Scientists at Lobachevsky University (UNN) in Nizhny Novgorod are studying physico-chemical properties of steroid hormone crystals. Steroid hormones are a group of physiologically active substances that regulate the processes of vital activity in animals and humans. These include, for example, sex hormones and corticosteroids. In particular, corticosteroids are a subclass of steroid hormones that are produced exclusively by the adrenal cortex. They are characterized by their glucocorticoid or mineralocorticoid activity.