid addiction, under the brand name Subutex. It is registered as a prescription-only medicine, but...

A new TEMPO-mediated electrochemical method has been developed for N-demethylation of opiates using a home-made batch cell with low-cost porous glassy carbon electrodes. such as thebaine, codeine, morphine and oxycodone is key step in the semi-synthesis opioid medicines. The TEMPO mediator enables synthesis noropiates, which not possible conventional Shono oxidation. Electrolysis was performed ...

Opiates and related molecules are medically essential, but their production via field cultivation of opium poppy Papaver somniferum leads to supply inefficiencies and insecurity. As an alternative production strategy, we developed baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a microbial host for the transformation of opiates. Yeast strains engineered to express heterologous genes from P. somniferu...

Recent developments in metabolic engineering have led to the successful biosynthesis of valuable products, such as the precursor of the antimalarial compound, artemisinin, and opioid precursor, thebaine. Synthesizing these traditionally plant-derived compounds in genetically modified yeast cells introduces the possibility of significantly reducing the total time and resources required for their...