Fig 5. CHIM-L can functionally replace membrane cholesterol.

a Relative levels of endogenous cholesterol in HUVEC treated with various concentrations of CHIM-L (0.1, 1, 5, and 10 µM) for 1.5 h at 37 °C. Following treatment, cells were washed three times in CHIM-free medium and analyzed directly or incubated up to 3 days in normal medium. Cholesterol concentration was quantified using a fluorometric assay (Amplex) and is given in relative fluorescence units (RFU). Error bars + SEM. b Effect of cholesterol removal and CHIM-L replacement diet on C. elegans development. Worms were investigated for two generations under standard cholesterol conditions (5 mg/l), no-added cholesterol, or CHIM-L (5 mg/l), and the number of worms that reached adulthood was quantified for the different feeding schemes (91 worms for cholesterol, 137 for no-added cholesterol, and 143 animals for CHIM-L). Error bars are SD. *p < 0.05.