A comparison of the behavior of cholesterol, 7-dehydrocholesterol and ergosterol in phospholipid membranes

► We utilize three approaches to study phospholipids-sterol interaction. ► Sterol insertion alters the packing arrangement of PC tails and headgroup. ► Insertion of various sterols behaves differently in DPPC and EggPC liposomes. ► Different effects of sterols attribute to their different ring and tail structures. ► 7-Dehydrocholesterol produces lipid domain formation in EggPC liposomes.