ABSTRACT
The steroid hormones, like many other substances of endogenous and exogenous origin, are involved in a number of conjugation reactions in the body. It has been generally assumed that the conjugation of steroid hormones with glucosiduronic or sulfuric acid is a prerequisite for and a commitment to their biological inactivation and excretion. This chapter deals primarily with the conjugation and subsequent metabolism of the steroid conjugates and the effect of the steps on transport, excretion, and tissue distribution. The major emphasis will be placed on the estrogen conjugates, because most of the available information relates to these conjugates. The liver is the most active organ in the conjugation of steroids and was assumed by early workers to be the sole site of steroid conjugation. The steroid uridine diphosphoglucuronyl transferases are associated in most tissues with the microsomes.
