Evening star., 1951-12-28
1900 Plants Anolyzed
In Hunt for Cortisone
Mexicon Desert Flower Found
Most Promising Source
By Thomus R. Henry

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 28.-More than
1900 plant samples gathered all over
the world now are being analyzed for
various organic chemical substances
which can be used in the synthesis Of
the now invaluable adrenal gland hor-
none, cortiSone.
Probably the most promising source
found to date is species of agave, q
member OF the arlaryllis family, from
Lower California. This Mexican desert
flower has the highest content Of one
promising cortisone precursor ever re-
ported, and the Department Of Agricul-
ture now is setting up station In Cali
fornia for Its cultivation.
This was reported to the American
Association for the Advancement Of
Science here today by DR.. j. j. Villa
man, biochemist of the Agriculture De-
partment's eastern research laboratory
at Philadelphia. Up to now the only
practical sources Of cortisone. which is
a lifesaver in a score Of human maIadies.
are the adrenal glands of animals. The
substance has been synthesized in chemi-
cal laboratories, but the process is SO
expensive that 1t probably never will be
OF practical importance. Synthesis, how
ever, could be enormously speeded and
cheapened II some Of the essential
chemical constituents could be found,
made to order, in the plant kingdom.
Only Surface Scratched.
The predicted demand In this country
alone, DR.. Willaman said, is for about
25,000,000 grams a year. At present
prices. even If 1t could be obtained. this
would cost about a half billion dollars.
The present estimated production Is
about a million grams, which hardly
scratches the surface Of the demand.
A cheap synthesis. it was explained,
requires plentiful supply Of certain
chemicals which, it has been shown, are
first formed in the body and then used
to build up the cortisone molecule. These
are chiefly so-called "steroids," essen
TALLY higher alcohols, and especially q
group known as sapor ogens.
Plants and animals are built of about
the same basic bricks of life, and very
early 1t was seen that an abundant
source Of the essential chemicals might
be found If the proper plants could be
located. Two years ago the Department
Of Agriculture sent an expedition to
Africa to gather seeds of certain plant
which was reported rich in one of the
essential saponogens. Since then the
search has been pressed all over the
world-a tedious and sometimes ex-
tremely discouraging search.
AS soon as the materials are gathered
they are sent to the Philadelphia laboras
tory to be put through the chemical
mill. just now, DR.. Willaman said, tho
search is especially concentrated on two
saponogens which appear to be the most
promising precursors. substances known
diosgenin and hecogenin. Their MOLE
cules are of the right structure to fit
into the cortisone molecule, although no
actual synthesis has been reported.
Overlooking No Source.
The most valuable plants for these
two substances to date have been mem
bers of the lily family and the leaves
of relatives of the desert yucca. Also.
DR.. Willaman said, the entire plant
kingdom is being surveyed to make sure
no potential source has been overlooked.
Several members of the lily family
have been found so promising that
studies have been started on the possi-
bility Of cultivating them. AS an unex-
pected by-produet, leaf powder from
the yucca plant of the American South
west is found to have content of about
per cent of one of the saponogenS.
It does not fit into the cortisone picture
but has excellent possibilities for the
SynthesiS of some of the sex hormones.
Several hundred pounds of the Mex
ican desert plant have been processed
to date, DR.. Willaman explained, and
from so to 100 grams of the cortisone
precursor have been obtained. This
material has been turned over to the
Public Health Service, which will carry
out any actual synthesiS.
At first the plant screening was slow,
costly and difficult. Quite recently, DR..
Willaman reported, rapid procedure
has been initiated by which the SCREEN
ing can be quite rapid and useless speci-
mems quickly eliminated Then the en-
tire attention Of the chemists can be
focused on those which show promise.