Abietic Acid from Resina Pini of Pinus Species as a Testosterone 5-Alpha-Reductase Inhibitor

The study found that 50% ethanol extracts from Resina Pini of Pinus species exhibited potent inhibitory activity against testosterone 5α-reductase, surpassing several medicinal plants used for treating androgen-dependent diseases. The active compound was identified as abietic acid, a diterpene resin acid, which showed significant inhibitory effects. In contrast, methyl abietate was inactive, while pimaric acid and neoabietic acid were as effective as abietic acid, highlighting the importance of the negatively charged anionic carboxyl group for activity. These results suggested that abietic acid could serve as a nonsteroidal anionic diterpene inhibitor for treating androgen-dependent conditions.