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Updated: Mar 2, 2026

Enrichment of Mammalian Tissues and Xenopus Oocytes with Cholesterol
Published on: March 25, 2020
Membrane properties of hydroxycholesterols related to the brain cholesterol metabolism
Malte Hilsch1, Ivan Haralampiev1, Peter Müller1
1Department of Biology, Humboldt University Berlin, Invalidenstraße 43, D-10115 Berlin, Germany.
Abstract:
Compared to cholesterol, hydroxycholesterols contain an additional hydroxy group in the alkyl chain and are able to efficiently cross the brain-blood barrier. Therefore, they are responsible for the sterol transfer between brain and circulation. The current study compares the membrane properties of several hydroxycholesterols with those of cholesterol using 2H NMR spectroscopy, a membrane permeability assay, and fluorescence microscopy experiments. It is shown that hydroxycholesterols do not exert the unique impact on membrane properties characteristic for cholesterol with regard to the influence on lipid chain order, membrane permeability and formation of lateral domains.
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