Posted 2023-03-18

Steroids & biology

It's not what you think, though. We'll speak about mushrooms that shouldn't be eaten by humans and the bioactive molecules that could be used to make steroids.

Steroid drugs have very powerful effects on the human body. These include bile acids, vitamin D3, sex hormones, hormones that control the metabolism of minerals and water, as well as chemicals that cause inflammatory reactions and have signaling properties. The sex hormone testosterone, the signaling hormone prasterone, and the precursor to other steroids androstadiendione can all now be obtained from plant material thanks to advances in biology. These molecules can be used to create a variety of different beneficial steroids with minimal alterations.

Jumping in to the science

Most physiologically active compounds contain an axis or flat ring that is in close proximity to significant side groups. The position and spatial orientation of the four carbon rings and substituents that make up steroids dictate the particular biological effect of each substance. In other words, a substance's ability to attach to a particular receptor protein and set off a chain of biological processes depends on the position and orientation of these groups in relation to the rigid skeleton. The ability to alter molecules in a specific way, turning specific fragments in the proper directions, is the major benefit of using living cells in drug manufacturing.In most cases, a complexly separable combination of products—some of which won't have the intended properties—is produced under chemical synthesis circumstances.

A fungus strain of the genus Drechslera has the capacity to change steroid compounds such as androstadiendione, testosterone, and prasterone, according to microbiologists from the Pushchino Scientific Center for Biological Research (Pushchino). Two fungal enzymes in particular caught the attention of researchers: the first restores the ketone (=O) group in a precisely defined position (C17), and the second can attach the hydroxyl (-OH) group in a different, similarly fixed position (C7), but one that is on the opposite side of the backbone ring. The second enzyme's byproducts are known as C7- and C7-hydroxysteroids.According to scientists, the original steroid substrate's structure determines whether the ratio of the final products has a hydroxyl group in the - or -position.
 

Is it a new breakthrough?

Earlier, the literature has described fungal enzymes that primarily generate 7-hydroxysteroids. For instance, Polish biologists discovered such an enzyme in the woodland bee-harming fungus Beauveria caledonica. Drechslera, the genus of mold fungi used in this study, is intriguing for more reasons than just its simplicity in laboratory cultivation. The degree of its particular 7-hydroxylase activity currently outpaces that of all analogs. Also, the capability of regulating enzyme activity supports the use of these specific mushrooms.For instance, adding the steroidal substrate and mycelium to the medium for continued culture simultaneously can improve the fraction of products with a certain position of the hydroxyl group. The reduction of the 17-keto group is promoted preferentially when the substrate is added to a mature mycelium.
 

Expert comments

According to the lead scientist: "The results obtained bring up potential for biotechnological manufacture of important steroidal chemicals. Future work will focus on finding the gene for a novel steroid hydroxylase and instructing bacteria to produce it in big quantities. Production of steroidal medications to treat a variety of disorders will be more affordable thanks to less zealous microbial strains "Vyacheslav Kollerov, the initial author, Senior researcher with a PhD in biology at the IBFM RAS's Laboratory of Microbiological Transformation of Organic Compounds (MTOS).
 

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is a potential field of study to use fungus to generate bioactive compounds for the synthesis of steroids. In contrast to conventional chemical synthesis, utilizing living cells to modify molecules in a specific way has many advantages. A major advance in this area is the identification of two fungal enzymes that can precisely alter steroid molecules, opening the door to the biotechnological production of significant steroidal substances. This could result in more readily available and less expensive steroidal drugs to treat a range of illnesses with future study. The pharmaceutical industry, as well as the lives of those who depend on steroid drugs, may be significantly impacted by this intriguing breakthrough. However, it takes some time for such wast research to bring significant results that can be applied in manufacturing. As of now the athletes that are chasing significant bodybuilding results will be using old-school steroids that were tested for decades and have proven their efficiency. Hilma Biocare, Beligas pharmaceuticals, Euro-pharmacies and Somatrop-lab are one of the most recognised manufacturers who  are approved by many professionals in the field. They provide only High quality products that are aimed for the best and fastest results athletes are crawling for. Also, it is important to buy steroids only from approved suppliers to avoid fake products and receive genuine products that are safe to use. You are able to check mentioned information on manufacturer's website.