摘要: The discovery in 1949 by Hench, Kendall and their collaborators (101) of the remarkable therapeutic properties adrenal hormone 17-hydroxy-II-dehydrocorticosterone (I) (Chart 1), otherwise known as Kendall’s Compound E (172, 173), Reichstein’s Substance F. a. (215), Wintersteiner’s F (292) or simply Cortisone (102) has given a considerable impetus to investigations aimed at synthesis this substance. As consequence cortisone, then available only from bile acids, can now be obtained chemically more abundant ring C-unsubstituted plant steroids such diosgenin, ergosterol stigma-sterol, C-oxygenated sarmentogenin hecogenin, through total synthesis. Besides these purely chemicalmethods, routes involving biochemical step have been developed. Each topics will dealt with review. In addition, syntheses very closely related 17-hydroxycorticosterone (II) 1) [Reichstein’s M (216), (171) hydrocortisone (273, there footnote 2)] described, since substance seems possess activity similar that cortisone (103).