Androstenol
Encyclopedia
Androstenol is a sex pheromone
in pigs, possessing a musk
-like odor.
It is found in large quantities in boar
saliva, but also in smaller quantities in human sweat gland
s. It is analogous to sex hormones yet has minimal or no androgenic activity. Androstenol is secreted by the adrenal gland into systemic circulation in humans: Systemic effects have not been well studied.
Androstenol, or a chemical derivative, is found in truffles, and is offered as an explanation for how pigs locate them deep in the ground.
Both isomers have a weak, characteristic odor; however alpha-androstenol is often associated with a sandalwood-like aroma due to residual solvents (alkyl acetates).
Pheromone
A pheromone is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting outside the body of the secreting individual to impact the behavior of the receiving individual...
in pigs, possessing a musk
Musk
Musk is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial substances with similar odors. Musk was a name originally given to a substance with a...
-like odor.
It is found in large quantities in boar
Boar
Wild boar, also wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises...
saliva, but also in smaller quantities in human sweat gland
Sweat gland
Sweat glands, or sudoriferous glands, are small tubular structures of the skin that produce sweat. There are two kinds of sweat glands:...
s. It is analogous to sex hormones yet has minimal or no androgenic activity. Androstenol is secreted by the adrenal gland into systemic circulation in humans: Systemic effects have not been well studied.
Androstenol, or a chemical derivative, is found in truffles, and is offered as an explanation for how pigs locate them deep in the ground.
Both isomers have a weak, characteristic odor; however alpha-androstenol is often associated with a sandalwood-like aroma due to residual solvents (alkyl acetates).
See also
- AndrostadienoneAndrostadienoneAndrostadienone, also known as androsta-4,16,-dien-3-one, is a chemical compound that has been described as having strong pheromone-like activities in humans. It is a metabolite of the sex hormone testosterone: however, androstadienone does not exhibit any known androgenic or anabolic effects...
- Androstatrione
- AndrostenoneAndrostenoneAndrostenone is a steroid found in both male and female sweat and urine. It is also found in boar's saliva, and in celery cytoplasm. Androstenone was the first mammalian pheromone to be identified. It is found in high concentrations in the saliva of male pigs, and, when sniffed by a female pig...
- AndrosteroneAndrosteroneAndrosterone is a steroid hormone with weak androgenic activity. It is made in the liver from the metabolism of testosterone. Its beta-isomer is Epiandrosterone.-History:...
- DehydroepiandrosteroneDehydroepiandrosterone5-Dehydroepiandrosterone is a 19-carbon endogenous steroid hormone. It is the major secretory steroidal product of the adrenal glands and is also produced by the gonads and the brain. DHEA is the most abundant circulating steroid in humans....
- EstratetraenolEstratetraenolEstratetraenol, also known as estra-1,3,5,16-tetraen-3-ol, is a chemical compound produced by women that has been described as having pheromone-like activities in primates, including humans...
External links
Further reading
- Kirk-Smith, M.D., Booth, D.A., Carroll, D., and Davies, P.(1978) Human social attitudes affected by androstenol. Research Communications in Psychology, Psychiatry and Behaviour, 3, 379- 384.