ABSTRACT
Scott (1969) considered steroids as lipids usually extracted with organic solvents and varying considerably in polarity according to the kind and degree of substitution present in the molecule. He classified steroids into a number of groups based on function as follows: sterols and steroid alcohols, usually with double bonds; sex hormones, steroids produced mainly in the testis (androgens) or ovary (estrogens); adrenocortical hormones, steroids produced in the cortex of the adrenal gland; bile acids, steroids usually bonded to taurine or glycine and functioning as emulsion-stabilizing agents in the intestine; sapogenins, plant products with a steroid bonded to carbohydrates; cardiac glycosides, plant products similar to sapogenins and used as heart stimulants; and vitamin D, a steroid precursor of the active vitamin.
