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[2] [3] The most familiar type of animal sterol is cholesterol, which is vital to the structure of the cell membrane, and functions as a precursor to fat-soluble vitamins and steroid hormones. While technically alcohols, sterols are classified by biochemists as lipids (fats in the broader sense of the term).
This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 12 February 2025. Polycyclic organic compound having sterane as a core structure This article is about the family of polycyclic compounds. For the drugs, also used as performance-enhancing substances, see Anabolic steroid. For the scientific journal, see Steroids (journal). For the Death Grips EP, see ...
Cholesterol is the principal sterol of all higher animals, distributed in body tissues, especially the brain and spinal cord, and in animal fats and oils. [3] [4]Cholesterol is biosynthesized by all animal cells [citation needed] and is an essential structural and signaling component of animal cell membranes.
Sterols can be present in the free form and as fatty acid esters and glycolipids. The bound form is usually hydrolyzed in the small intestines by pancreatic enzymes. [7] Some of the sterols are removed during the deodorization step of refining oils and fats, without, however, changing their relative composition. Sterols are therefore a useful ...
The predominant sterol in fungal cell membranes is ergosterol. [46] Sterols are steroids in which one of the hydrogen atoms is substituted with a hydroxyl group, at position 3 in the carbon chain. They have in common with steroids the same fused four-ring core structure. Steroids have different biological roles as hormones and signaling molecules.
β-Sitosterol is widely distributed in the plant kingdom.It is found in vegetable oil, nuts, avocados, and derived prepared foods such as salad dressings. [2] Olavius algarvensis, a species of marine annelid, predominantly incorporate β-sitosterol into their cell membranes instead of cholesterol, though cholesterol is also present in said membranes.
A variety of synthetic steroids and sterols have also been contrived. Most are steroids, but some nonsteroidal molecules can interact with the steroid receptors because of a similarity of shape. Some synthetic steroids are weaker or stronger than the natural steroids whose receptors they activate. [8] Some examples of synthetic steroid hormones:
Numbering of the carbon atoms. In steranes, the side chain at C-17 varies. Steranes constitute a class of tetracyclic triterpanes derived from steroids or sterols via diagenetic and catagenetic degradation, such as hydrogenation.