Consider the following statements: Assertion (A) : Receptors for steroid hormones are located inside the cells. Reason (R) : Because steroid hormones are lipid soluble molecules that diffuse easily through the phospholipid interior of cell membrane.

- Assertion (A): Receptors for steroid hormones are located inside the cells. This is true. Steroid hormones (e.g., cortisol, estrogen, testosterone) exert their effects by binding to intracellular receptors. - Reason (R): Because steroid hormones are lipid soluble molecules that diffuse easily through the phospholipid interior of cell membrane. This is true. Steroid hormones are synthesized from cholesterol and are lipid-soluble. This property allows them to readily cross the hydrophobic lipid bilayer of the cell membrane without needing transport proteins or cell surface receptors. - The location of steroid hormone receptors inside the cell is directly a consequence of the ability of these hormones to freely diffuse through the cell membrane. Once inside the cell, they bind to their specific intracellular receptors (which can be located in the cytoplasm or nucleus), and the hormone-receptor complex then typically acts as a transcription factor, regulating gene expression.