TPU scientists reduce production cost of drugs for HIV from birch bark

TOMSK, Aug 13 – RIA Tomsk. Employees of Research School of Chemistry & Applied Biomedical Sciences of Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) are developing new methods for producing oxo-derivatives of betulin, contained in the birch bark; development reduce cost of drugs used to combat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the press service of the university reported on Monday.

It is reported that the scientists of Research School of Chemistry & Applied Biomedical Sciences of Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) are developing catalytic methods for the production of oxo-derivatives of betulin, contained in the birch bark. These derivatives have immunostimulating, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antiviral properties. In particular, on their basis a new drug against HIV was created - bevirimat.

"To date, there are no catalytic methods for the production of oxo-derivatives of betulin, although the heterogeneous-catalytic approach has a number of important advantages over traditional methods", - is sad in the report.

It is noted that the main existing method for the preparation of oxo-derivatives of betulin with the help of Jones oxidation in a strongly acidic environment - is insufficiently profitable and demands a complex utilization of a very toxic residual chromium anhydride. In their project, which received a grant of the Russian Science Foundation for two years, Tomsk residents uses catalysts based on silver and gold nanoparticles.

© с сайта Томского политехнического университета

TPU will create quality control system of details of French reactor

It is added that at the first stage of the project TPU scientists with the help of nanosilver catalysts successfully obtained betulone - one of oxo-derivatives of betulin. The results of the study are published in the Fuel journal.