Page 158 - phytochemistry general program
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human diet as natural sweetening without collateral effects. The sweetening power
of stevioside ranges from 100-300 times higher than sucrose.
Oxidation Digitalis purpurea and Nicotiana tabacum were able to oxidize .2
pregnenolone to progesterone and the reverse reaction was not indicated.
Esterification Digitalis lanata showed the ability of esterification with acetic acid .3
e.g. digitalis glycosides were acetylated and deacetylated rapidly when added to
cultures of Digitalis lanata.
Biotransformation of raw steroidal compounds Raw steroidal materials such as .4
diosgenin, cholesterol and stigmasterol have been used to produce
pharmaceutically useful compounds such as corticosteroids, sex hormones and
anabolic compounds. A cell culture with the ability to rapidly cleave the side chain
of a selected steroid would have an industrial and practical application. Cholesterol
has been oxidized by P.T.C. to cholest–4-ene-3-one.
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