Advances and Challenges in Plant Sterol Research: Fundamentals, Analysis, Applications and Production

The document "Advances and Challenges in Plant Sterol Research: Fundamentals, Analysis, Applications and Production" provides a comprehensive review of plant sterols (PS), cholesterol-like compounds found in plants. PS are important for plant responses to stress and have health benefits in humans, including reducing cholesterol levels. The majority of dietary PS intake comes from vegetable oils and milling products, with supplementation required to achieve the recommended intake for a hypocholesterolemic effect. PS are also used in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. However, there are gaps in understanding the mechanisms associated with PS supplementation and their health benefits, and more research is needed to fully characterize complex PS chemical structures. The document also highlights the need for new PS sources and technologies for their isolation and purification, considering environmental and sustainability concerns. In one study, β-Sitosterol phyto-vesicles showed maximum hair follicle density after 21 days, indicating potential benefits for androgenetic alopecia.