Steroids ketonic, inactive

The major pathway for the degradation of testosterone in humans occurs in the liver, with the reduction of the double bond and ketone in the A ring, as is seen in other steroids with a A4-ketone configuration in the A ring. This leads to the production of inactive substances such as androsterone and etiocholanolone that are then conjugated and excreted in the urine. 

Heterocyclic Steroids - Much synthetic work continues to be published in this area. Two non-basic aza steroids, 13-aza-17-ketones, were prepared with the stated purpose of testing a hypothesis that the usual lack of hormonal activity of azasteroids is due to an Inability of basic steroids to penetrate cell membranes. However, no biological information was given.Some 15-aza-, 15,l6-diaza-, and 11,15,16-triazasterolds ° were synthesized. The former two types are reported to have anti-bacterial activity, whereas 17a-aza-0-homosteroids are inactive.The acetylation of one inactive 173-hydroxy-4-azasteroid was shown to confer anti-bacterial activity to the compound, but this effect was not general. The syntheses of a 5,10-diazasterold and of an A,B-indolo-steroid (14) were also reported. The successful preparations of 2-oxa,... 

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