Physiological Significance of Oxidized Cholesterols

Abstract

About 3,000 repor ts on oxidized cholesterols were published until 2011. Oxidized choles-terols are related to development of several diseases. Their physiological significance is as following; (1) inter ference of synthesis and/or action of steroid hormones, (2) intermediates in bile acids synthe-sis, (3) promotion or suppression of development of atherosclerosis, (4) ligands for LXR, (5) suppres-sion of de novo cholesterol synthesis, (6) intermediates of cholesterol metabolism in the brain, and (7) disrupters of lipid metabolism by dietar y oxidized cholesterols. In order to grasp these phenomena, there has to be a better way to analyze oxidized cholesterols in vivo with accuracy.