Female Hormone Discovered in Walnut Trees
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons. By: Böhringer Friedrich
For a long time, there were certain things that set us apart from the plant world. One of these things would be hormones. While certain plants were discovered to have similar ones to ours, they never really found any with the exact same—until now.
Scientists found the female hormone progesterone in a Walnut Tree. Progesterone is part of important female cycles and phases, including the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. Until this discovery was made, scientists believed that only animals contained this hormone.
Since progesterone is also a steroid hormone, some scientists say it might be an ancient bioregulator; something that evolved long ago, before present day animals and plants came to be. One simple discovery may change all that science ever previously thought about the evolution and function of progesterone.
The discovery was made by Guido F. Pauli and colleagues. Previously, hormones similar to progesterone were found in plants, but never the progesterone hormone itself. The researchers used nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy to detect the hormone in leaves of the Common Walnut (English Walnut) tree. Along with that, they also found 5 new progesterone-related steroids in a member of the Buttercup family.
According to the researchers:
“The significance of the unequivocal identification of progesterone cannot be overstated. While the biological role of progesterone has been extensively studied in mammals, the reason for its presence in plants is less apparent.”
The study is detailed in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Natural Products.
By Heidi Marshall
I have been with GreenFudge for about a year now, but I've had a passion for Nature my entire life. When I'm not writing articles, you can find me out hiking, gardening, working on green craft projects, or taking photos for my website. You can check out the site at http://arkisaeo.com
Popularity: -0% [?]
Tags: discovery, female hormone, plants, progesterone, steroid hormone, Walnut Tree
Leave a Reply