Microbiological hydroxylation of 5α-H-steroids

The literature data on the use of microorganisms for the hydroxylation of 5α-H-steroids of the 5α-H-androstane and 5α-H-pregnane series and also 5α-H-sapogenins are surveyed. A systematic description of the influence of substitution in the steroid molecule on the specificity of the hydroxylation and the activity of the microbial enzymes is given within the framework of the enzyme–substrate interaction model.
The bibliography includes 124 references.