Contributions of other sterols to the estimation of cholesterol

The responses of 5alpha-cholestan-3beta-ol, 5alpha-cholest-7-ene-3beta-ol and cholesta-5,7-dien-3beta-ol, normally found in human serum, were examined by: (1) the Liebermann-Burchard reaction, (2) the Zak (ferric chloride) reaction, (3) an enzymatic cholesterol method monitored by estimating the amount of hydrogen peroxide produced, (4) an enzymatic cholesterol method monitored by observing the change in absorbance at 240 nm, and (5) gas chromatography. The results show that none of these methods is specific for cholesterol; contributions from the sterols examined range from zero to more than 150% relative to cholesterol. For the first four methods contributions depend on the conditions under which each test is performed.