Research progress on biological functions of phytosterols and their effects on animal production and economic benefits
Phytosterols are 3-hydroxyl compounds with cyclopentadienanthrene as the backbone,which mainly exist in plant cell membranes in three forms:Free,esterified and glycoside.Phytosterols are precursors to the synthesis of steroid,vitamin D and many kinds of hormones.They are widely found in plant oils,vegetables,fruits,nuts,legumes and tubers.Phytosterols mainly include β-sitosterol,stigmosterol,canola sterol and so on,which are active substances with cholesterol structure.Phytosterols have many biological functions,such as regulating immunity,lowering cholesterol,anti-inflammatory,antioxidant,promoting growth,preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.With the deepening of research on phytosterols,they have been widely used in animal breeding and production in recent years.Phytosterols can improve the antioxidant capacity and immunity of animal body,improve lipid metabolism,improve production performance,improve the quality of animal products,and increase the economic benefit of breeding.In order to better apply phytosterols in animal production,the physicochemical properties,active functions and the research progress of phytosterols in animal culture were reviewed in this paper,and some references were provided for their further promotion and application in animal production.