ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the role of cholesterol in mammalian plasma membranes and a more thorough overview of the effects of cholesterol and its oxygenated derivatives on certain specific lymphocyte functions. Since cholesterol is easily auto-oxidized in air, its oxygenated derivatives must also be present in food. Lymphocytes display certain unique features which may be related to their specific physiological functions. As a result of recirculation, they are constantly exposed to different environments, including the serum and interstitial space in various organs and tissues. Leukemic cells from mice, guinea pigs, and humans display an excessively high rate of sterol synthesis, elevated up to 150-fold in the paraplasts of acute lymphocytic leukemia in comparison to normal lymphocytes. The results obtained from mixed lymphocyte reactions have been further corroborated in lymphocyte cultures where lectins are used to produce polyclonally activated cytotoxic T cells.
