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Androgenic and Corticosteroid Content of Pine Pollen

Sex Hormones and Corticosteroids in Pollen of Pinus nigra

Authors: Melita Saden-Krehula, Melita Tajic, and Dragutin Kolbah

Affiliations: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb, and Division of Endocrinology, University Hospital Rebro, Zagreb, Yugoslavia

Introduction

For centuries, pine pollen has been known as a natural substance rich in nutrient and bioactive compounds. Over the past several decades, scientific research has started to investigate its hormonal content, including the presence of compounds traditionally thought to be found in animals only, such as steroid hormones and corticosteroids.

In a study by Saden-Krehula, Tajic, and Kolbah (1979), the hormonal profile of the pollen of Pinus nigra (black pine) was investigated. Their purpose was to determine and measure select steroid hormones and adrenal corticosteroids present in pine pollen, building on previous research. Their study is a contribution to the increasing literature that plants may be able to synthesize or contain hormones similar in structure and function to those found in animals.

Objective

This study had two primary goals:

  • To isolate and identify four principal steroid hormones in the Pinus nigra pollen, namely testosterone, epitestosterone, androstenedione, and progesterone.
  • To quantitate the amount of various adrenal corticosteroids namely cortisol, cortisone, 11- deoxycortisol, corticosterone and 11-deoxycorticosterone.

Methodology

Extraction and Isolation

Steroid compounds were extracted from Pinus nigra pollen using diethyl ether or chloroform, following hydrolysis with β-glucuronidase and dilute sulfuric acid to release both free and bound forms. Sodium hydroxide and acetic acid were used to wash the extracts, and methanol defatted them. The steroid hormones were purified with the help of thin-layer chromatography and quantified by radioimmunoassay and fluorimetry techniques. The corticosteroids were detected by using UV spectroscopy, tetrazolium salt reactions, Porter-Silber tests, and fluorescence, and each of the compounds was chosen according to the functional structure and chemical reactivity.

Analytical Techniques

  • Radioimmunoassay (RIA) – This method is applied to measure testosterone, epitestosterone, androstenedione, and progesterone with high sensitivity.
  • Fluorimetry – This was the process through which natural fluorescence of the hormones and their derivatives was measured, which was another way of confirming their existence.
  • Corticosteroid Detection
    • UV Spectroscopy – Used to determine the compounds through their light absorption.
    • Tetrazolium Salt Reaction – A color change indicated the presence of certain steroid structures.
    • Porter-Silber Reaction – This colorimetric method specifically detected corticosteroids with particular chemical groups.
    • Fluorescence Analysis – The fluorescence analysis was able to detect some corticosteroids that fluoresce under certain wavelengths of light after acid treatment.

Each method of analysis provided an additional measure of validating and measuring the hormones, and each sample was tested more than once to enhance the precision.

Results

Steroid Hormones

Pine pollen contained all four of the targeted androgenic sex hormones. Their concentrations were slightly different among the samples and testing procedures, possibly as a result of variation in extraction efficiency.

Quantification of Steroid Hormones in Pine Pollen

Corticosteroids

Five corticosteroids were also found in the pollen, although in smaller amounts. Various chemical and spectroscopic methods were used to confirm their presence.

Quantification of Corticosteroids in Pine Pollen

Discussion

The fact that Pinus nigra pollen possesses sex hormones and corticosteroids substantiates the validation that plants are able to synthesize or accumulate steroidal chemicals similar to those that occur in animals. Regular occurrence of testosterone, epitestosterone, androstenedione, and progesterone in pine pollen indicates that the hormones may have biological significance in plant development or reproduction. Although corticosteroids exist in low quantities, their detection in different procedures enhances the validity of results. Hormone variability demonstrates the importance of extraction efficiency and analytical sensitivity, which underlines the necessity of standardized procedures in the research of plant hormones in the future.

Research Significance

This study is one of the earliest to demonstrate that plants such as Pinus nigra produce compounds structurally and functionally related to animal steroid hormones. These results are significant in many ways, such as they contradict the idea that hormones such as testosterone or cortisol are animal-exclusive. These findings contribute to the assumption that plants might utilize the steroid-like compounds in their signalling and growth processes. From a human health perspective, pine pollen may be a source of bioavailable steroid compounds that can be used nutritionally or therapeutically. The careful use of multiple testing methods also sets a high standard for how future studies should confirm hormone content in plant materials.

Conclusion

The Saden-Krehula and colleagues' work provides solid evidence that Pinus nigra pollen indeed has both androgenic sex hormones and corticosteroid hormones. The authors verified the presence of testosterone, epitestosterone, androstenedione, and progesterone, cortisol, and other adrenal steroids using radioimmunoassay and a number of chemical tests. These results not only provide chemical composition knowledge of pine pollen but also give insight into possible future health and wellness applications of pollen. The study remains a foundational piece in the scientific investigation of plant-derived hormones.

Citation

Saden-Krehula, M., Tajic, M., & Kolbah, D. (1979). Sex hormones and corticosteroids in pollen of Pinus nigra. Phytochemistry, 18 (2), 345-346.

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