Cycloartenol is an important triterpenoid of the

sterol Sterol is an organic compound with formula , whose molecule is derived from that of gonane by replacement of a hydrogen atom in position 3 by a hydroxyl group. It is therefore an alcohol of gonane. More generally, any compounds that contain the gon ...

class which is found in plants. It is the starting point for the synthesis of almost all plant

steroid A steroid is a biologically active organic compound with four rings arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter membrane fluidity; and ...

s, making them chemically distinct from the steroids of fungi and animals, which are, instead, produced from lanosterol.

Synthesis

The

biosynthesis Biosynthesis is a multi-step, enzyme- catalyzed process where substrates are converted into more complex products in living organisms. In biosynthesis, simple compounds are modified, converted into other compounds, or joined to form macromolecule ...

of cycloartenol starts from the triterpenoid squalene. It is the first precursor in the biosynthesis of other stanols and

s, referred to as phytostanols and

phytosterol Phytosterols are phytosteroids, similar to cholesterol, that serve as structural components of biological membranes of plants. They encompass plant sterols and stanols. More than 250 sterols and related compounds have been identified. Free phyto ...

s in

photosynthetic Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored in ...

organisms and plants. The identities and distribution of phytostanols and phytosterols is characteristic of a plant species.

References

Sterols Triterpenes Cyclopropanes {{Alcohol-stub