A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A SIMVASTATIN PRECURSOR

Abstract: This invention provides an easy and efficient process for producing a simvastatin of great use as an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, which comprises deacylation of lovastatin with an inorganic base and a secondary or tertiary alcohol and subjecting the resulting did lactone to selective protection with a ketal or acetal protective group, acylation and deprotection-lactonization to give simvastatin.

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a process for producing a simvastatin precursor which comprises deacylating lovastatin with an inorganic base and a secondary or tertiary alcohol to give a diol lactone. Simvastatin is known to be a compound of use as an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor. BACKGROUND ART The production technology for simvastatin, heretofore known, includes (1) the process comprising hydrolysis of lovastatin with lithium hydroxide, lactonization to give a diol lactone, selective silylation with TBDS, acylation and desilylation (USP 4444784), (2) the process in which lovastatin potassium salt is directly methylated (USP 4582915), and (3) the process in which lovastatin monoalkylamide is directly methylated (USP 4820850), among others. The above process (1) requires a high temperature and a long time for the hydrolysis reaction so that both yield and productivity are low. Moreover, the selective silylation and subsequent steps are not satisfactory enough in reaction selectivity so that the total yield is not as high as desired. In the process (2), the starting lovastatin partially remains unreacted so that a complicated procedure is required for purification. In the process (3), the reaction must be conducted at an extremely low temperature. Thus, all of the processes have much to be improved for commercial-scale production. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The inventors of the present invention explored for a technology by which a simvastatin precursor may be produced with high efficiency without using costly reagents and under comparatively mild conditions and arrived at a novel process which comprises deacylation of lovastatin with an inorganic base and a secondary or tertiary alcohol to give a diol lactone. The present invention has been accordingly developed. The present invention thus relates to a process for producing a diol lactone (3) which comprises treating lovastatin (1) with an inorganic base and a secondary or tertiary alcohol to give a triol acid (2); serially acidifying and lactonizing the triol acid (2) to give a diol lactone (3). The present invention is now described in detail. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Lovastatin of the above formula (1), the starting compound of the invention, can be produced by a fermentation process employing a strain of microorganism belonging to the genus Aspergillus (USP 4444784). The novel process of the present invention comprises deacylating lovastatin (1) with an inorganic base and a secondary or tertiary alcohol and subjecting the deacylated compound to lactonization to give a diol lactone (3). The process of the present invention is carried out as follows. First, lovastatin (1) is treated with an inorganic base and a secondary or tertiary alcohol to give a triol acid (2). More particularly, lovastatin (1) is reacted with an inorganic base in the presence of a secondary or tertiary alcohol solvent in an inert atmosphere such as nitrogen gas to give a triol acid (2). The reaction temperature is 60 to 100 °C and the reaction time is 1 to 60 hours. The secondary or tertiary alcohol mentioned above is preferably a secondary or tertiary alcohol the hydrocarbon moiety of which is an alkyl group containing 3 to 8 carbon atoms. Said alcohol is not particularly restricted but includes secondary alcohols such as isopropyl alcohol, sec-butyl alcohol and cyclohexanol and tertiary alcohols such as t-butyl alcohol. The preferred is isopropyl alcohol or t-butyl alcohol. The inorganic base mentioned above is not particularly restricted but includes alkali metal hydroxides such as lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, etc.; and alkali metal alkoxides such as potassium t-butoxide, sodium isopropoxide, etc. The more preferred is potassium hydroxide. Usually, the inorganic base is used in a proportion of 1 to 10 molar equivalents to lovastatin (1). Then, the triol acid (2) is acidified and lactonized to give a diol lactone (3). More particularly, the reaction mixture obtainable by the above treatment is concentrated under reduced pressure and the residue is acidified with an inorganic acid such as hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid and extracted with an organic solvent. The extract is concentrated under reduced pressure to give an acidified triol acid (2). This acidified triol acid (2) is lactonized by heating in an organic solvent under reflux and the reaction product is caused to crystallize out from an organic solvent. The system is filtered and dried to give the diol lactone (3). Usually, the triol acid (2) is preferably not isolated but subjected to lactonization reaction in the form of a concentrate of the acidified reaction mixture. The organic solvent for refluxing is not particularly restricted but includes toluene, hexane, ethyl acetate and isopropyl acetate, among others. The organic solvent for crystallization is not restricted, either but includes toluene, hexane, ethyl acetate and isopropyl acetate, among others. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The following examples illustrate the present invention in further detail and should by no means be construed as defining the scope of the invention. In the following example (Example 7),the triol acid (2) and/or the diol lactone (3) was determined qualitatively and quantitatively by high performance liquid chromatography under the following conditions (parameter setting A). Parameter setting A Instrument : LC-10A, Shimadzu Corporation Column : ODS column, Nakalai-Tesque, Cosmosil 5C18-AR-300 Eluent : acetonitrile/0.1% phosphoric acid (aq.) = 100/50 (v/v) Flow rate : 1.5 ml/min. Detection : 238 nm (UV detector) Temperature: 45 °C The compound of the formula (3), derived from the triol acid was quantitated by high performance liquid chromatography under the following conditions (parameter setting B). Parameter setting B Instrument : LC-10A, Shimadzu Corporation Column : ODS column, Nakalai-Tesque, Cosmosil 5C18-AR-300 Eluent : acetonitrile/0.1% phosphoric acid (aq.) = 150/50 (v/v) Flow rate : 1.0 ml/min. Detection : 238 nm (UV detector) Temperature: 45 °C (Example 1) Process for producing the diol lactone (compound of the formula (3)) To a solution of KOH (7.92 g) in 300 ml of t-butyl alcohol was added 8.09 g (20 mmol) of lovastatin, and the mixture was stirred under argon gas at room temperature for 30 minutes. Then, the temperature was raised and the mixture was refluxed with stirring for 4 hours. This reaction mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure, added with water, acidified with phosphoric acid (pH=3.5), and extracted with ethyl acetate. The extract was concentrated under reduced pressure to give a brown-colored oil. This brown-colored oil was dissolved in 200 ml of isopropyl acetate, and after addition of 65 µl (1 mmol) of methanesulfonic acid, the solution was concentrated to about 1/5 volume under reduced pressure. The residue was washed with saturated aqueous solution of sodium hydrogencarbonate, cooled to -20°C, and stirred. The resulting slurry was filtered and dried in vacuo to give white crystals. This product was identified to be the title compound. (Example 2) Process for producing the diol lactone (compound of the formula (3)) To a solution of KOH (7.92g) in 100 ml of isopropyl alcohol was added 8.09 g (20 mmol) of lovastatin, and the mixture was stirred under argon gas at room temperature for 30 minutes. The temperature was raised and the mixture was further stirred at the reflux temperature for 4 hours. This reaction mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure and the residue was added with waster, acidified with phosphoric acid (pH=3.5), and extracted with 200 ml of isopropyl acetate. To the extract was added 65 µl (1 mmol) of methanesulfonic acid, and the mixture was concentrated to about 1/5 volume under reduced pressure. The residue was washed with saturated aqueous solution of sodium hydrogencarbonate and caused to crystallize out at -20 °C. This was followed by filtration and drying in vacuo to give white crystals. This product was identified to be the title compound. (Example 3) Process for producing the diol lactone (compound of the formula (3)) Using 2-propanol in lieu of the deacylation reaction solvent used in Example (1), 8.09 g (20 mmol) of lovastatin was deacylated under otherwise the same conditions as in Example (1) and acidified with phosphoric acid to prepare an aqueous solution. The product triol acid in the solution was extracted using toluene as the extraction solvent. This toluene extract (305 g) was concentrated under reduced pressure to about 1/3 so as to remove the concomitant water. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY In accordance with the production technology of the present invention, a simvastatin precursor can be produced from lovastatin with high efficiency.

Claims: A process for producing a diol lactone of the formula (3); which comprises treating lovastatin of the formula (1) with an inorganic base and a secondary or tertiary alcohol to give a triol acid of the formula (2); and serially acidifying and lactonizing the triol acid (2) to give a diol lactone (3). The process for producing a diol lactone of the formula (3) according to claim 1 wherein the secondary or tertiary alcohol is i-propanol or t-butanol. The process for producing a diol lactone of the formula (3) according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the inorganic base is an alkali metal hydroxide or an alkali metal alkoxide. The process for producing a diol lactone of the formula (3) according to claim 3 wherein the alkali metal hydroxide is lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide.

Inventors: INOUE KENJI, TAOKA NAOAKI, INOUE, KENJI, TAOKA, NAOAKI
Applicants: KANEKA CORP, KANEKA CORPORATION
Application year: 1999
Main classification: C07D309
IPC codes: C07D319, C07D309, E01F9