Alternative Medicine Review ◆ Volume 6, Number 2 ◆ 2001 Page 203 Plant Sterols and Sterolins Introduction Sterols and sterolins, also known as phytosterols, are fats present in all plants, including fruits and vegetables. Although they are chemically similar to the animal fat, cholesterol, they have been shown to exert significant unique biochemical effects in both animals and humans. Because t...

Phytohormones, which naturally occur in plants, must be taken into consideration for their contribution to the total human exposure to potential endocrine active substances (EASs). Phytohormones are usually divided into two families: phytoestrogens that mainly occur from soybeans and soy derivatives and phytosterols that occur from vegetables and vegetable oils. The present paper compiles diffe...

It has been hypothesized that phytochemicals found in fruits and vegetables are responsible for the inverse association observed between diets high in fruits and vegetables and risk of certain chronic diseases and cancer. This paper assesses the potential for olestra to affect the absorption of dietary phytochemicals and estimates the effect of olestra on the availability of carotenoids when ol...

Phytosterols are steroid compounds structurally similar with cholesterol and vary in the nature of carbon side chain. β-Sitosterol is commercially available in preparative amount only as mixtures with other phytosterols. New semipreparative synthesis of pure β-sitosterol and sidechain-modified phytosterols is discussed in this dissertation. This new synthesis is achieved via a temporary masking...

4.5. C24-Alkylation Reduction Bifurcation in Phytosterol Synthesis 6433 5. Sterol Enzyme Action 6434 5.1. C24 Methylation 6434 5.2. C24-Reduction 6438 5.3. Removal of Nuclear Methyl Groups at C4 6439 5.4. Removal of Nuclear Methyl Group at C14 6441 5.5. Shift of Δ to Δ-Position 6442 5.6. 9β,19-Cyclopropane Ring Opening 6444 5.7. C22 Desaturation 6444 6. Concluding Remarks 6445 Author Informatio...