Ketocholesterol

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A chemical compound characterized by the presence of ketone and hydroxyl groups on a cholesterol molecule, often involved in metabolic processes and biological membranes
2. A derivative of cholesterol containing keto functional groups, which plays roles in cellular structure and biochemical pathways within organisms
3. A sterol molecule modified by oxidation to include ketone groups, influencing its function in lipid metabolism and membrane composition

Etymology: "Ketocholesterol" is a plain technical compound, built from "keto-" and "cholesterol." The "keto-" element comes from "ketone," the name chemists gave to a class of organic compounds containing a carbonyl group (a carbon atom double-bonded to oxygen) flanked by two other carbon atoms. "Cholesterol" itself is a fatty, waxy steroid alcohol, and its name combines the Greek "chole," meaning bile, with "stereos," meaning solid, a reflection of its discovery in gallstones. Put together, the word names cholesterol with a keto group added to its ring structure. Chemists use the prefix to specify where and how the molecule has been altered, so the term describes a specific family of oxidized cholesterol molecules rather than cholesterol in general.

Synonyms: oxysterol, ketosterol