Any of a large group of fat-soluble organic compounds, including bile acids and hormones, having specific physiological action; a synthetic hormone.
Any of several fat-soluble organic compounds having as a basis 17 carbon atoms in four rings; many have important physiological effects.
In biology, any of a group of cyclic, unsaturated alcohols (lipids without fatty acid components), which, like sterols, have a complex molecular structure consisting of four carbon rings. Steroids include the sex hormones, such as testosterone, the corticosteroid hormones produced by the adrenal gland, bile acids, and cholesterol. The term is commonly used to refer to anabolic steroid. In medicine, synthetic steroids are used to treat a wide range of conditions.