Sterols

Basic structure of sterols (sterol)

Sterols (from Gr. Στερεός stereós, `` solid, rigid, hard '', because of the relatively rigid molecular structure; or Gr. Στεαρ, `` solid fat, sebum ''), also sterols, are a group of membrane lipids and biochemically important components of the cell membrane from the upper group of steroids . The basic structure is the sterol, a sterane with a 3 β -hydroxy group.

According to their origin, the sterols can be divided into

• Zoosterols (from animals)
• Phytosterols (from plants)
• Mycosterine (from mushrooms)

Important zoosterols are cholesterol (cholesterol) and coprosterol , which is formed from cholesterol in the intestine by bacteria .

The phytosterols include stigmasterol (stigmasterol) found in soybeans . Several phytosterols (such as sitosterols ) are also found in wheat seedlings .

The mycosterols include z. B. ergosterol isolable from yeasts (ergosterol). Ergosterol is closely related to the D-series vitamins .

Web links

• Table of sterols .

literature

• Entry to sterols. In: Römpp Online . Georg Thieme Verlag, accessed on June 7, 2014.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} E. Fahy, S. Subramaniam, HA Brown, CK Glass, AH Merrill, RC Murphy, CR Raetz, DW Russell, Y. Seyama, W. Shaw, T. Shimizu, F. Spener, G. van Meer, MS VanNieuwenhze, SH White, JL Witztum, EA Dennis: A comprehensive classification system for lipids. In: Journal of lipid research. Volume 46, Number 5, May 2005, pp. 839-861, doi : 10.1194 / jlr.E400004-JLR200 , PMID 15722563 .