THE 17-KETOSTEROIDS: THEIR ORIGIN, DETERMINATION AND SIGNIFICANCE

Harold L. Mason and William W. Engstrom

$: THEIR ORIG, SIGNIFICANCE AND DETERMATION WILLIAM W. ENGSTROM Mayo Fowadafiovz of Biochemistry, MNESOTA ROCHESTER, NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT N 1931 BUTENANDT (20) describedthe isolation from ure of males of a crystalle steroid which 1934 was identified as androsterone (22), the first of the classof substances now known as IT-ketosteroids. A number of compounds belongg to this group have sce been isolated and methods have been developed for their quantitative determation. The qualitative pattern of the urary x7-ketosteroidsmay be important for an understandg of certa diseases, measurement and of their quantity is often of aid clical diagnosisand the terpretation of changes testicular and adrenal cortical function. It is the purpose of this review to consider only those urary steroids with a ketone group at carbon-17 of the steroid nucleus and such steroids as may be related to them as precursors or metabolites. L4notherfraction of ure contas steroids with biologic actions similar to the native adrenal steroids. This fraction is sometimes termed the âcorticosteroidâ fraction. The chemical nature of this fraction is not clear, but probably it is composedlargely of steroids with a sidechaat C-17. It will be discussed only as it may be related to the IT-ketosteroids. NATURE AND$

THE 17-KETOSTEROIDS: THEIR ORIGIN, DETERMINATION AND SIGNIFICANCE

Harold L. Mason and William W. Engstrom

Follow Physiological Reviews , Volume 30: 321 The American Physiological Society – Jul 1, 1950