Hormone Steroid

Steroid hormones are animal hormones that include the steroid family of hormones (androgens, estrogens, glucocorticoids, and mineralocorticoids) and progesterone (sex hormones).

Steroid hormones control the development of the body, adaptation to changing conditions and control metabolism. Depending on their function, steroid hormones have different properties and affect various organs and tissues - from the processes of differentiation and cell growth to the regulation of metabolism and the immune response. Steroid hormones have a general structure consisting of several elements interconnected in a special way. Each element of the steroid hormone molecule contains an aromatic core and four hydrocarbon rings connected between them through a double bond. This skeleton forms the basis of the molecule of all hormones of the group with a high degree of structural diversity. During the synthesis of steroids in the body, chemical reactions occur through a variety of mechanisms and pathways, which depend on the class of hormone that must be synthesized. Almost all steroids, including cholesterol, are synthesized from cholesterol through biological reactions. The main biosynthesis of steroidogenic enzymes occurs in the liver under the control of hormones from the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. There may also be sources of steroid synthetase formation in other tissues: in the ovaries, spleen cells, skin and hair follicles. The formation of the steroid structure occurs with the help of subcellular particles (ribosomes), which synthesize protein molecules containing compounds of the steroid skeleton. The sterols or cholesterols are then converted to pregnenolone. After a short condensation cycle, the formation of 17α-hydroxylase converts pregnenolone to dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) or dehydro-Δ4-androstane-3,17-dione