OXIDATION OF CHOLESTEROL IN FISH

Abstract

The fish presents in their lipid fraction fatty acids with a high degree of unsaturation together with elevated levels of cholesterol in some species. This factor, is associate with technological procedures, favour the oxidation of cholesterol. Cholesterol oxides are biologically active and are capable of inducing cytotoxic, atherogenic, mutagenic and carcinogenic processes. For these reasons, interest in oxidation phenomena has increased considerably. This review paper examined aspects related to cholesterol oxides, their formation in foods and their biological effects, with particular emphasis on the formation of cholesterol oxides in fish. The study revealed that the most common cholesterol oxides found in food, including the most cytotoxic and atherogenic, are also present in these products.