3β-Hydroxy-5-pregnen-20-one; a steroid that serves as an intermediate in the biosynthesis of numerous hormones, including progesterone.
* * *
preg·nen·o·lone preg-'nen-əl-.ōn n an unsaturated hydroxy steroid ketone C21H32O2 that is formed by the oxidation of steroids (as cholesterol) and yields progesterone on dehydrogenation
* * *
n.
a steroid synthesized in the adrenal glands, ovaries, and testes. Pregnenolone is an important intermediate product in steroid hormone synthesis and can - depending on the pathways followed - be converted to corticosteroids (glucocorticoids or mineralocorticoids), androgens, or oestrogens.
* * *
preg·ne·no·lone (preg-nēnґə-lōn) 1. an intermediate compound in the synthesis of steroid hormones, formed by cleavage of the side chain of cholesterol between C-20 and C-22. 2. a synthetic preparation of this hormone, used in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.Medical dictionary. 2011.