The term steroid pertains to a broad spectrum of molecules with varying
physiological roles. More explicitly, they are a class of compounds that are naturally
produced in the body of living organisms as well synthetic or semi-synthetic molecules.
They have tremendous effects on biochemical processes and thus any aberration from
the required physiological range can have potential effects. Moreover, due to the
therapeutic potential of steroids for the treatment of a wide range of diseases, many
synthetic approaches have been made available to the organic chemist for their
synthesis. Most of the steroids that are in use as drugs are still prepared by modifying
naturally occurring steroids (partial synthesis). This chapter highlights the biosynthetic
pathways of steroids and the approaches to chemically synthesize them because of their
biological and synthetic relevance.
Keywords: Biotransformation, Partial Synthesis, Steroidogenesis, Total Synthesis.
