Do Sterols Increase Membrane Fluidity?

Sterols are essential in all eukaryotic cell membranes. Sterols reduce membrane fluidity and permeability, and increase membrane rigidity and strength.

What increases membrane fluidity?

One way to increase membrane fluidity is to heat up the membrane. Lipids acquire thermal energy when they are heated up; energetic lipids move around more, arranging and rearranging randomly, making the membrane more fluid.

Do sterols maintain fluidity?

Sterols, the third lipid class, also regulate biological processes and sustain the domain structure of cell membranes where they are considered as membrane reinforcers [2]. ... They have been proposed as key molecules to maintain membranes in a state of fluidity adequate for function.