A steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands that affects salt balance and blood pressure in the body.
From deoxy- (lacking oxygen at one position) + corticosterone (a major adrenal hormone). Named in the 1930s when chemists identified this hormone's structure with one fewer oxygen atom than corticosterone.
Desoxycorticosterone (or DOC) was historically given to Addison's disease patients before we had modern steroids—it was the first synthetic hormone replacement therapy and proved that doctors could actually replace what failing glands couldn't make.
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