ORIGINAL RESEARCH
The Effect of Sex Steroids and Corticosteroids on the
Content of Soluble Proteins, Nucleic Acids and Reducing
Sugars in Wolffia arrhiza (L.) Wimm. ( Lemnaceae )
I.K. Szamrej 1, R. Czerpak 2*
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1. The Provincional Sanitary- Epidemiological Station in Bialystok, ul. Legionowa 8, 15-099 Białystok, Poland
2 Institute of Biology University of Bialystok ul. Świerkowa 20B, 15-950 Białystok, Poland
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2004;13(5):565-571
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Research on the influence of sex steroids: ß-estradiol, testosterone and corticosteroids: cortisone, cortisole
(glucocorticoids), 11-deoxycorticosterone (mineralocorticoid) and prednisolone (chemical derivative
of hydrocortisone) on changes of soluble proteins, nucleic acids and reducing sugars as a content of Wolffia
arrhiza ( Lemnaceae ) has been conducted. Wolffia has been cultivated in Bialystok’s municipal tap water
(rich in mineral but poor in organic components) during a 20-day period, in the optimal concentration of
10-5 to 10-6 M. It has been ascertained that the maximal stimulation of nucleic acids (DNA & RNA) was
caused by ß-estradiol in the range from 176-181%, testosterone 168-173%, cortisone 154-157%, 11-deoxycorticosterone
152-155%, cortisole 141-148% and prednisolone from 129-131%, in comparison to a
100% control. The soluble proteins content was stimulated the strongest by ß-estradiol - 181%, testosterone
- 170%, cortisole - 141%, cortisone - 138%, prednisolone - 137%, and weaker by 11-deoxycorticosterone
- 128%. Reducing sugars content was stimulated most intensely only on the 5th day of cultivation by cortisone
in 165%, 11-deoxycorticosterone - 160-164%, cortisole in 157% and prednisolone in 149%, whereas
ß-estradiol had a stimulatory influence of 133-138% and testosterone – 119-121% in comparison to 100%
control during the whole period of 20 days of Wolffia arrhiza cultivation.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.