Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the serum transport of steroid hormones. Steroid
hormones are extensively bound to plasma proteins including albumin, corticosteroid
binding globulin (CBG), and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). Because of its high
concentration, albumin binding is important in determining the magnitude of the nonprotein
bound or free fraction of a steroid in plasma. The generally accepted model of steroid
hormone action suggests that free steroid (in equilibrium with circulating binding proteins) …