Cycloartenol is an important
triterpenoid of the
sterol class which is found in plants. It is the starting point for the synthesis of almost all plant
steroids,
making them chemically distinct from the steroids of fungi and animals, which are, instead, produced from
lanosterol.
Synthesis
The
biosynthesis of cycloartenol starts from the
triterpenoid squalene. It is the first precursor in the biosynthesis of other stanols and
sterols, referred to as phytostanols and
phytosterol
Phytosterols are phytosteroids, similar to cholesterol, that serve as structural components of biological membranes of plants. They encompass plant sterols and stanols. More than 250 sterols and related compounds have been identified. Free phyt ...
s in
photosynthetic organisms and plants. The identities and distribution of phytostanols and phytosterols is characteristic of a plant species.
References
Sterols
Triterpenes
Cyclopropanes
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