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Updated: Nov 3, 2025

Enrichment of Mammalian Tissues and Xenopus Oocytes with Cholesterol
Published on: March 25, 2020
Importance of Cholesterol Side Chain in the Membrane Stability of Human Erythrocytes
Takeo Yamaguchi1, Chiharu Manaka1, Ayaka Ogura1
1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Fukuoka University.
Abstract:
Cholesterol suppresses the hemolysis and the detachment of cytoskeletal proteins from bilayer in the human erythrocyte membrane under stress conditions. However, there is little information on how cholesterol functions. So, examining the role of a short side chain of cholesterol, we used the plant sterols such as β-sitosterol and stigmasterol. Incorporation of sterols into the membrane using a sterol/methyl-β-cyclodextrin complex was confirmed by the mass spectrometry. Hemolysis of human erythrocytes under high hydrostatic pressure (200 MPa) or hypotonic conditions was suppressed by cholesterol, but not by β-sitosterol and stigmasterol. Moreover, the bilayer-cytoskeleton interaction was also strengthened by cholesterol, but not by β-sitosterol and stigmasterol. Taken together, we suggest that the short side chain of cholesterol plays an important role in the membrane stability of human erythrocytes.
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