Cholesterol

cholesterol /cho·les·ter·ol/ (kah-les´ter-ol) a eukaryotic sterol that in higher animals is the precursor of bile acids and steroid hormones and a key constituent of cell membranes. Most is synthesized by the liver and other tissues, but some is absorbed from dietary sources, with each kind transported in the plasma by specific lipoproteins. It can accumulate or deposit abnormally, as in some gallstones and in atheromas. Preparations are used as emulsfiers in pharmaceuticals.

Structure and metabolism of cholesterol.

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HDL cholesterol , high-density–lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) the serum cholesterol carried on high-density lipoproteins, approximately 20 to 30 per cent of the total.

LDL cholesterol , low-density–lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) the serum cholesterol carried on low-density lipoproteins, approximately 60 to 70 per cent of the total.

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cho·les·ter·ol (k-lst-rôl, -rl)

n.

A white crystalline substance found in animal tissues and various foods, normally synthesized by the liver and important as a constituent of cell membranes and a precursor to steroid hormones. Its level in the bloodstream can influence the pathogenesis of certain conditions, such as the development of atherosclerotic plaque and coronary artery disease.

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Cholesterol

A fat-like substance that is made by the human body and eaten in animal products. Cholesterol is used to form cell membranes and process hormones and vitamin D. High cholesterol levels contribute to the development of atherosclerosis.

Mentioned in: Atherosclerosis, Cholesterol-Reducing Drugs, Hypolipoproteinemia, Lipoproteins Test, Rickets, Vitamin D Deficiency

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cholesterol (k·lesˑ·ter·l),

n organic compound produced in the liver and absorbed from food that is essential to the production of metabolic products and hormones.

Cholesterol.

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cholesterol (kles´trôl),

n a lipid common to all animal, but not plant, cells. As a sterol, it contains the cyclopentanophenanthrene nucleus. High levels are found in nerve tissue, atheromas, gallstones, and cysts. Normally 140 to 220 mg are present in 100 ml of blood.

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cholesterol

a steroid alcohol found in animal fats and oils, bile, blood, brain tissue, milk, egg yolk, myelin sheaths of nerve fibers, liver, kidneys and adrenal glands. It is a necessary component of all cell surface and intracellular membranes and a constituent of myelin in nervous tissue; it is a precursor of bile acids and steroid hormones, and it occurs in the most common type of gallstone, in atheroma of the arteries, in various cysts, and in carcinomatous tissue. Most of the body's cholesterol is synthesized, but some is obtained in the diet.

The preoccupation in human medicine with the relationship between cholesterol and the development of atheromatous plaques in the coronary arteries is not reflected in veterinary medicine. The importance of cholesterol to the veterinarian is limited to the measurement of blood cholesterol levels as an indicator of liver disease or thyroid activity.

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cholesterol pneumonia

see endogenous-lipid pneumonia.