A comparative study on the sterol composition of some brown algae from the Black Sea

The sterol composition of the brown algae Stilophora rhizodes (Turner) I Agardh. Punctaria latifolia Grev. and Punctaria plantaginea (Roth.) Grev. from the Black Sea was investigated. Fifteen sterols were identified in the sterol fractions. The main ones, were cholesterol and 24-methylenecholesterol. Characteristic for brown algae, fucosterol was present in low concentrations. The results obtained were compared with recent data for the sterol composition of other Black Sea brown algae. Some conclusions concerning the evolutionary position of brown algae are made.