3- dehydro-2-deoxyecdysone

Newly laid eggs of the locust Locusta migratoria contain as the major ecdy-steroid 22-(adenosine 5 -monophosphoryl)-2-deoxyecdysone (33). During embryonic development (33) is hydrolysed to the free deoxyecdysone which is subsequently metabolized to 3-dehydro-2-deoxyecdysone and 2-deoxy-3-epiecdysone. The latter accumulates at a late stage of development as the 3-phosphoric acid ester. The 22-phosphoric ester of 2-deoxyecdysone is also present during embryonic development but it is uncertain whether the latter arises from the hydrolysis of (33) or by de novo phosphorylation of the 2-de-oxyecdysone. 

---