An Introduction to Spiral Steroids

In addition to classical steroids, which have cholesterol as a precursor, there are steroids with 7-dehydrocholesterol as a precursor. This review describes the identification of these steroids, their biosynthesis, and some aspects of their function. There are three classes of these compounds, distinguished by the number of their carbon atoms, 23, 24, and 25. Each class has a spiral steroid and is a phosphodiester. Up until these investigations, no spiral steroids or steroid phosphodiesters were known. There are at least 13 compounds, of which six have been purified to near homogeneity; each one has been characterized by its mass and proposed composition, and they function by regulating the NaK-ATPase. Based on the tissues in which they have been detected, each class of compound seems to regulate a different isoform of the NaK-ATPase. This is an important site of endocrine regulation.