Site-specific synthesis and application of Deuterium-Labeled sterols

Isotopically-labeled compounds are universally accepted as very useful tracing molecules in chemistry and biology research. They are invaluable to support mechanistic hypotheses and measure reaction rates. Although they did not become mainstream until the early 1960s, numerous scientific contributions, have been made in areas of chemistry and biochemistry by using deuterium-labeled biomolecules. Deuterium-labeled sterols continue to be a primary research tool, particularly at the interface of chemical and biological sciences. This article surveys the literature on the use of deuterium-enriched sterol derivatives with a particular focus on synthetic strategies for incorporation of heavy isotopes.