| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muscle Protein Synthesis In a rat study, oral 28-homobrassinolide (20 mg/kg) increased skeletal muscle protein synthesis by approximately 15% and improved lean body mass without affecting androgenic tissues, acting via the PI3K/Akt pathway rather than the androgen receptor. A 2023 multi-level comparative analysis confirmed biological activity of 28-homobrassinolide across multiple endpoints. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Moderate effect | 4 studies | |||
Studies that measured muscle protein synthesis | ||||||
Supplement
Brassinosteroids are steroid-like hormones made by plants, where they help control growth, and researchers have studied them for possible effects in animals. The best-supported finding is for muscle: in rats, a brassinosteroid called 28-homobrassinolide increased muscle protein synthesis and improved lean body mass, without touching androgen-sensitive tissues. Still, the evidence is very limited, coming mostly from animal and lab studies, with no human trials behind it.
Sources: PMID 23605358; PMID 18618540
- Updated
- How we grade
- 9 studies cited
- Best evidence
- Grade D
- Conditions studied
- 2
- Outcomes
- 4
- Graded outcomes
- 0004
Evidence by condition
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
General
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer Cell Proliferation In vitro studies show brassinosteroids inhibit proliferation of multiple human cancer cell lines including breast (MCF-7), prostate (LNCaP), and colon cancer cells. 28-Homobrassinolide induced G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis with minimal toxicity to normal cells. No human data exists. | Changes; see studies | Moderate effect | 5 studies | |||
Studies that measured cancer cell proliferation
| ||||||
| Antiviral Activity In cell culture studies, certain brassinosteroids demonstrated antiviral activity against herpes simplex virus (HSV-1), measles virus, and arenaviruses. No animal or human studies have confirmed these effects in vivo. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Small effect | 4 studies | |||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antioxidant Status Brassinosteroids show moderate antioxidant capacity in cell-free and cell culture systems. Plant studies confirm brassinosteroids reinforce antioxidant defenses under stress conditions, but no human or mammalian in vivo antioxidant data exists. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Small effect | 5 studies | |||
Studies that measured antioxidant status
| ||||||
Key findings
- Cancer Cell ProliferationChanges; see studies
- Antioxidant StatusImproves (the measure goes up)
- Muscle Protein SynthesisImproves (the measure goes up)
Safety notes in the studies
- 28-Homobrassinolide induced G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis with minimal toxicity to normal cells.
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- Grade D
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Studies cited
9 studies from PubMed
- Assessment of Biological Activity of 28-Homobrassinolide via a Multi-Level Comparative Analysis
- Seed priming with brassinolides improves growth and reinforces antioxidative defenses under normal and heat stress conditions in seedlings of Brassica juncea
- 28-Homobrassinolide, a plant steroid, increases protein synthesis in rat skeletal muscle
- Anabolic effect of plant brassinosteroid
- Effect of the structure of the brassinosteroid side chain on monooxygenase activity of liver microsomes
- Brassinosteroids in cancer and immunity
- Antiproliferative activity of natural brassinosteroids and their synthetic derivatives in human cancer cell lines
- Brassinosteroids: Steroidal plant hormones
- Recent developments in the field of plant steroid hormones