widespread polar steroids found in starfishes [14]. The polyhydroxysteroids
contains four to nine hydroxyl groups in a steroidal
nucleus and side chain. But all these groups are found only in some
restricted limit. They mainly occupy 3b, 6a (or b), 15a (or b) and
16b positions in the steroidal nucleus with hydroxyl groups occasionally
found at 4b, 5a, 7a (or b) and 8 positions. Diverse side
chains occur in these compounds but in a majority of them hydroxyl
groups are attached to C-24, C-26 or to one of the carbons in
alkyl constituents at C-24 but rarely occurs at C-25