It is also a phytoecdysteroid produced by various plants, including Cyanotis wanders, Ajuga Turkestanica (plant from which it takes its common name) e Rhaponticum carthamoides, organisms in which it has the function of interrupting the development and reproduction of some parasitic insects.
Although mammals do not have the ecdysone receptor, in vitro it has been observed that turkesterone can still influence biological systems; in vivo, these effects are still unknown.
In "humans, it is hypothesized that turkesterone may bind to the gene encoding the estrogen receptor protein β (ERβ). This is why turkesterone is widely used as a sports food supplement - especially in bodybuilding -" useful "(perhaps) for muscle mass growth and strength development.
marketed as ingredients for food supplements intended for sports and bodybuilding use.
In 2006, a comprehensive study was published aimed at identifying any improvement in strength following the intake of 20-hydroxyecdysone.
The experimental researcher looked for any performance improvements, tested blood testosterone levels and monitored fluctuations in body composition.
It was concluded that the use of 30 mg / day of 20-hydroxyecdysone, administered orally, does not significantly affect anabolic or catabolic responses to resistance training (resistance training, i.e. with weights or the like), body composition or training adaptations.
However, a number of previous studies have instead supported the anabolic effects of 20-hydroxyecdysone.
A more recent study, conducted in 2019 by a team that included the "Department of Molecular and Cellular Sports Medicine" at the "German Sports University" in Cologne, found that Significantly higher increases in muscle mass were observed in participants treated with 20-hydroxyecdysone, with significantly more pronounced increases in bench press exercise.
The study was funded by the "World Anti-Doping Agency" (WADA) and demonstrated a significant dose-reactive anabolic effect of supplementation with 20-hydroxyecdysone. in vivo.
Furthermore, recent studies have made it clear that the mechanism of action of 20-hydroxyecdysone on human muscle cells is the relatively selective activation of the β form of the estrogen receptor (ERβ), which is known to promote muscle hypertrophy.
Turkesterone as an immunomodulator and antioxidant
There is also some evidence in vitro that turkesterone exerts effects on some types of blood cells, such as lymphocytes and neutrophils, and that it can act as an immunomodulator and antioxidant on lipid peroxidation.
of commercial products and consult your pharmacist or doctor before use.
Turkesterone Side Effects, Precautions, and Interactions
There is not enough information on the potential side effects and drug interactions of turkesterone.
During pregnancy and breastfeeding it is better to avoid its use.
, ensuring that the expression of a new induced gene remains under the control of the ecdysone receptor in question.The addition or removal of ecdysteroids from the transgenic animal's diet thus provides a convenient way to activate or deactivate the inserted gene.
At the usual doses, turkesterone appears to have little or no effect on animals that do not have extra genes inserted. When taken orally it shows a high bioavailability, proving useful in determining whether the transgene has been absorbed effectively.
For uses in gene therapy, it may be useful to understand what are the natural sources of ecdisteroids for humans - dietary phytoecdysteroids, intestinal flora, helminth infections and other diseases, etc.
, unless certain invertebrates are included.Certain larvae are able to synthesize turkesterone from: prothoracic gland, annular gland, intestine and adipose bodies; in the adult organism most of these are lost, with the exception of the adipose body and the female ovary. These tissues convert cholesterol in the mature forms of the hormone turkesterone - this occurs similarly in the mammalian organism for steroid hormones.
The eventual consumption of evolved organisms, in practice, would be completely useless.
Even if you decide to eat the larvae, however, there are no guarantees that this molecule can remain intact after cooking - which, as the gastronomic culture of certain eastern, African and South American areas teaches, is important for the consumption of these organisms.
For further information: Ecdysterones
