The lipid class composition in juveniles of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis of rocky shore and subtidal origin were compared after transfer to a subtidal environment in the Ria de Arousa (northwest Spain). The experiment was conducted between November 27, 1995 and July 3, 1996. In addition to mussel origin, the influence of the different environmental parameters on the changes in lipid cla...

Sterols play a key role in various physiological processes of plants. Commonly, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol and campesterol represent the main plant sterols, cholesterol is often reported as trace sterol. Changes especially β-sitosterol/stigmasterol levels, can be induced by different biotic abiotic factors. Plant parasitic nematodes, such root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita, are devastatin...

Sitosterolemia is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the ABCG5 or ABCG8 half-transporter genes. These mutations disrupt the mechanism that distinguishes between absorbed sterols and is most prominently characterized by hyperabsorption and impaired biliary elimination of dietary plant sterols. Sitosterolemia patients retain 15-20% of dietary plant sterols, whereas normal indi...

165 Sterols are organic compounds, widely distributed in nature. Sterols are essential structural components of eukaryotic cell membranes, where they regulate membrane fluidity and permeability as well as membrane-associated metabolic processes. They occur naturally in animals, plants and fungi. Sterols of animals are called zoosterols. The most familiar type of animal sterol is cholesterol. Th...

In the past few years, rapid strides have been made in our knowledge of the origin of the extra methyl and ethyl groups in the side chain of plant sterols. It now appears that desmosterol (3) (fig 1) or another A24 sterol is the recipient of a methyl group from S-adcenosyl methionine resulting in the formation of 24-methylene cholesterol (III) which is the receptor of another methyl group to fo...

Plant sterols and steroid hormones, the brassinosteroids (BRs), are compounds that exert a wide range of biological activities. They are essential for plant growth, reproduction, and responses to various abiotic and biotic stresses. Given the importance of sterols and BRs in these processes, engineering their biosynthetic and signaling pathways offers exciting potentials for enhancing crop yiel...

Diets rich in vegetables are associated with a low incidence of colon cancer. Since plant sterols are plentiful in vegetarian diets, we studied the effect of fl-sitosterol on colon tumor formation in rats treated with the carcinogen N-methyl-N-nitro sourea. We demonstrated that $-sitosterol nullified in part the effect of this direct-acting carcinogen on the colon. We suggest that plant sterols...

T hegenerally accepted definition of a functional food or beverage is a product that has an ‘‘added physiological benefit above and beyond its naturally occurring benefits.’’ So for instance, orange juice with nothing added is a regular beverage, whereas orange juice with added plant sterols is a functional beverage because the plant sterols are added for a physiological benefit, to help reduce...

The extent and site(s) of inhibition of cholesterol absorption by plant sterols, sitosterol and fucosterol, were studied in rats. The intragastric administration of a single emulsified lipid meal containing 25 mg [3H]cholesterol and 25 mg of either sitosterol or fucosterol inhibited the lymphatic absorption of cholesterol by 57% and 41%, respectively, in 24 hr. Less than 2% of each plant sterol...