Oxygenated sterol compounds (OSC), when incubated for 1 hr with human erythrocytes in lipoprotein-depleted medium at concentrations of 0.625-5 X 10(-5) M, are inserted into the cell membrane and remain there despite subsequent washing of the cells. The insertion results in expansion of the surface area of the red cell ghost membrane, an increase in critical hemolytic volume, and as a consequenc...