A steroid compound found in fungi and yeast that serves the same structural role as cholesterol in animal cells, helping maintain cell membrane flexibility.
From 'ergot' and 'sterol' (a type of lipid molecule). Ergosterol was first isolated from ergot fungus and remains the primary sterol in fungal cell membranes, unlike the cholesterol in humans.
Ergosterol is why antifungal drugs work—they target this unique molecule in fungal cell membranes that humans don't have, so the medicine can kill the fungus without harming your own cells.
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