Introduction S TEROID hormones are familiar clinically and physiologically as regulators of
physiological processes. Five groups of steroid hormones are generally recognized …

Steroids are vital for cell life. In eukaryotic organisms steroid hormones emerged early in
evolution as primitive growth regulators, and diversified later to sex steroids, gluco-and …

The biosynthesis of neurosteroids proceeds through cholesterol side-chain cleavage, and
gives rise to pregnenolone (P) and dehydroepiandrosterone (D). These steroids accumulate …

17β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17β-HSD) controls the last step in the formation of all
androgens and all estrogens. This crucial role of 17β-HSD is performed by at least five 17β …

Neuroactive steroids synthesized in neuronal tissue, referred to as neurosteroids, are
implicated in proliferation, differentiation, activity and survival of nerve cells. Neurosteroids …

Unlike that of mammals, the brain of teleost fish exhibits an intense aromatase activity due to
the strong expression of one of two aromatase genes (aromatase A or cyp19a1a and …

“Neurosteroids” accumulate in the central nervous system independently of supply by
peripheral endocrine glands. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA) and pregnenolone (Δ5P) …

The steroid hormones corticosterone and testosterone are supplied to the central nervous
system by endocrine glands, the adrenals and gonads. In contrast, the 3β-hydroxy-Δ5 …

Cells dissociated from newborn rat forebrains were established in long term primary
cultures. The cultures were made up almost exclusively of oligodendrocytes and astrocytes …

A gene encoding steroid 18-hydroxylase (P-450C18) was isolated from a human genomic
DNA library. It was identified as CYP11B2, which was previously postulated to be a …