Abstract: The level of cholesterol in the body is closely related to human health. Although cholesterol has many irreplaceable physiological functions, high cholesterol is one of the causes of many cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. With more extensive and in-depth research on probiotics, many strains have been proved to have a good cholesterol-lowering effect, and their cholesterol-lowering effect has aroused more and more attention. Thus, the development and application of cholesterol-lowering probiotics have a bright future. In this paper, the mechanism of cholesterol synthesis and metabolism in the human body is briefly introduced in terms of its intake, synthesis, conversion and transport. The in vitro cholesterol-lowering mechanism of probiotics by absorbing and binding cholesterol as well as producing cholesterol-lowering metabolites, and the in vivo cholesterol-lowering mechanism of probiotics by inhibiting the intake and synthesis of cholesterol, promoting its transformation and regulating its transport are reviewed. Finally, the evaluation strategies for cholesterol-lowering probiotics are summarized including in vitro tests, animal experiments and clinical studies. This review is expected to provide a reference for the development of probiotic strains with a potent cholesterol-lowering effect.

Key words: probiotics; cholesterol-lowering; mechanism; evaluation strategies