Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 24, 2026

Stigmastanol

Stigmastanol (sitostanol) is a phytosterol found in a variety of plant sources. Similar to sterol esters and stanol esters, stigmastanol inhibits the absorption of cholesterol from the diet. Animal studies suggest that it also inhibits biosynthesis of cholesterol in the liver.

Last revised
Jun 24, 2026
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≈ 1 min
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Citations
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Source
Wikipedia ↗
Stigmastanol
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Names
IUPAC name
5α-Stigmastan-3β-ol
Systematic IUPAC name
(1R,3aS,3bR,5aS,7S,9aS,9bS,11aR)-1-[(2R,5R)-5-Ethyl-6-methylheptan-2-yl]-9a,11a-dimethylhexadecahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthren-7-ol
Other names
(3β)-Stigmastan-3-ol; (3β,5α)-Stigmastan-3-ol; β-Sitostanol; Dihydrositosterin; Dihydrositosterol; Dihydro-β-sitosterol; Fucostanol; Spinastanol; 24α-Ethylcholestanol
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChEBI
ChEMBL
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.001.345
UNII
  • InChI=1S/C29H52O/c1-7-21(19(2)3)9-8-20(4)25-12-13-26-24-11-10-22-18-23(30)14-16-28(22,5)27(24)15-17-29(25,26)6/h19-27,30H,7-18H2,1-6H3/t20-,21-,22?,23+,24+,25-,26+,27+,28+,29-/m1/s1
    Key: LGJMUZUPVCAVPU-KZXGMYDKSA-N
  • O[C@H]1CC[C@@]2(C)[C@](CC[C@]3([H])[C@]2([H])CC[C@@]4(C)[C@@]3([H])CC[C@]4([H])[C@@H](CC[C@@H](CC)C(C)C)C)([H])C1
Properties
C29H52O
Molar mass 416.734 g·mol−1
Boiling point 139.4 to 139.8 °C (282.9 to 283.6 °F; 412.5 to 412.9 K)1
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).

Stigmastanol (sitostanol) is a phytosterol found in a variety of plant sources. Similar to sterol esters and stanol esters, stigmastanol inhibits the absorption of cholesterol from the diet.234 Animal studies suggest that it also inhibits biosynthesis of cholesterol in the liver.2

Stigmastanol is the product of the reduction of β-sitosterol5 and the hydrogenation of stigmasterol.6

See also

See also

References

References

  1. Sandqvist, Hakan; Bengtsson, Edvard (1931). "The empirical formula of sitosterol". Berichte der Deutschen Chemischen Gesellschaft B. 64: 2167–2171. doi:10.1002/cber.19310640849.
  2. Batta, Ashok K.; Xu, Guorong; Honda, Akira; Miyazaki, Teruo; Salen, Gerald (2006). "Stigmasterol reduces plasma cholesterol levels and inhibits hepatic synthesis and intestinal absorption in the rat". Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental. 55 (3): 292–299. doi:10.1016/j.metabol.2005.08.024. PMID 16483871.
  3. Heinemann T, Pietruck B, Kullak-Ublick G, von Bergmann K (1988). "Comparison of sitosterol and sitostanol on inhibition of intestinal cholesterol absorption". Agents and Actions. Supplements. 26: 117–122. PMID 3265272.
  4. Heinemann T, Kullak-Ublick GA, Pietruck B, von Bergmann K (1991). "Mechanisms of action of plant sterols on inhibition of cholesterol absorption. Comparison of sitosterol and sitostanol". European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 40 (Suppl 1): S59–63. doi:10.1007/BF01409411. PMID 2044646. S2CID 23279253.
  5. Thomasson Crompton, David William; Nickol, Brent B. (1985). Biology of the Acanthocephala. Cambridge University Press. p. 185. ISBN 9780521246743.
  6. Paxena, P. B. (2007). Chemistry of Alkaloids. Discovery Publishing Hous. p. 231. ISBN 9788183563161.