Chemical and Enzymatic Approaches to Esters of sn-Glycero-3-Phosphoric Acid

Esters of sn-glycero-3-phosphoric acid (GPAE) are derivatives of glycerophospholipids in which both the fatty acid chains in sn-1 and sn-2 positions are removed. Phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylinositol (PI), and phosphatidylserine (PS) are the most abundant glycerophospholipids in Nature. Their deacylated derivatives find application in many industrial sectors; for example, sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (GPC) is useful as a cognitive enhancer and as a food ingredient, whereas sn-glycero-3-phosphoinositol (GPI) acts as a natural anti-inflammatory agent. This minireview covers the state-of-the-art of chemical and biocatalytic methods for the obtainment of these lipid-derived components.