MOLECULE

Campesterol

Campesterol belongs to the class of organic compounds known as ergosterols which are steroids containing ergosta-5,7,22-trien-3beta-ol on the 3-beta-hydroxylated ergostane skeleton. Thus, campesterol is a sterol lipid which is very hydrophobic, practically insoluble in water, and relatively neutral. Campesterol is a phytosterol, meaning it is a steroid derived from plants. Campesterol is found in highest concentrations in canola, corn and rapeseed and in a lower concentrations in banana, pomegranate, pepper, coffee, grapefruit, cucumber, onion, oat, potato, and lemon grass, making campesterol a potential biomarker for the consumption of these foods. Campesterol is also found in cannabis plants (PMID:6991645). As a food additive, phytosterols have cholesterol-lowering properties, by reducing cholesterol absorption in intestines. Many margarines, butters, breakfast cereals and spreads are now enriched with phytosterols. These products are marketed towards people with high cholesterol, wanting to lower it though diet. and may act in cancer prevention. Phytosterols occur in small amounts in vegetable oils, especially soybean oil. One such phytosterol complex, isolated from vegetable oil, is cholestatin, composed of campesterol, stigmasterol, and brassicasterol, and is marketed as a dietary supplement. Sterols reduced cholesterol in human subjects by up to 15% (PMID: 12911045) by inhibiting the incorporation of cholesterol into micelles in the gastrointestinal tract, decreasing the overall amount of cholesterol absorbed. This helps to control the body’s total cholesterol levels, as well as modify HDL, LDL and TAG levels. It is also thought that phytosterols may contribute to the Transintestinal Cholesterol Excretion (TICE) pathway and may alter the conversion of bile acids into secondary bile acids, all pathways reducing cholesterol levels (PMID: 31438826).