Cholesterol vs Testosterone: what is the difference?
Testosterone is built from cholesterol: cholesterol is the membrane sterol every animal cell uses, and testosterone is one of the hormones made from it.
Sources and notes
- The sentence under the titlefrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notesThe pair's answer line.
- The two drawingscomputedMoleculeFinder rule (RDKit MCS)Drawn the same way round on the skeleton they share. Aligned; 15 atoms differ, too many to mark as one group.
- Structural similaritycomputedRDKit Morgan/Tanimoto0.35 of 1, a Morgan fingerprint Tanimoto coefficient. It measures shape, not effect.
Side by side
| Cholesterol | Testosterone | |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular weightCalculated PubChem | 386.7 g/molC27H46O | 288.4 g/molC19H28O2 |
| Hydrogen-bond donorsCalculated PubChem | 1 | 1 |
| Where each turns upEditorial MoleculeFinder food and product lists | Also on our whipped cream lists | Not on our lists |
| FamilyEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Steroid hormones | Steroid hormones |
| Everyday groupEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Body | Body |
| Chemical groupsCalculated Found by rule (RDKit) | Alcohols | Alcohols, Ketones |
| Hazard labelReported ECHA, HSDB via PubChem | Not recorded | Danger |
| The supplier-filed hazard label's signal word, not a statement about ordinary use. | ||
Sources and notes
- Molecular weightcomputedPubChemComputed from the structure; the formula is under each weight.
- Hydrogen-bond donorscomputedPubChemThe hydrogens on nitrogen or oxygen that each molecule can lend to a hydrogen bond, counted from its structure.
- Where each turns upfrom sourceMoleculeFinder food and product listsEach amount is an editorial figure from our lists, not a measurement of any one product. Each mark is set by hand on the list, never inferred.
- Familyfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Everyday groupfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Chemical groupscomputedFound by rule (RDKit)Each group is found in the structure by a chemical pattern.
- Hazard labelfrom sourceECHA, HSDB via PubChem
- ECHAfrom sourceAttributionSource: European Chemicals Agency, echa.europa.eu.
- Identifiersfrom sourcePubChemPubChem CID 5997 (Cholesterol) and 6013 (Testosterone).
In more detail
This is a precursor and its product rather than two competing molecules. Cholesterol is the four-ring sterol every animal cell membrane uses to control its fluidity, and the body makes most of its own rather than absorbing it from food. From cholesterol the adrenal glands and gonads build pregnenolone and from there the whole steroid hormone family, testosterone included, along with cortisol, estradiol and vitamin D. The visible difference is size: cholesterol keeps a long hydrocarbon tail and weighs 386.7, and testosterone has lost that tail at 288.4. The common belief that eating cholesterol raises testosterone does not follow from the pathway, which is not limited by the supply of raw material.
Sources and notes
- The paragraphfrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notes
Questions
- What is the difference between Cholesterol and Testosterone?
- Testosterone is built from cholesterol: cholesterol is the membrane sterol every animal cell uses, and testosterone is one of the hormones made from it.
- Is Cholesterol bigger than Testosterone?
- Cholesterol is the heavier molecule, 386.7 g/mol against 288.4 g/mol for Testosterone. Cholesterol is C27H46O and Testosterone is C19H28O2.
Sources and notes
- The answersfrom sourceMoleculeFinderThe first is the pair's answer line; the others are read off the table above.