Bridging biocatalysis and chemical catalysis: Innovative approaches for enhancing chemoenzymatic cascades

The chemoenzymatic reactions leverage the enzymes' excellent selectivity alongside the robust reactivity of traditional catalysts, offering numerous advantages such as higher yield, enhanced selectivity, and reduced residue generation. Despite the challenge posed by incompatibility between different classes of catalysts, recent advances in synthetic chemistry and biology provide ample opportunities for cascade transformations using new biocatalysts and innovative strategies. By integrating organocatalysis, electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, and metal catalysis with biocatalysis, this review showcases how diverse catalytic strategies can be synergistically employed to expand reaction scope, overcome traditional limitations, and unlock new possibilities for chemoenzymatic transformations. Novel approaches and trends are also highlighted.