Azacosterol
Chemical compound
Azacosterol (INNTooltip International Nonproprietary Name), or azacosterol hydrochloride (USANTooltip United States Adopted Name) (brand name Ornitrol), also called 20,25-diazacholesterol, is a cholesterol-lowering drug (hypocholesteremic), which was marketed previously, but has since been discontinued. It is also an avian chemosterilant used to control pest pigeon populations via inducing sterility. The drug is a sterol and derivative of cholesterol in which two carbon atoms have been replaced with nitrogen atoms.
Azacosterol acts as an inhibitor of 24-dehydrocholesterol reductase (24-DHCR), preventing the formation of cholesterol from desmosterol. Although it primarily acts to inhibit 24-DHCR, the drug also inhibits other steps in cholesterol biosynthesis. The antifertility effects of the drug in birds are mediated by inhibition of steroid hormone production, steroid hormones being synthesized from cholesterol. Due to prevention of the metabolism of desmosterol, the drug causes it to accumulate, in turn producing side effects such as hyperkeratosis, particularly of the palms and soles.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Azacosterol”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Azacholesterol.png by Edgar181, Public domain
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