The extensive experimental and computational evidences revealed that cholesterol is involved in the drug binding to G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) targets that is influenced by the membrane environment and external functions. These multifunctional factors make the understanding of the molecular mechanism of action in greater detail an entirely difficult task. Significant efforts have been made for better understanding the role of multi-directional specific, receptor-dependent interactions of cholesterol, and its effects on drug design and development. Additional efforts must be made in this complex system in order to shed more light on cholesterol molecular basis of action. The results of molecular simulations that complemented experimental data may reveal new aspects of GPCR-cholesterol interactions and may provide a comprehensive understanding of receptor function.
Keywords: Cholesterol; Cholesterol recognition interaction amino acid consensus (CRAC); GPCRs; Membrane bilayers; Multi-scale simulations.