Secosteroid

A secosteroid (sec·o·ster·oid, sek'ō-stēr'oyd) is a type of steroid with a "broken" ring. The word secosteroid derives from the verb Latin: secare meaning "to cut", and Latin: stere of steroid, meaning "solid, three-dimensional". Secosteroids are alternatively described as a subclass of steroids or derived from steroids.

Contents

• Secosteroid meaning
• What does secosteroid mean
• References

Types or subclasses of secosteroids are defined by the carbon atoms of the parent steroid skeleton where the ring cleavage has taken place. For example, 9,10-secosteroids derived from cleavage of the bond between carbon atoms C9 and C10 of the steroid B-ring (similarly 5,6-secosteroids, 13,14-steroids, etc.).

The prototypical secosteroid is cholecalciferol (vitamin D₃).