Effects of Metal and Fatty Acids on Oxidative Degradation of Cholesterol

Abstract

Cholesterol was heated at various temperature for various periods of time with or without metal salt and/or fatty acid. Cholesterol was degraded depending on the temperature and heating periods of time, but the amounts of cholesterol oxides produced were very little. In addition, the species and the molar ratio of cholesterol oxides produced were almost the same pattern. Then, almost cholesterol might be degraded into much more small molecular substances. Fatty acids, especially polyunsaturated fatty acids, accelerated the degradation of cholesterol. However, large amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids depressed the oxidative degradation of cholesterol. A small amount of copper salt, CuCl and CuCl₂, acceleated the degradation of cholesterol especially in the presence of fatty acid, but large amounts of copper salts depressed the oxidation. In the case of iron salts, FeCl₂ and FeCl₃, oxidative degradation of cholesterol was accelerated depending on the amounts of iron salts added to the reaction mixture.