Zymostenol biosynthesis via lathosterol (Kandutsch-Russell pathway)

The transformation of zymosterol into cholesterol can follow either of routes, one in which reduction of the double bond in the isooctyl side chain is the final step (cholesterol synthesis via desmosterol, also known as the Bloch pathway) and one in which this reduction is the first step (cholesterol biosynthesis via lathosterol, also known as the Kandutsch-Russell pathway). The former pathway is prominent in the liver and many other tissues while the latter is prominent in skin, where it may serve as the source of the 7-dehydrocholesterol that is the starting point for the synthesis of D vitamins.

Summary from Reactome (R-HSA-6807062), read 2026-09-23.