Lipase Assisted ()-Ketoprofen Resolution from Commercially Available Racemic Mixture.

Ketoprofen is a commercially available drug sold as a racemic mixture that belongs to the family of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs known as profens. It has been demonstrated (in vitro) that ()-ketoprofen is around 160 times more potent than its enantiomer ()-ketoprofen, while accumulation of ()-ketoprofen can cause serious side effects, such as dyspepsia, gastrointestinal ulceration/bleeding, pain, salt and fluid retention, and hypertension. In this work, four commercially available lipases were systematically assessed.