Steroid Chemistry: Synthesis and Conformational Studies

Dear Colleagues,

Steroids are ubiquitous in living organisms, and this important class of natural compounds exhibits a broad array of biological activities ranging from participation in cell membranes to regulation of physiological processes. Both for this reason and because of their rigid structure, consisting of four fused rings, members of the steroid family represent desirable and challenging synthetic targets that are also well suited for studying stereochemical problems.

There are numerous publications describing ¹H and ¹³C NMR conformational studies of steroids dissolved in different (organic and organic-aqueous) solvents. In the case of proton NMR, the conformations of the molecules in solution were probed by comparing the observed vicinal H/H coupling constants with the corresponding couplings calculated by means of a generalized Karplus relation using torsion angles derived from X-ray structures or calculated by molecular mechanics modeling. Some recent examples of conformational analysis of steroids include studies of a powder form by ¹³C solid-state NMR spectroscopy or in a lipid environment which demonstrated that they may adopt various structures in different chemical environments.

This Special Issue will focus on novel synthetic pathways leading to steroid compounds and new applications of conformational principles in the steroid field. Its scope involves different strategies toward steroid synthesis, particularly the preparation of compounds characterized by high biological activities, with potential pharmaceutical use. Additionally, the Issue will cover a broad range of conformational studies directed toward the elucidation of structure and stereochemistry, determination of reaction mechanisms, and prediction of spectroscopic and biological properties of steroid compounds.

Prof. Dr. Rafal R. Sicinski
Guest Editor

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