Patent ID: 7910334

Claim:
A process for preparing a 3-O-glycosylcolchicinoid compound of formula I: wherein R 1 is a O-glycoside residue, R 2 is hydrogen or C 1 -C 7 acyl, and R 3 is C 1 -C 6 alkoxy or C 1 -C 6 thioalkyl, comprising: a) contacting Bacillus megaterium with a demethylcochicinoid compound selected from the group consisting of 3-O-demethylcholchicine (DMC) and 3-O-demethylthiocholchicine (DMTC), wherein the demethylcochicinoid compound induces a glycosylating enzyme of the Bacillus megaterium , to obtain a preliminary seed culture; and b) fermenting a mixture comprising a carbon source, a nitrogen source and a compound of Formula II: wherein R 2 is hydrogen or C 1 -C 7 acyl and R 3 is C 1 -C 6 alkoxy or C 1 -C 6 thioalkyl, with the preliminary seed culture to form a broth, wherein multiple fractions of the mixture are added to the broth during the fermentation.