Abstract
SAFRANAL (I) and its glycosidic precursor picrocrocin (the bitter principle of saffron)1 have been shown by Kuhn, Moewus and Wendt2 to play a remarkable part in controlling the sexual characteristics of the hermaphroditic green alga Chlamydomonas eugametos f. synoica. It was demonstrated that the glycoside acted as a gynotermone for the organism (that is, caused the cells to become female), the minimum quantity required being 106 molecules per cell. On the other hand, safranal (I) acted as a male termone (androtermone), the effect being observable at a far greater dilution, only 10 molecules per cell being required. The closely allied compound, 4-hydroxy-β-cyclocitral, was also observed to act as an androtermone3.
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References
Kuhn, R., and Winterstein, A., Ber., 67, 344 (1934).
Kuhn, R., Moewus, F., and Wendt, G., Ber., 72, 1702 (1939).
Kuhn, R., and Löw, I., Ber., 74, 219 (1941).
Kuhn, R., and Wendt, G., Ber., 69, 1549 (1936).
Karrer, P., and Ochsner, P., Helv. Chim. Acta, 30, 2092 (1947).
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LUNT, J., SONDHEIMER, F. Synthesis of 4-Methylsafranal. Nature 164, 1051 (1949). https://doi.org/10.1038/1641051a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1641051a0
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