Isolation and chemical characterization of delta 5,7,24-cholestatrien-3 beta-ol from pig tissues.

Although indirect evidence has implicated Delta(5,7,24)-cholestatrien-3-ol as a possible intermediate in cholesterol biosynthesis, this sterol has not previously been isolated from tissues. Administration of two inhibitors of cholesterol biosynthesis to pigs led to the accumulation of Delta(5,7,24)-cholestatrien-3-ol in the tissues, and this sterol was isolated from the lung. Proof of its chemical identity was based upon UV, IR, NMR, circular dichroism, and mass spectra, as well as comparison with synthetic Delta(5,7,24)-cholestatrien-3-ol. A fragment at m/e 143 is particularly prominent in the mass spectrum of Delta(5,7)-sterols, and this fact may prove useful for the detection of this functional group. It is proposed that Delta(5,7,24)-cholestatrien-3-ol may be an intermediate in sterol biosynthesis in both animals and plants.