Steroids at the beginning of the 21st century

The review is based on a short lecture, presented to postgraduate students of chemistry. Emphasis was laid on trends of steroid chemistry at the turn of the century. The steroid nomenclature is briefly reviewed with respect to the names frequently used in literature, in which mainly medical authors prefer historical names. Several types of new natural steroids are given. Biological activity of isolated steroids or their synthesised analogues is the major impetus in modern steroid chemistry. The future prospect of steroid chemistry is bright considering the fact that unnatural enantiomers usually have a different activity from that of their natural counterparts. This suggests a repetition of the whole steroid chemistry behind Alice's looking glass.