17-ketosteroid

Definition

Or: 17-KS , chemically, a steroid produced in the adrenal cortex of both males and females containing a ketone group or a carbonyl group with hydrocarbon groups at the seventeenth carbon atom of the steroid molecule. Ketosteroids play an important role in sexual development and functioning; at puberty, they stimulate the growth of pubic hair and contribute to the enlargement of the penis and the clitoris. They are also partly responsible for the problem of acne during adolescence. An excess of ketosteroids, as measured in blood and urine, indicates the presence of certain tumors or metabolic defects such as Addison's disease, Cushing's syndrome, stress, and endocrine problems associated with precocious puberty, feminization in men and excessive hair growth.