Sterols are integral components of the membrane lipid bilayer and they are involved in many processes occurring in plants, ranging from regulation of growth and development to stress resistance. Maintenance of membrane homeostasis represents one of the principal functions of sterols in plant cells. Plant cell membranes are important sites of perception of environmental abiotic factors, therefore, it can be surmised that sterols may play an important role in the plant stress response. The aim of this review was to discuss the most representative trends in recent studies regarding the role of sterols in plant defense reactions to environmental factors, such as UV radiation, cold and drought stress. Some correlations were observed between changes in the sterol profile, referring to the ratios of individual compounds (including 24-methyl/ethyl sterols and sitosterol/stigmasterol) as well as the relative proportions of conjugated sterols (ASGs, SGs and SEs) and the nature of the stress response. Diversity of sterols and their conjugated forms may allow sessile plants to adapt to environmental stress conditions.

甾醇是膜脂质双层的组成部分，它们参与植物中发生的许多过程，从调节生长和发育到抗逆性。膜稳态的维持代表了植物细胞中固醇的主要功能之一。植物细胞膜是感知环境非生物因素的重要场所，因此，可以推测固醇可能在植物胁迫反应中发挥重要作用。这篇综述的目的是讨论有关固醇在植物对环境因素（例如紫外线辐射，寒冷和干旱胁迫）的防御反应中的作用的最新研究趋势。在固醇曲线变化之间观察到一些相关性，指单个化合物（包括24-甲基/乙基固醇和谷固醇/豆甾醇）的比例，以及共轭固醇（ASG，SG和SE）的相对比例以及应激反应的性质。固醇及其结合形式的多样性可以使无柄植物适应环境胁迫条件。