Cholesterol, a type of sterol that is found in animals, plays a crucial role in the body. In fungi, a similar compound called ergosterol performs a role comparable to cholesterol. Ergosterol is a mycosterol found in fungi.
To lower cholesterol levels in the blood and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, a class of drugs called statins are used. Statins act on a pathway that consists of the first 18 steps of the 37-step process that the body uses to produce cholesterol.
Under the influence of ultraviolet light, the body converts cholesterol into calcitriol, an active form of vitamin D produced in the kidneys. Ultraviolet light stimulates this conversion process.
The human body has a mechanism to recycle cholesterol, starting with its excretion from the liver and eventual reabsorption into the bloodstream in the small intestine. This recycling process helps maintain cholesterol levels in the body.
In the brain, cholesterol cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, so it is produced and transported by cells called astrocytes. Astrocytes play a crucial role in maintaining cholesterol levels in the brain.
Joseph Goldstein, an American biochemist, was instrumental in discovering the role cholesterol plays in causing heart disease. He shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1985 for this groundbreaking work.