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Title: Digitonide precipitable sterols: a reevaluation with special attention to lanosterol

Abstract

The ability of digitonin to precipitate lanosterol from prepared mixtures and biological sources was evaluated. Commercially available lanosterol was determined to be composed of about 60% lanosterol and 40% dihydrolanosterol. Both sterols were only partially precipitated by digitonin under all conditions examined. The presence of cholesterol increased the precipitation of lanosterol, but never to completion. About 40% of the lanosterols from saponified sheep's-wool fat was not precipitated by digitonin. Also /sup 14/C-labeled lanosterol recovered from rat brain following intracerebral injection of 2-(/sup 14/C)mevalonate was only 70% precipitated by digitonin. Steric hinderance by the methyl groups at carbon -4 is suggesed to explain the poor precipitability of this sterol. In conclusion, lanosterol can not be considered to be a digitonide-precipitable sterol equivalent to cholesterol. Caution should be exercised in situations where digitonin-precipitable sterols are being prepared from sources containing significant concentrations of lanosterol (i.e., mass and/or radiolabel).

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Department of Biochemistry, Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, MO
OSTI Identifier:
6943574
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Lipids; (United States)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 17:6
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; CARBON 14 COMPOUNDS; ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS; DIGITALIS; SOLVENT PROPERTIES; LANOLIN; PRECIPITATION; BIOCHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS; CHOLESTEROL; ESTERS; HYDROXY COMPOUNDS; KINETICS; LABELLED COMPOUNDS; LIPIDS; MEDICINAL PLANTS; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; PLANTS; REACTION KINETICS; SEPARATION PROCESSES; STEROIDS; STEROLS; 550201* - Biochemistry- Tracer Techniques

Citation Formats

Cenedella, R J. Digitonide precipitable sterols: a reevaluation with special attention to lanosterol. United States: N. p., 1982. Web. doi:10.1007/BF02535224.
Cenedella, R J. Digitonide precipitable sterols: a reevaluation with special attention to lanosterol. United States. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02535224
Cenedella, R J. 1982. "Digitonide precipitable sterols: a reevaluation with special attention to lanosterol". United States. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02535224.
@article{osti_6943574,
title = {Digitonide precipitable sterols: a reevaluation with special attention to lanosterol},
author = {Cenedella, R J},
abstractNote = {The ability of digitonin to precipitate lanosterol from prepared mixtures and biological sources was evaluated. Commercially available lanosterol was determined to be composed of about 60% lanosterol and 40% dihydrolanosterol. Both sterols were only partially precipitated by digitonin under all conditions examined. The presence of cholesterol increased the precipitation of lanosterol, but never to completion. About 40% of the lanosterols from saponified sheep's-wool fat was not precipitated by digitonin. Also /sup 14/C-labeled lanosterol recovered from rat brain following intracerebral injection of 2-(/sup 14/C)mevalonate was only 70% precipitated by digitonin. Steric hinderance by the methyl groups at carbon -4 is suggesed to explain the poor precipitability of this sterol. In conclusion, lanosterol can not be considered to be a digitonide-precipitable sterol equivalent to cholesterol. Caution should be exercised in situations where digitonin-precipitable sterols are being prepared from sources containing significant concentrations of lanosterol (i.e., mass and/or radiolabel).},
doi = {10.1007/BF02535224},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6943574}, journal = {Lipids; (United States)},
number = ,
volume = 17:6,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1982},
month = {Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1982}
}