Separation of Steroids I

A steroid is an organic compound with four rings arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Hundreds of steroids are found in plants, animals and fungi. All steroids are manufactured in cells from the sterols lanosterol (animals and fungi) or cycloartenol (plants). Steroids and their metabolites often function as signalling molecules.
Steroids play critical roles in a number of disorders, including malignancies like prostate cancer, where steroid production inside and outside the tumour promotes cancer cell aggressiveness. In this Application Note can you see a separation of six Steroids with a HPLC method.