You know how some people can slip through a crowd unnoticed while others get stuck? Steroids have this stealthy superpower when it comes to cell membranes!

• They're a special group of lipids.
• Think of them as the undercover agents of lipids, with molecules similar to sterol.
• Unique features
  • 🪡 Four fused rings of carbon atoms (like a cool chain necklace!).
  • 🎡 Three of these rings are cyclohexane (labelled A, B, C in diagrams).
  • 🌼 One ring is cyclopentane (labelled D).
  • 💎 A total of 17 carbon atoms in these rings.

• Not all superheroes wear capes, and not all steroids look the same.

• Hundreds of these agents exist.

• Differences arise from

  • Where the C=C double bonds are located (like different colored badges).

  • The functional groups like –OH added to their four-ring structure (think of these as unique accessories they wear!).

• Most steroids are like that one friend who doesn’t want to jump into the pool: hydrophobic.
• Being mostly hydrocarbon, they prefer to stay away from water.