
Originally Posted by
DocToxin8
Just google "steroid skeleton" and you'll get an explanation of what we call ;
A, B, C and D rings. It's just nomenclature since there's 4 rings in a steroid skeleton.
Now that's something a steroid only mean that it has this skeleton structure.
So examples of steroids can be;
-cholesterol (from which the body makes other steroids)
-testosterone (and other androgens)
-estrogen (all natural estrogens have a steroid skeleton,
you then got phytosteroids from plants, and you got chemicals with "steroid-like" effects, f.ex estrogen mimickers. These does not need to have steroid skeleton.
-cortisol and other glucocorticoids; inflammation and blood sugar, etc
-mineralcorticoids; affect the kidneys, blood pressure
So a "steroid" can mean quite a lot.
In medicine, the term "steroid" applies to glucocorticoids like cortisol (or its pre drug cortisone),
while you'd say "anabolic (androgenic) steroid" if you mean AAS.
or simply "sex steroids" for estrogens, progesterone, androgens..
If you delve into chemistry you can sometimes say some very general stuff just from looking at the structure, but will often be suprised.
But an aromatic A ring would make me think "that looks estrogenic"