Cholesterol solubilization

Jesch, E.D. and Carr, T.P. 2005. Plant sterols inhibit cholesterol solubilization in micelles. FASEB J. 19, A1011. 

The solubilization phenomenon, which refers to the dissolution of normally insoluble or only slightly soluble compounds in water caused by the addition of surfactants, is one of the most striking effects encountered for surfactant systems. Solubilization is of considerable physico-chemical interst, such as in discussion of the structure and dynamics of micelles and of the mechanism of enzyme catalysis, and has numerous practical applications, such as in detergency, in pharmaceutical preparations and in micellar catalysis. In biology, solubilization phenomena are most significant, e.g., cholesterol solubilization in phospholipid bilayers and fat solubilization in fat digestion and transport. 

Armstrong MJ, Carey MC (1982) The hydrophobic-hydrophilic balance of bUe salts. Inverse correlation between reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatographic mobilities and micellar cholesterol-solubilizing capacities. J Lipid Res 23, 70-80. 

Coreta-Gomes et have employed NMR to develop a method of quantification of cholesterol solubilization in aqueous micellar solutions such as bile salts the obtained results were confirmed by dynamic light scattering. Jam beck and Lyubartsev proposed the use of NMR order parameters to validate a refined all-atom force field for phosphatidylcholine lipids, such as l,2-diauroyl-OT-glycero-3-phospocholine (DPLC), DMPC and DPPC. 

In simple sphingomyelin-Triton X100 systems, the sphingomyelin is dispersed as bilayers below a surfactant concentration of 0.2 mM. Above this concentration mixed micelles formed [301, 302]. Studies of the transfer of cholesterol solubilized in sodium dodecyl sulphate to PC liposomes has shown that 90 % of... 

Example 16.3-3 Cholesterol solubilization in bile Bile is the body s detergent, responsible for solubilization of water-insoluble materials. It is the key to fat digestion and the principal route of cholesterol excretion. Indeed, the failure of bile to effect excretion of available cholesterol is implicated in the formation of cholesterol gallstones. 

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