A sterol is a particular type of lipid that consists of four fused carbon rings with one oxygen molecule at

the end. The prototypical sterol is cholesterol, which has been highly studied for its health effects.
Steroids, such as the hormones estrogen and testosterone, are also considered to be sterols. Ergosterol is a
fungal sterol whose synthesis serves as a target for antifungal drugs, while phytosterols are plant
compounds that are sterols. Hopanoids are bacterial compounds that share some similarities with sterols.
Lipids are fatty compounds that cannot be dissolved in water. Steroids are a special type of lipid that have
a group of four carbon rings that are fused together. Unlike most lipids, they do not have a fatty acid tail.
A sterol is a subgroup of steroids that has an oxygen at the end of the molecule.
Cholesterol is a sterol that is very important for normal cellular functioning. It is a vital component of
animal cellular membranes and is necessary for their stability and fluidity. Also, it is the precursor
molecule for many other compounds, including steroid hormones like estrogen, testosterone, and cortisol.
Vitamin D is made from cholesterol, and the activated form of Vitamin D is a sterol.

Sterols, also known as steroid alcohols, are a subgroup of the steroids and an important class of organic
molecules. They occur naturally in plants, animals, and fungi, with the most familiar type of animal sterol
being cholesterol. Cholesterol is vital to animal cell membrane structure and function and a precursor to
fat-soluble vitamins and steroid hormones.
Types of sterols
Sterols of plants are called phytosterols and sterols of animals are called zoosterols. The most important
zoosterol is cholesterol; notable phytosterols include campesterol, sitosterol, and stigmasterol. Ergosterol
is a sterol present in the cell membrane of fungi, where it serves a role similar to cholesterol in animal
cells.
Phytosterols as a nutritional supplement
Main article: Phytosterol
Phytosterols, more commonly known as plant sterols, have been shown in clinical trials to block
cholesterol absorption sites in the human intestine, thus helping to reduce cholesterol in humans.
[1]
They
are currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use as a food additive; however,
there is some concern that they may block absorption, not only of cholesterol, but of other important
nutrients as well. At present the American Heart Association has recommended that supplemental plant
sterols be taken only by those diagnosed with elevated cholesterol, and has particularly recommended that
they not be taken by pregnant women or nursing mothers.
[2]

Cholesterol, from the Ancient Greek chole- (bile) and stereos (solid) followed by the chemical suffix -ol
for an alcohol, is an organic molecule. It is a sterol (or modified steroid),
[3]
a lipid molecule and is
biosynthesized by all animal cells because it is an essential structural component of animal cell
membranes that is required to maintain both membrane structural integrity and fluidity. Cholesterol
enables animal cells to (a) not need a cell wall (like plants & bacteria) to protect membrane integrity/cell-
viability and thus be able to (b) change shape and (c) move about (unlike bacteria and plant cells which
are restricted by their cell walls).
In addition to its importance within cells, cholesterol also serves as a precursor for the biosynthesis of
steroid hormones, bile acids, and vitamin D.
[4]
Cholesterol is the principal sterol synthesized by animals.
All kinds of cells in animals can produce it. In vertebrates the hepatic cells typically produce greater
amounts than other cells. It is almost completely absent among prokaryotes (bacteria and archaea),
although there are some exceptions such as Mycoplasma, which require cholesterol for growth.
[5]

Franois Poulletier de la Salle first identified cholesterol in solid form in gallstones in 1769. However, it
was not until 1815 that chemist Michel Eugne Chevreul named the compound "cholesterine".
[6][7]

Cholesterol is required to build and maintain membranes; it modulates membrane fluidity over the range
of physiological temperatures. The hydroxyl group on cholesterol interacts with the polar head groups of
the membrane phospholipids and sphingolipids, while the bulky steroid and the hydrocarbon chain are
embedded in the membrane, alongside the nonpolar fatty-acid chain of the other lipids. Through the
interaction with the phospholipid fatty-acid chains, cholesterol increases membrane packing, which
reduces membrane fluidity.
[13]
The structure of the tetracyclic ring of cholesterol contributes to the
decreased fluidity of the cell membrane as the molecule is in a trans conformation making all but the side
chain of cholesterol rigid and planar.
[14]
In this structural role, cholesterol reduces the permeability of the
plasma membrane to neutral solutes,
[15]
hydrogen ions, and sodium ions.
[16]

Within the cell membrane, cholesterol also functions in intracellular transport, cell signaling and nerve
conduction. Cholesterol is essential for the structure and function of invaginated caveolae and clathrin-
coated pits, including caveola-dependent and clathrin-dependent endocytosis. The role of cholesterol in
such endocytosis can be investigated by using methyl beta cyclodextrin (MCD) to remove cholesterol
from the plasma membrane. Recently, cholesterol has also been implicated in cell signaling processes,
assisting in the formation of lipid rafts in the plasma membrane. Lipid raft formation brings receptor
proteins in close proximity with high concentrations of second messenger molecules.
[17]
In many neurons,
a myelin sheath, rich in cholesterol, since it is derived from compacted layers of Schwann cell membrane,
provides insulation for more efficient conduction of impulses.
[18]

Within cells, cholesterol is the precursor molecule in several biochemical pathways. In the liver,
cholesterol is converted to bile, which is then stored in the gallbladder. Bile contains bile salts, which
solubilize fats in the digestive tract and aid in the intestinal absorption of fat molecules as well as the fat-
soluble vitamins, A, D, E, and K. Cholesterol is an important precursor molecule for the synthesis of
vitamin D and the steroid hormones, including the adrenal gland hormones cortisol and aldosterone, as
well as the sex hormones progesterone, estrogens, and testosterone, and their derivatives.
[4]

Some research indicates cholesterol may act as an antioxidant.
[19]


Ergosterol (ergosta-5,7,22-trien-3-ol) is a sterol found in cell membranes of fungi and protozoa, serving
many of the same functions that cholesterol serves in animal cells. Because many fungi and protozoa
cannot survive without ergosterol, the enzymes that create it have become important targets for drug
discovery. Ergosterol is provitamin form of vitamin D
2
; exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light causes a
chemical reaction that produces vitamin D
2
.
As a vitamin D
2
precursor
Ergosterol is a biological precursor of vitamin D
2
, the chemical name of which is ergocalciferol. Exposure
to ultraviolet light causes a photochemical reaction that converts ergosterol to ergocalciferol.
[6][7]

This happens naturally to a certain extent, and many mushrooms are irradiated after harvest to increase
their Vitamin D content. Fungi are also grown industrially so that ergosterol can be extracted and
converted to Vitamin D for sale as a dietary supplement and food additive.
[7]

Preparations of irradiated ergosterol containing a mixture of previtamin and D vitamin were called
Viosterol in the 1930s.
[8]

The terpenoids (/trpnd/ TUR-p-noyd), sometimes called isoprenoids, are a large and diverse class
of naturally occurring organic chemicals similar to terpenes, derived from five-carbon isoprene units
assembled and modified in thousands of ways. Most are multicyclic structures that differ from one
another not only in functional groups but also in their basic carbon skeletons. These lipids can be found in
all classes of living things, and are the largest group of natural products.
Plant terpenoids are used extensively for their aromatic qualities. They play a role in traditional herbal
remedies and are under investigation for antibacterial, antineoplastic, and other pharmaceutical functions.
Terpenoids contribute to the scent of eucalyptus, the flavors of cinnamon, cloves, and ginger, the yellow
color in sunflowers, and the red color in tomatoes.
[1]
Well-known terpenoids include citral, menthol,
camphor, salvinorin A in the plant Salvia divinorum, the cannabinoids found in cannabis, ginkgolide and
bilobalide found in Ginkgo biloba, and the curcuminoids found in turmeric and mustard seed.
The steroids and sterols in animals are biologically produced from terpenoid precursors. Sometimes
terpenoids are added to proteins, e.g., to enhance their attachment to the cell membrane; this is known as
isoprenylation.