Oxo-bile acids are useful cholic acid derivatives with promising properties and have bothmedical and pharmaceutical applications. They are one of the most important intermediatesfor the synthesis of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), which is currently the only product approved by the US FDA for the treatment of primary sclerosing cholangitis. However, large quantitiesof UDCA cannot be obtained from natural sources. For this reason, commercialUDCA is produced by the chemical manipulation of plentiful primary bile acids suchas cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid. In these chemical transformations, criticaloxidation steps are required steps for the practical syntheses of oxo-bile acidintermediates. In many cases, toxic heavymetal-based oxidizing agents have been used in spite of their toxicity. From the greenchemistry standpoint, the utilization of less harmful agents is always desirable andindeed there have been efforts to develop more eco-friendly conditions for the synthesisof oxo-bile acid derivatives. In this connection, we describe the applicationof a cerium-catalyzed oxidation to secondaryalcohol groups of bile acids in the hope of developing a more versatile and greenermethod for the preparation of various oxo-bile acids.

Biography:
Hwayoung Yun did his undergraduate work at Seoul National University. He have intensively experienced the synthesis of complex small molecules through the studies on total synthesis of various natural products such as macrolides, alkaloids, iridoids, macrolactams and polypeptides. A range of academic training and an in-depth research experience have provided he with considerable expertise in biomedical disciplines including synthetic organic, medicinal chemistry and chemical biology. His ultimate research interests are the discovery of bioactive small molecules as selective regulators of intracellular signaling pathways and investigation of their biological mode of action.