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What Are Plant Steroids?

Steroids are organic compounds found throughout the plant and animal kingdoms. They include hormones such as testosterone and estrogen and the lipid cholesterol. Anabolic steroids, which are used by some athletes as performance enhancers, are not in the same chemical family. In plants, steroids are important chemicals that stimulate growth. These growth hormones have been researched both for their natural function and their potential as crop-boosters.

Brassinosteroids
- Plant steroids are referred to as brassinosteroids. These chemicals are found in all plants and regulate their physical development. Some mutated plants are born with a deficiency of brassinosteroids. This vegetation does not fare well, becoming infertile and plagued by stunted growth.
Plant Steroids Vs. Other Steroids
- Like in humans and animals, plant steroids send signals to boost growth. Additionally, brassinosteroids assist in cell differentiation. They help stem cells -- cells that have not yet found a function -- become assigned to their proper areas. However, "ScienceDaily" explains that plant sterioids "function very differently at the cellular level." Plant and animal cells have receptors that detect steroids. The fundamental difference is that these receptors are found in the nucleus of animal cells, while plant receptors are on the cells' outside membranes.
Kinases
- Zhi-Yong Wang and Wenqinag Tang of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Plant Biology performed a study to isolate brassinosteroids and assess the hormone's role. The team focused its work on proteins called kinases. In order for brassinosteroids to work, they must first be signaled by the kinases, known as brassinosteroid signaling kinases (BSKs).
Artificial Use
- After Zhi-Yong Wang and Wenquinag Tang's study, they concluded that harnessing plant steroids could lead to larger crop yields. However, a study by Ana Cano of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) in Spain discovered that the opposite is true. Because brassinosteroids control which cells achieve their respective function, excessive exposure to these hormones caused the cells to differentiate too quickly. As a result, the plants failed to grow.

Nature