Studies on the porcine liver esterase-catalyzed hydrolysis of pentaacetyl catechin and epicatechin: Application to the synthesis of novel dimers and trimers

Porcine liver esterase-catalyzed hydrolysis of 3,5,7,3′,4′-pentaacetylated catechin was studied. The selectivity of the enzyme in hydrolyzing the acetate moiety is time dependent. Careful control of the duration of hydrolysis makes it possible to isolate the differentially protected catechins. Similar result was also obtained in the epicatechin series. These results are important for elaboration of epicatechin or catechin into different derivatives with defined regiochemistry. These include novel dimeric and trimeric architectures.