Chapter 12, Problem 12.15PP

Summary Introduction

To describe:

The packaging of cholesterol after absorption in the intestine.

Introduction:

Cholesterol is the dietary fats or lipids which are non-polar in nature. These molecules are digested by the bile excreted from the gall bladder into the duodenum of the small intestine. Bile contains the amphipathic molecules called bile salts, which behave like soaps. They contain a non-polar and a polar part. These bile salts place their non-polar face towards the cholesterol and their polar face toward the water forming micelles. These micelles are able to move the cholesterol closer to the intestinal wall so that cholesterol can be absorbed.