Synthesis of phosphatidylated-monoterpene alcohols catalyzed by phospholipase D and their antiproliferative effects on human cancer cells.

In order to prepare functional phospholipids in the medical and pharmaceutical fields, perillyl alcohol, myrtenol, and nerol were transphosphatidylated via phospholipase D in an aqueous system. The yields of phosphatidyl-perillyl alcohol, -myrtenol, and -nerol were 79 mol %, 87 mol %, and 91 mol %, respectively. The synthetic phosphatidylated monoterpenes showed a markedly antiproliferative effect on human prostate PC-3 and human leukemia HL-60 cells at 100 microM, while the free monoterpene alcohols had no effect at 400 microM.