Ecdysteroids of quinoa seeds (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.).

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) is a hardy and nutritious Latin American pseudo-cereal. Studies on the seeds led to the isolation of five ecdysteroids using column chromatography. Their structures were determined as ecdysterone, makisterone A, 24-epi-makisterone A, 24(28)-dehydromakisterone A, and 20,26-dihydroxyecdysone by spectroscopic methods. This study demonstrates that quinoa seeds are a source of ecdysteroids, which were reported to be molting hormones in insects.