News tagged with cholesterol
'Good cholesterol' nanoparticles seek and destroy cancer cells
High-density lipoprotein's hauls excess cholesterol to the liver for disposal, but new research suggests "good cholesterol" can also act as a special delivery vehicle of destruction for cancer.
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Apr 01, 2011 |
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Researchers find new evidence on how cholesterol gets moved from HDLs to LDLs
Researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have found new evidence to explain how cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) mediates the transfer of cholesterol from "good" high ...
Feb 21, 2012 |
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Study suggests why some animals live longer
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at the University of Liverpool have developed a new method to detect proteins associated with longevity, which helps further our understanding into why some animals live longer ...
Mar 29, 2012 |
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Possible new route to fight dengue virus pointed
Researchers have identified enzymes and biochemical compounds called lipids that are targeted and modified by the dengue virus during infection, suggesting a potential new approach to control the aggressive ...
Mar 22, 2012 |
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Plastic nanoparticles affect behavior and fat metabolism in fish
Nanoparticles have many useful applications, but also raise some potential health and ecological concerns.
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Feb 22, 2012 |
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Studies question heart bypass, angioplasty method
(AP) -- Two new studies could change care for hundreds of thousands of heart patients each year. One finds that bypass surgery has been overrated for many people with very weak hearts from clogged arteries ...
Medicine & Health / Medical research
Apr 04, 2011 |
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Cellular feast or famine
Not all cholesterol is bad. Every cell requires it for growth – they either have to get cholesterol somewhere or they die. In a new study published April 6 in the journal Cell Metabolism, researchers from Sanford-Burnham Medica ...
Medicine & Health / Medical research
Apr 05, 2011 |
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Toward new medications for chronic brain diseases
A needle-in-the-haystack search through nearly 390,000 chemical compounds had led scientists to a substance that can sneak through the protective barrier surrounding the brain with effects promising for new drugs for Parkinson's ...
Apr 20, 2011 |
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Drugmakers brace for generic versions of biotech blockbusters
In 2001, Abbott Laboratories spent nearly $7 billion on the biggest acquisition in the company's 123-year history, primarily to access one drug, Humira.
Medicine & Health / Medications
May 27, 2011 |
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Researchers develop paper-thin device to test cholesterol levels
(PhysOrg.com) -- Paper-thin sensors that use the latest technology in miniaturization and printing could revolutionize the way point of care testing is carried out for cholesterol and lead to further applications ...
Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry
Feb 29, 2012 |
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Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a lipidic, waxy steroid found in the cell membranes and transported in the blood plasma of all animals. It is an essential component of mammalian cell membranes where it is required to establish proper membrane permeability and fluidity. Cholesterol is the principal sterol synthesized by animals, but small quantities are synthesized in other eukaryotes, such as plants and fungi. It is almost completely absent among prokaryotes, which include bacteria. Cholesterol is classified as a sterol.
Since cholesterol is essential for life, it is primarily synthesized de novo within the body. However excessive levels of cholesterol in blood circulation are strongly associated with progression of atherosclerosis. For an adult, typical total body cholesterol synthesis is about 1 gram per day (less if dietary intake is high) and total body cholesterol content is about 35 g. Average dietary intake in western societies is 0.2 - 0.3 grams. Cholesterol is excreted by the liver via the bile into the digestive tract. Typically about 50% of the excreted cholesterol is reabsorbed by the small bowel back into the blood stream.
The name cholesterol originates from the Greek chole- (bile) and stereos (solid), and the chemical suffix -ol for an alcohol, as François Poulletier de la Salle first identified cholesterol in solid form in gallstones, in 1769. However, it was only in 1815 that chemist Eugène Chevreul named the compound "cholesterine".
For more information about Cholesterol, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
