Abstract
The biosynthetic precursor of all the steroids is cholesterol. Cholesterol is derived from the diet, as well as being synthesized by all tissues, but particularly the liver and steroid-producing organs (the adrenal glands and the gonads). The first step in steroid-hormone synthesis from cholesterol is side-chain cleavage. It occurs within the mitochondria and involves an initial hydroxylation to form a 20,22-dihydroxycholesterol, followed by the splitting off of a six-carbon fragment, yielding pregnenolone and isocaproic aldehyde. In the case of bile acids, the first step is 7-alpha hydroxylation of the steroid nucleus, which occurs in the microsomal compartment of the liver, followed by side-chain shortening and oxidation to a carboxyl group at position 24 of the side chain, with release of a three-carbon fragment and 7-alpha hydroxycholane within the mitochondrin.
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Van Thiel, D.H., Gavaler, J.S. (1992). Sex Hormones and the Liver. In: Thomson, A.B.R., Shaffer, E. (eds) Modern Concepts in Gastroenterology. Topics in Gastroenterology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-3314-6_17
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-3314-6_17
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