Enzymatic and chemical synthesis of 3-dehydroecdysterone, a metabolite of the moulting hormone of insects.
3-Dehydroecdysterone, a less polar metabolite of ecdysterone, was synthesized in vitro using either an enzyme (edcysone oxidase, EC 1.1.3.16) or the chemical catalyst platinum. 3-Dehydroecdysterone was purified and characterized by its chromatographic behaviour, its staining properties and by UV, IR, NMR and mass spectroscopy. The compound is 1/15 as active as ecdysone in the Calliphora moulting hormone bioassay. Its biological relevance is discussed.
D000429:Alcohol Oxidoreductases; D000818:Animals; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D004175:Diptera / Q000201:enzymology; D004441:Ecdysterone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000138:chemical synthesis; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008722:Methods
D004441:Ecdysterone; D000429:Alcohol Oxidoreductases