Azacosterol
chemical compound
Azacosterol (INNTooltip International Nonproprietary Name), or azacosterol hydrochloride (USANTooltip United States Adopted Name) (brand name Ornitrol), also called 20,25-diazacholesterol, is a cholesterol-lowering drug (hypocholesteremic), which was marketed previously, but has since been discontinued. It is also an avian chemosterilant used to control pest pigeon populations via inducing sterility. The drug is a sterol and derivative of cholesterol in which two carbon atoms have been replaced with nitrogen atoms.
Azacosterol acts as an inhibitor of 24-dehydrocholesterol reductase (24-DHCR), preventing the formation of cholesterol from desmosterol. Although it primarily acts to inhibit 24-DHCR, the drug also inhibits other steps in cholesterol biosynthesis. The antifertility effects of the drug in birds are mediated by inhibition of steroid hormone production, steroid hormones being synthesized from cholesterol. Due to prevention of the metabolism of desmosterol, the drug causes it to accumulate, in turn producing side effects such as hyperkeratosis, particularly of the palms and soles.
“Azacosterol” enters the record as chemical compound. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Azacosterol, chemical and compound can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4832015. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Azacosterol” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.