Glucocorticoid
![Chemical structure of cortisol, a glucocorticoid](/Images/godic/202501/15/Cortisol2.svg1325.png")
![Dexamethasone binds more powerfully to the glucocorticoid receptor than cortisol does. Dexamethasone is based on the cortisol structure but differs in three positions (extra double bond in the A-ring between carbons 1 and 2 and addition of a 9-α-fluoro group and a 16-α-methyl substituent).](/Images/godic/202501/15/Dexamethasone_structure.svg1325.png")
![Steroidogenesis showing glucocorticoids in green ellipse at right - it is not a strictly bounded group, but a continuum of structures with increasing glucocorticoid effect, with the primary example being cortisol.](/Images/godic/202501/15/Steroidogenesis.svg1325.png")
![A graphical representation of the Yerkes-Dodson curve](/Images/godic/202501/15/YerkesDodsonLawGraph1325.png")
Glucocorticoids (GCs) are a class of corticosteroids, which are a class of steroid hormones. Glucocorticoids are corticosteroids that bind to the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), that is present in almost every vertebrate animal cell. The name glucocorticoid (glucose + cortex + steroid) is composed from its role in regulation of glucose metabolism, synthesis in the adrenal cortex, and its steroidal structure (see structure to the right). A less common synonym is glucocorticosteroid.