[Use of Water-organic Systems in the Enzymatic Transformation of Steroids]

This review surveys existing data on the use of water-organic systems, one of the promising methods of enzymic transformation of steroids. The procedures for reducing the inhibitory effect of solvents on enzymes and microbial cells are discussed. It is shown that hydrophobic capacity of gels and substrates, polarity of solvents, and coefficients of the distribution of reaction components between phases are to be taken into consideration when performing steroid transformation in the presence of organic solvents in order to increase its efficiency.