sterol

Etymology

From 1913; back-formation from cholesterol.

noun

1. (biochemistry, organic chemistry) Any steroid that contains a hydroxyl group in the 3-position of the A-ring.
   Sterols are found in all animal and plant tissue and play an important role in hormone chemistry.
   Research into marine sterols falls neatly into three chronological periods. 1973, Paul J. Scheuer, Chemistry Of Marine Natural Products, Academic Press, page 58
   1989, Alain Rahier, Pierre Benveniste, 11: Mass Spectral Identification of Phytosterols, W. David Nes, Edward J. Parish (editors), Analysis of Sterols and Other Biologically Significant Steroids, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (Academic Press), page 223, Mass spectrometry (MS) and particularly the combination of mass spectrometry with gas spectrometry (GS/MS) has become an indispensable method for studying plant sterols and their biosynthesis.
   The third major class of lipids is sterols. Sitosterol and stigmasterol are the major sterols found in plant membranes whereas cholesterol and ergosterol are found in small quantities. The primary sterol of yeast and other fungi is ergosterol Several sterol derivatives are found in nature. 1993, H. R. Petty, Molecular Biology of Membranes, Plenum Press, page 14