Abstract
We aim to advance the discussion on the significance of the conjugation of bile salts (BS) in our organism. We hypothesize that conjugation influences the rate of lipolysis. Since the rate of lipolysis is a compound parameter, we compare the effect of conjugation on four surface parameters, which contribute to the rate. Since deconjugation is due to gut microbiota, we hypothesize that microbiota may affect the rate of lipolysis. A meta-analysis of literature data of critical micelle concentration, β, aggregation number, and molar solubilization ratio has been performed for the first time. In addition, critical micelle concentration (CMC), interfacial tension, and lipolysis rate measurements were performed. It was found that the unconjugated BS in mixed micelles increases the antagonism between the BS, therefore, increasing the CMC. This correlated with the effect of unconjugated BS on the solubilization capacity of mixed micelles. The collected literature information indicates that the role of the BS and its conjugation in our organism is a key factor influencing the functioning of our organism, where too high levels of unconjugated BS may lead to malabsorption of fat-soluble nutrients. The experimental lipolysis results irrevocably showed that conjugation is a significant factor influencing the rate.
Highlights
Bile salts (BS) are planar surfactants, which have methyl groups on the convex side and hydroxyl groups on the concave α-side [1]
The range of the average ratio of conjugated to unconjugated is 94:5% in the duodenum, 93:7% in the jejunum, and 82:18% in the ileum. This change in the ratio is due to the higher presence of bile salt hydrolase (BSH), which is found in Gram-positive bacteria that commonly reside in the ileum [34]
Performing a metaanalysis on critical micelle concentration (CMC) data is hindered by the large variety of methods that are used to determine the CMC and measurements being performed in various conditions
Summary
Bile salts (BS) are planar surfactants, which have methyl groups on the convex side and hydroxyl groups on the concave α-side [1]. These rigid amphiphiles [2] lack the typical flexibility of linear surfactants, which results in occasional flipping of the molecules so that the hydrophilic parts may remain inside the core, while hydrophobic parts may remain in water [3]. BA are conjugated in hepatocytes with either a molecule of glycine or taurine at the C-24 carboxyl group by amino acid N acyltransferase [4,6]. Conjugation reduces the pKa of the formed BS and increases their hydrophilicity. The conjugated form of the BA present in our gastrointestinal tract is called bile salts (BS), as they are commonly deprotonated [9]
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