Dietary Phytoecdysteroids

Abstract

Phytoecdysteroids are polyhydroxylated steroids which are widely distributed in the plant world and are present in significant amounts in 5–6% of plant species. Their major role in the plant is probably to deter invertebrate predators, but ecdysteroids also have many beneficial effects in mammals and are attracting attention as therapeutic and nutraceutical agents. Four hundred analogues have been identified so far from plant sources, but 20-hydroxyecdysone is the most frequently encountered and is often the major analogue present. Here we consider the occurrence of phytoecdysteroids in food plants and the human diet and how this might change in the future against the backdrop of what we currently know about biosynthesis of these compounds in plants and their bioavailability, metab- olism, and biological activities in mammals. Finally, we discuss the medical and pharmaceutical potential of these molecules, particularly in the area of muscle wasting diseases and diabetes, and indicate which areas of fundamental research require focused study. Keyword