See Also: Herbal medicine (botanical medicine, herbology, phytomedicine)(health)
sterol(dictionary)
sterol(medicine)
sterol o-acyltransferase(medicine)
sterol 27-hydroxylase(medicine)
formyl sterol oxidase(medicine)
phosphatidylcholine-sterol o-acyltransferase(medicine)
delta 14-sterol reductase(medicine)
delta 24-sterol methyltransferase(medicine)
delta-22 sterol desaturase(medicine)

sterol (medicine)


sterol
<chemistry> Any steroid-based alcohol having a hydrocarbon (aliphatic) side-chain of 8-10 carbons at the 17-beta position and a hydroxyl group at the 3-beta position (therfore an alcohol).

Cholesterol is a sterol. Because of its hydrophilic property at the -OH end and hydrophobicity at the hydrocarbon side chain, it can be incorporated into the lipid bilayers of the cytoplasmic membrane. However, sterols only exist in the cytoplasmic membranes of eukaryotes while in prokaryotes, virtually none have sterols in their membranes except mycoplasmas, a group of cell wall-less bacteria.