Synthesis of 7-Hydroperoxycholesterol and Its Separation, Identification, and Quantification in Cholesterol Heated Model Systems

7-Hydroperoxycholesterol is considered to be an intermediate compound of the cholesterol oxidation path as the first product formed when cholesterol is oxidized by triplet oxygen. However, there is a limitation on cholesterol mechanism studies because of the lack of 7-hydroperoxycholesterol analytical standard due to its low stability. To verify the formation of hydroperoxides in cholesterol model systems heated at 140, 180, and 220 °C, 7α-hydroperoxycholesterol was synthesized by cholesterol photooxidation followed by rearrangement at room temperature in chloroform. Its structure was confirmed on the basis of 13C NMR and mass spectra obtained by APCI-LC-MS. The synthesized compound was also used as standard for the quantification of 7-hydroperoxycholesterol as the sum of 7α- and 7β-hydroperoxycholesterol. The results demonstrated that 7-hydroperoxycholesterol is the first compound formed when the temperature is lower (140 °C). However, the concentration of the 7-hydroperoxycholesterol depends on the temperature and time of exposure: the higher the time, the higher the amount of 7-hydroperoxycholesterol at lower temperatures, and the lower the time, the lower the amount of 7-hydroperoxycholesterol at higher temperatures (180 and 220 °C). By the formation of 7-hydroperoxycholesterol, the known cholesterol oxidation mechanism in three phases (initiation, propagation, and termination) could be confirmed; once at lower temperatures, the stage of cholesterol oxidation is at initiation, at which hydroperoxide formation predominates.