Application Notes:
The physiological significance of the glucosylation of cholesterol is to render cholesterol far more water soluble and usable for transportation within a cell.1 Parkinsonism and glucosylceramide metabolism appear to be linked given the high incidence of neurodegenerative conditions in patients with Gaucher disease, a lysosomal storage disorder.2 It may be speculated that glucosylceramide acts as a donor in the biosynthesis of the potentially neurotoxic steryl-β-glucosides, implying that cholesteryl-β-glucoside is a missing link between parkinsonism and Gaucher.3
References:
1. Westbroek, W.; Gustafson, A. M.; Sidransky, E. Trends Mol. Med. 2011, 286, 28080–28088.
2. A. R. A. Marques,et al. “Glucosylated cholesterol in mammalian cells and tissues: formation and degradation by multiple cellular-glucosidases” Journal of Lipid Research, vol. 57 pp. 451-463, 2016
3. “Synthesis of α- and β-Cholesteryl Glucosides.” Chapter 6. Retrieved from https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/handle/1887/18246/06.pdf?sequence=8