Oxysterols are oxygenated derivatives of cholesterol formed in the human body or ingested in the diet. By modulating the activity of many proteins [e.g., liver X receptors (LXRs), oxysterol-binding proteins (OSBPs), some ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters], oxysterols can affect many cellular functions and influence various physiological processes (e.g., cholesterol metabolism, membrane fluidity regulation, intracellular signaling pathways). Therefore, the role of oxysterols is also important in pathological conditions (e.g., atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus type 2, neurodegenerative disorders). Finally, current evidence suggests that oxysterols play a role in malignancies such as breast, prostate, colon, and bile duct cancer. This review summarizes the physiological importance of oxysterols in the human body with a special emphasis on their roles in various tumors.

Biomedical Center Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen Charles University Pilsen 323 00 Czech Republic

Department of Biochemistry Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Nashville TN 37232 USA

Department of Toxicogenomics National Institute of Public Health Prague 100 42 Czech Republic; 3rd Faculty of Medicine Charles University Prague 100 00 Czech Republic

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Integrative analysis of mRNA and miRNA expression profiles and somatic variants in oxysterol signaling in early-stage luminal breast cancer

Effects of 7-ketocholesterol on tamoxifen efficacy in breast carcinoma cell line models in vitro

Plasma oxysterol levels in luminal subtype breast cancer patients are associated with clinical data

Selective changes in cholesterol metabolite levels in plasma of breast cancer patients after tumor removal