Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Biomembrane Fabrication by the Solvent-assisted Lipid Bilayer (SALB) Method
Published on: December 1, 2015
Interaction of cholesterol with saturated phospholipids: role of the C(17) side chain
1Department of Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract:
Cholesterol and 5-androsten-3 beta-ol differ structurally only in the presence of an eight carbon side chain at the C(17) position in the former sterol. Both molecules decrease the main transition enthalpy change (delta H) in a series of phosphatidylcholines and phosphatidylethanolamines, of acyl chain length n, with the reduction being a linear function of sterol concentration (c). The sterol concentrations at which delta H = 0 bear a straight line relationship to n and are equivalent for both cholesterol and 5-androsten-3 beta-ol. In addition, both sterols give identical delta H versus c slopes. These results underscore the importance of acyl chain length in the cholesterol/phospholipid interaction and also indicate that the cholesterol C(17) side group is not an essential requirement for the capacity of the sterol to decrease the enthalpy change of the main transition.
Related Concept Videos
What are Lipids?
Membrane Fluidity
Membrane Fluidity
Mosaic nature of the membrane
The mosaic characteristic of the membrane helps the plasma membrane remain fluid. The integral proteins and lipids exist as separate but loosely-attached molecules in the membrane. The membrane is a relatively...
Overview of Fatty Acid Metabolism
Fatty acids are catabolized in a process called beta-oxidation, which takes place in the matrix of the mitochondria and converts their fatty acid chains into two-carbon units of acetyl groups. The acetyl...
Synthesis of Phosphatidylcholine in the ER Membrane
The major components of all eukaryotic cell...
What are Lipids?
Non-Polar and Hydrophobic Characteristics of Lipids
Lipids are a structurally and functionally diverse group of hydrocarbons—compounds consisting of carbon and hydrogen atoms. The carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bonds...

