Cholesterol
sterol biosynthesized by all animal cells which is an essential structural component of all animal cell membranes
Cholesterol is the principal sterol of all animals, distributed in body tissues, especially the brain and spinal cord, and in animal fats and oils.
Cholesterol is biosynthesized by all animal cells and is an essential structural and signaling component of animal cell membranes. In vertebrates, hepatic cells typically produce the greatest amounts of it. In the brain, astrocytes produce cholesterol and transport it to neurons. It is absent among prokaryotes (bacteria and archaea), although there are some exceptions, such as Mycoplasma, which require cholesterol for growth. Cholesterol also serves as a precursor for the biosynthesis of steroid hormones, bile acid, and vitamin D.
Elevated levels of cholesterol in the blood, especially when bound to low-density lipoprotein (LDL, often referred to as "bad cholesterol"), may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
François Poulletier de la Salle first identified cholesterol in solid form in gallstones in 1769. In 1815, chemist Michel Eugène Chevreul named the compound "cholesterine".
Etymology
The word cholesterol comes from Ancient Greek χολή (kholḗ , 'bile') and στερεός (stereos, 'solid'), followed by the chemical suffix -ol for an alcohol.
Physiology
Cholesterol is essential for all animal life.
The public source identifies “Cholesterol” as sterol biosynthesized by all animal cells which is an essential structural component of all animal cell membranes. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Cholesterol, sterol and biosynthesized.
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Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q43656. The Library of Congress control number is sh85024654. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1769 and 1815.
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This entry incorporates text from “Cholesterol” 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.