Definitive evidence for lack of phytosterol dealkylation in honey bees

Abstract

Neither developing honey bee larvae nor queens were able to convert dietary14C-desmosterol to cholesterol, nor was larval development of sterol metabolism affected when the inhibitor, 25-azacoprostane, was included in the worker bee diet. These results provide strong evidence that this phytophagous insect is unable to dealkylate phytosterols at the C-24 position in order to produce cholesterol.