Efficient production of salvianic acid A from L-dihydroxyphenylalanine through a tri-enzyme cascade

Salvianic acid A (SAA), used for treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, possesses several pharmacological properties. However, the current methods for the enzymatic synthesis of SAA show low efficiency. Here, we constructed a three-enzyme cascade pathway in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) to produce SAA from L-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA). The phenylpyruvate reductase ( La PPR) from Lactobacillus sp. CGMCC 9967 is a rate-limiting enzyme in this process. Therefore, we employed a mechanism-guided protein engineering strategy to shorten the transfer distances of protons and hydrides, generating an optimal La PPR mutant, La PPR Mu2 (H89M/H143D/P256C), with a 2.8-fold increase in specific activity and 9.3-time increase in k cat / K m value compared to that of the wild type. Introduction of the mutant La PPR Mu2 into the cascade pathway and the optimization of enzyme levels and transformation conditions allowed the obtainment of the highest SAA titer (82.55 g L − 1 ) ever reported in vivo , good conversion rate (91.3%), excellent ee value (99%) and the highest productivity (6.88 g L − 1 h − 1 ) from 90 g L − 1 L-DOPA in 12 h. This successful strategy provides a potential new method for the industrial production of SAA.