Plants contain a variety of sterols like stigmasterol, ergosterol, sit

Plants contain a variety of sterols like stigmasterol, ergosterol, sitosterol etc., which very closely resemble cholesterol. These plant sterols are referred as :

Phytosterols
Calciferols
Ergocalciferols
Lumisterols
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CDS-1 – 2016
Plant sterols that resemble cholesterol, such as stigmasterol, ergosterol, and sitosterol, are referred to as Phytosterols.
Phytosterols are a group of naturally occurring sterols and stanols found in plants. They have structures similar to cholesterol but differ in the side chain. Common examples include beta-sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol. They are primarily found in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, and legumes.
Calciferols are forms of Vitamin D (like D2 and D3). Ergocalciferol is Vitamin D2, derived from ergosterol, a phytosterol found in fungi and yeast. Lumisterols are isomers formed during the photolysis of previtamin D3. While related to sterol chemistry, ‘Phytosterols’ is the specific term for the group of plant sterols resembling cholesterol.
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