Lipase-catalyzed synthesis and characterization of 1-butanoyl-2-palmitoyl phosphatidylcholine, a potential lipidic prodrug of butyric acid.
1-Butanoyl-2-palmitoyl phosphatidylcholine was synthesized from dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and butyric acid using a lipase catalyzed transesterification in toluene at controlled water activity. A high fatty acid concentration and low water activity were essential for the enzymatic synthesis. The transesterification resulted in 97.3% incorporation of butyric acid in the sn-1 position wit