The Lipoproteins Processing and Transport of Fats

Dietary fats are packaged by the enterocytes into chylomicrons, a very large type of lipid-protein complex or lipoprotein, for export to other organs. 

The triacylglycerols and cholesteryl esters form the hydrophobic core of the chylomicrons, which are coated with surface phospholipids, free cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B-48. 

Chylomicrons are discharged from the enterocytes by exocytosis into lacteals, which are lymphatic vessels that originate in the intestinal villi, drain into the cisternae chyli, and follow a course through the thoracic ducts to enter the bloodstream through the left subclavian vein. 

The triacylglycerols of chylomicrons are degraded to FFAs and glycerol in many tissues, but especially in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. 

Hydrolysis of triacylglycerols is catalyzed by lipoprotein lipase, a membrane-bound enzyme located on the endothelium lining the capillary beds of the muscle and adipose tissue. 

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