Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (752 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Fatty acid esters of cholesterol which constitute about two-thirds of the cholesterol in the plasma. The accumulation of cholesterol esters in the arterial intima is a characteristic feature of atherosclerosis.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Esters, Cholesterol; Cholesteryl Ester; Ester, Cholesteryl; Cholesterol Ester; Ester, Cholesterol; Cholesteryl Esters; Esters, Cholesteryl.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Cholesterol
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 7,216 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Cholesterol Esters” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 314 of them (4.4%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 4,936 records.
Reviews account for 330 records (4.6%) and meta-analyses for 5. Randomized controlled trials number 106 (1.5%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 4,936 |
| 2000-2009 | 1,175 |
| 2010-2019 | 791 |
| 2020 onward | 314 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 330 | 4.6% |
| Meta-analyses | 5 | 0.1% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 106 | 1.5% |
Method: PubMed query "Cholesterol Esters"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in drugs and chemicals
Studies of a chemical or drug can answer very different questions: what it is and how it behaves in cells and animals, how the body handles it, and whether it changes outcomes in people. Laboratory and animal findings often do not carry over to patients, and observational studies of exposures are confounded by who uses a substance and why. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to use, avoid, start or stop any substance or medicine; talk to a qualified clinician or pharmacist about your own situation. Check the dose, the species, the comparison group and whether a patient-relevant outcome was measured.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abrogating cholesterol esterification suppresses growth and metastasis of pancreatic cancer | 2016 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 257 | cc by PMID 27132508 · DOI · PMC5093084 |
| Cholesterol is Inefficiently Converted to Cholesteryl Esters in the Blood of Cardiovascular Disease Patients | 2018 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 53 | cc by PMID 30282999 · DOI · PMC6170447 |
| Human Meibum Cholesteryl and Wax Ester Variability With Age, Sex, and Meibomian Gland Dysfunction | 2019 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 52 | cc by PMID 31112994 · DOI · PMC6530518 |
| 18:2 Cholesterol Ester is a Novel Prognostic Biomarker of Disease Progression in Multiple Sclerosis | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 0 | cc by PMID 42307856 · DOI · PMC13275756 |
Abrogating cholesterol esterification suppresses growth and metastasis of pancreatic cancer [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Cancer cells are known to execute reprogramed metabolism of glucose, amino acids and lipids.
- Closing excerpt
- Collectively, our results demonstrate a new strategy for treating metastatic pancreatic cancer by inhibiting cholesterol esterification.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (126 words)
Cancer cells are known to execute reprogramed metabolism of glucose, amino acids and lipids. Here, we report a significant role of cholesterol metabolism in cancer metastasis. By using label-free Raman spectromicroscopy, we found an aberrant accumulation of cholesteryl ester in human pancreatic cancer specimens and cell lines, mediated by acyl-CoA cholesterol acyltransferase-1 (ACAT-1) enzyme. Expression of ACAT-1 showed a correlation with poor patient survival. Abrogation of cholesterol esterification, either by an ACAT-1 inhibitor or by shRNA knockdown, significantly suppressed tumor growth and metastasis in an orthotopic mouse model of pancreatic cancer. Mechanically, ACAT-1 inhibition increased intracellular free cholesterol level, which was associated with elevated endoplasmic reticulum stress and caused apoptosis. Collectively, our results demonstrate a new strategy for treating metastatic pancreatic cancer by inhibiting cholesterol esterification.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 27132508 · DOI · PMC5093084
Cholesterol is Inefficiently Converted to Cholesteryl Esters in the Blood of Cardiovascular Disease Patients [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Shotgun lipidomic analysis of 203 lipids in 13 lipid classes performed on blood plasma of donors who had just suffered an acute coronary syndrome (ACS, n = 74), or an ischemic stroke (IS, n = 21), or who suffer from stable angina pectoris (SAP, n = 78), and an age-matched control cohort (n = 52), showed some of the highest inter-lipid class correlations between cholesteryl esters (CE) and phosphatidylcholines (PC) sharing a common fatty acid.
- Closing excerpt
- 095, p -4), suggesting its potential use as a rapid predictive/diagnostic measure of CVD-related irregularities in cholesterol homeostasis.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (193 words)
Shotgun lipidomic analysis of 203 lipids in 13 lipid classes performed on blood plasma of donors who had just suffered an acute coronary syndrome (ACS, n = 74), or an ischemic stroke (IS, n = 21), or who suffer from stable angina pectoris (SAP, n = 78), and an age-matched control cohort (n = 52), showed some of the highest inter-lipid class correlations between cholesteryl esters (CE) and phosphatidylcholines (PC) sharing a common fatty acid. The concentration of lysophospatidylcholine (LPC) and ratios of concentrations of CE to free cholesterol (Chol) were also lower in the CVD cohorts than in the control cohort, indicating a deficient conversion of Chol to CE in the blood plasma in the CVD subjects. A non-equilibrium reaction quotient, Q', describing the global homeostasis of cholesterol as manifested in the blood plasma was shown to have a value in the CVD cohorts (Q'ACS = 0.217 ± 0.084; Q'IS = 0.201 ± 0.084; Q'SAP = 0.220 ± 0.071) that was about one third less than in the control cohort (Q'Control = 0.320 ± 0.095, p -4), suggesting its potential use as a rapid predictive/diagnostic measure of CVD-related irregularities in cholesterol homeostasis.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 30282999 · DOI · PMC6170447
Human Meibum Cholesteryl and Wax Ester Variability With Age, Sex, and Meibomian Gland Dysfunction [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- PurposeRelationships between tear film lipid (TFL) layer composition, structure, and function could provide insight into the etiology of dry eye.
- Closing excerpt
- Observed changes in the meibum content of CE alone is not likely to influence tear film stability.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (237 words)
PurposeRelationships between tear film lipid (TFL) layer composition, structure, and function could provide insight into the etiology of dry eye. The molar ratio of cholesteryl ester (CE)/wax ester (WE) was measured in meibum from normal donors (Mn) and compared with meibum from donors with meibomian gland dysfunction (MMGD).MethodsCE/WE was measured using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.ResultsCE/WE was distributed into two populations with 81% distributed near 0.55 and 19% near 0.3. CE/WE were higher in donors 13 to 19 years old compared with donors 1 to 12 years old and 20 to 88 years old. CE/WE for MMGD was 30% lower, 0.34 ± 0.04, compared with Mn, 0.49 ± 0.04. There were no sex differences in CE/WE. There were no significant racial differences between the CE/WE ratios for Asians and Caucasians. The CE/WE ratio was higher for blacks and lower for Hispanics compared to Caucasians. Due to the small number sampled, confirmation of the later racial results is needed. The packing of CE and WE in the TFL layer was proposed.ConclusionsAlthough MMGD contains much less CE than Mn, factors other than the CE content, such as the levels of saturation and/or proteins, may be responsible for the higher order of MMGD. In addition to saturation, CE could contribute to the increase in order of Mn between 0 and 20 years of age. Observed changes in the meibum content of CE alone is not likely to influence tear film stability.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 31112994 · DOI · PMC6530518
18:2 Cholesterol Ester is a Novel Prognostic Biomarker of Disease Progression in Multiple Sclerosis [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) presents diverse clinical outcomes.
- Closing excerpt
- These findings hold promise for improved patient management and warrant prospective validation.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (196 words)
Multiple sclerosis (MS) presents diverse clinical outcomes. Cholesterol esterification (CE) has been implicated as a disease mechanism involved in the remyelination process. We investigated whether cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) 18:2 cholesterol ester (18:2 CE) levels at diagnosis could predict 10-year MS progression. We aimed to determine if CSF 18:2 CE levels correlate with long-term disease progression. In a retrospective case-control single-centre study with 115 MS patients and 57 controls, we conducted targeted lipidomic analysis of CSF. Clinical data, oligoclonal bands, brain and spinal cord MRI, and CSF 18:2 CE levels were collected. Elevated CSF 18:2 CE levels were significantly associated with a higher risk of 10-year MS progression, with an AUC of 0.91 in a multivariable logistic regression model. Patients initially treated with a high-efficacy drug did not show a worse prognosis despite presenting elevated CE18:2 levels at the time of diagnosis. However, patients treated with a high-efficacy drug as a second or third option showed a positive correlation between CE18:2 levels and EDSS at 10 years. CSF 18:2 CE is a potential prognostic biomarker for predicting long-term MS progression, potentially indicating reduced remyelination capacity. These findings hold promise for improved patient management and warrant prospective validation.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42307856 · DOI · PMC13275756
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Hormone-sensitive lipase: control of intracellular tri-(di-)acylglycerol and cholesteryl ester hydrolysis [5]
- Research article Cholesterol sulfate in human physiology: what's it all about? [6]
- Research article Transfers and exchanges of esterified cholesterol between plasma lipoproteins [7]
- Research article Mammalian acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferases [8]
- Research article Scavenger receptor class BI and selective cholesteryl ester uptake: partners in the regulation of steroidogenesis [9]
- Research article Human carboxylesterases and their role in xenobiotic and endobiotic metabolism [10]
References
- Li J, Gu D, Lee SS, Song B, Bandyopadhyay S, Chen S, et al.. Abrogating cholesterol esterification suppresses growth and metastasis of pancreatic cancer. . 2016. PMID 27132508 · DOI · PMC5093084
- Gerl MJ, Vaz WLC, Domingues N, Klose C, Surma MA, Sampaio JL, et al.. Cholesterol is Inefficiently Converted to Cholesteryl Esters in the Blood of Cardiovascular Disease Patients. . 2018. PMID 30282999 · DOI · PMC6170447
- Borchman D, Ramasubramanian A, Foulks GN. Human Meibum Cholesteryl and Wax Ester Variability With Age, Sex, and Meibomian Gland Dysfunction. . 2019. PMID 31112994 · DOI · PMC6530518
- Torres P, Sánchez AG, Sancho-Saldaña A, Quibus L, San Pedro Murillo E, Ruiz-Fernández E, et al.. 18:2 Cholesterol Ester is a Novel Prognostic Biomarker of Disease Progression in Multiple Sclerosis. . 2026. PMID 42307856 · DOI · PMC13275756
- Kraemer FB, Shen WJ. Hormone-sensitive lipase: control of intracellular tri-(di-)acylglycerol and cholesteryl ester hydrolysis. J Lipid Res. 2002. PMID 12364542 · DOI
- Strott CA, Higashi Y. Cholesterol sulfate in human physiology: what's it all about?. J Lipid Res. 2003. PMID 12730293 · DOI
- Barter PJ, Hopkins GJ, Calvert GD. Transfers and exchanges of esterified cholesterol between plasma lipoproteins. Biochem J. 1982. PMID 6760853 · DOI · PMC1153921
- Buhman KF, Accad M, Farese RV. Mammalian acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferases. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2000. PMID 11111084 · DOI
- Azhar S, Reaven E. Scavenger receptor class BI and selective cholesteryl ester uptake: partners in the regulation of steroidogenesis. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2002. PMID 12354669 · DOI
- Ross MK, Crow JA. Human carboxylesterases and their role in xenobiotic and endobiotic metabolism. J Biochem Mol Toxicol. 2007. PMID 17936933 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.