steroids

STEROIDS
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Steroids
Steroids are organic chemicals with a particular molecular configuration in which its four rings are joined systematically. Steroids are synthesized specifically in many different cells from cycloartenol in plants and from sterols called lanosterol in fungi and animal cells. Its four fused rings are composed of sixteen carbon atoms as the main core structure. However, the functional groups of different steroids differ significantly to suit a specific function. Some of the functional groups include hydroxyl, methyl, and esters. Steroids are found in plants, fungi, animals. Examples of steroids include sterols, which have a hydroxyl group as its functional group (Diczfalusy, U. et al, 2010, 13). Other steroids include sex hormones like testosterone and estradiol, dietary lipids like cholesterol and drugs like the dexamethasone. Steroids can be classified into the following categories according to their functions in the body: sex hormones, vitamins, corticosteroids, and neurosteroids.
Emphatically, the main function of steroids and their metabolites in the body of a living cell is that of chemical signaling, especially the steroid hormones. In fact, phospholipids and the steroids are the major components of the cell membrane. Some like cholesterol are specialized in decreasing the fluidity of the membrane. They at the time, like lipids, act as energy stores. Unfortunately, they are not the sources of energy since in mammals specifically, they are metabolized and excreted.

The negative significance of steroids is that they cause or different illicit types of disorders such as Alzheimer’s disorder. Such malignancies include the cancer of the prostate. In the prostate of the male sex organ, their production both outside and inside the tumor fosters the aggressiveness of the cancer cells promoting its excess growth (Geier, M.R. and Geier, D.A., 2005, 943).
The catabolism of steroids is primarily done by cytochrome P450 oxidase enzymes like the CYP 3A4. These enzymes oxidize steroids by introducing oxygen into one of its rings so that the cholesterol part is converted into bile acids which are secreted from the liver through bile. The gene which encodes for these enzymes is up-regulated when the concentration of steroids in blood is elevated (Macdonald, I.A et al, 2013, 673).
In conclusion, steroids are an organic compound whose primary function is signaling. They are also the facilitators of body tumors. Steroids are metabolized by cytochrome oxidase enzymes. They are eliminated through the liver end excreted in urines and stool.
Reference listKatzman, P.A., Doisy Jr, E.A., Matschiner, J.T. and Doisy, E.A., 2010. Metabolism of steroids. Annual review of biochemistry, 28(1), pp.257-290.
Diczfalusy, U., Lund, E., Lötjohann, D. and Björkhem, I., 2010. Novel pathways for elimination of cholesterol by extrahepatic formation of side-chain oxidized oxysterols. Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation, 56(sup226), pp.9-17.
Macdonald, I.A., Bokkenheuser, V.D., Winter, J., McLernon, A.M. and Mosbach, E.H., 2013. Degradation of steroids in the human gut. Journal of Lipid Research, 24(6), pp.675-700.
Geier, M.R. and Geier, D.A., 2005. The potential importance of steroids in the treatment of autistic spectrum disorders and other disorders involving mercury toxicity. Medical hypotheses, 64(5), pp.946-954.
Kleinschmidt, M.G., Chough, K.S. and Mudd, J.B., 2011. Effect of filipin on liposomes prepared with different types of steroids. Plant physiology, 49(5), pp.852-856.