Lanosterol

Lanosterol (CAS No.: 79-63-0) is a naturally occurring triterpenoid sterol that serves as a central intermediate in the biosynthesis of cholesterol and other sterols, including ergosterol in fungi and related steroids in diverse eukaryotic organisms, thereby occupying a critical position in lipid metabolism and membrane biology. As a key node in the cholesterol synthesis pathway, lanosterol has been shown to regulate pathway flux through promotion of ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase, a rate-limiting enzyme, highlighting its relevance in metabolic control and lipid homeostasis. In addition to its metabolic functions, lanosterol has attracted attention for its ability to modulate protein homeostasis by suppressing the aggregation and cytotoxicity of misfolded proteins, implicating it in research on neurodegenerative disease mechanisms and proteostasis networks. Dysregulation of lanosterol processing is associated with pathological conditions such as cataract formation, and pharmacological inhibition of its downstream metabolism is exploited by certain antifungal agents, underscoring its importance in both human disease and antimicrobial targeting. In vitro studies typically employ lanosterol at micromolar concentration ranges to investigate its effects on enzyme regulation, protein aggregation, and cellular lipid composition, while in vivo applications in animal models are used to explore its roles in metabolic and degenerative disease contexts; specific concentrations and dosing regimens depend on experimental design and objectives. As such, lanosterol is widely utilized in biochemical, cell-based, and translational research focused on sterol metabolism, enzyme regulation, and therapeutic discovery targeting metabolic and neurodegenerative pathways.