What is "lanostane"

n. (context organic compound English) The steroid hydrocarbon ''4,4,14-trimethyl-5α-cholestane''

Lanostane or 4,4,14-trimethylcholestane is a chemical compound with formula . It is a polycyclic hydrocarbon, specifically a triterpene. It is an isomer of cucurbitane.

The name is applied to two stereoisomers, distinguished by the prefixes 5α- and 5β-, which differ by the handedness of the bonds at a particular carbon atom (number 5 in the standard steroid numbering scheme).

Replacement of a hydrogen atom attached to carbon number 3 in the 5α isomer with a hydroxyl group results in lanosterol, the biogenetic precursor of the steroids in animals.