Different Steroids, Blood Cells and Bone Marrow in Rats

Steroid hormones are potent chemical messengers that exert dramatic effects on cell differentiation, homeostasis, and morphogenesis. There are many different types of steroid hormones with quite different actions. The natural steroid hormones are generally synthesized from cholesterol in the adrenal glands and gonads and these are vital for the body's normal function. Different types of synthetic steroids have been developed for use in medicine. Corticosteroids or glucocorticoids, often just called "steroids", are drugs closely related to cortisol, a hormone which is naturally produced in the adrenal cortex. Corticosteroids act on the immune system by blocking the production of substances that trigger allergic and inflammatory actions such as prostaglandin. Commonly prescribed glucocorticoids drugs are prednisone, prednisolone, methylprednisolone, dexamethasone, and hydrocortisone. They differ in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Many researchers showed different effects on the blood cells according to the type and dose of steroids.