Bile salt–phospholipid aggregation at submicellar concentrations

Lecithins: A comprehensive review of their properties and their use in formulating microemulsions

Lecithins are a phospholipid-rich mixture recovered from the degumming process of crude vegetable oils. Since the nineteenth century, this by-product of oil processing has been used as a food and pharmaceutical ingredient. Lecithins' popularity as an ingredient in the pharmaceutical and food industries arises from their particular properties, such as their hydrophilic-lipophilic balance, critical micellar concentration, and assembly properties. However, there is limited knowledge of the use of lecithins to formulate pharmaceutical- and food-grade microemulsions. Unlike conventional emulsions, microemulsions are thermodynamically stable systems that offer long-term stability. Besides, microemulsions show nano-sized droplets, transparency, ease of preparation and scale-up, and do not require expensive equipment. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of lecithins, their properties, and their use in formulating microemulsions, a promising method to incorporate, protect, and deliver bioactive compounds in pharmaceutical and food products. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Lecithins are a phospholipid-rich mixture recovered from the degumming process of crude vegetable oils. Since the nineteenth century, this by-product of oil processing has been used as a food ingredient. Lecithin phospholipids are commonly used as emulsifier agents in the food and pharmaceutical industries because of their particular properties. However, there is limited knowledge of the use of lecithins to formulate pharmaceutical- or food-grade microemulsions. Unlike conventional emulsions, microemulsions are stable systems that offer long-term stability, nano-sized droplets, transparency, ease of preparation and scale-up, and do not require expensive equipment. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of lecithins, their properties, and their use in formulating microemulsions, a promising method to incorporate, protect, and deliver bioactive compounds such as vitamins, flavors, antioxidants, nutrients, colors, antimicrobials, and polyphenols.

Effect of Maltodextrin and Temperature on Micellar Behavior of Bile Salts in Aqueous Medium: Conductometric and Spectrofluorimetric Studies

Conductivity and fluorescence probe techniques have been employed to study the micellar behavior of bile salts i.e. sodium cholate (1–20 mmol⋅kg−1) and sodium deoxycholate (0.5–10.0 mmol⋅kg−1) in aqueous solutions of maltodextrin (0.0, 0.5, 1.1, and 1.6 mmol⋅kg−1) at different temperatures. The influence of maltodextrin on the micellization behavior of bile salts has been determined in terms of critical micelle concentration (CMC) values obtained from conductivity measurement. The variation in CMC values has been discussed by considering the alteration in the hydrophobic environment of maltodextrin-sodium cholate/sodium deoxycholate complex imparted by the carbohydrate molecules. In order to substantiate the CMC values determined from conductivity method, the fluorescence probe study of aqueous sodium cholate and sodium deoxycholate solutions in presence of fluorescent, pyrene has also been carried. The CMC values obtained from both techniques are in full agreement with each other. Moreover, application of charged pseudo-phase separation model has been made to discuss the thermodynamics of the system.

Effect of submicellar concentrations of conjugated and unconjugated bile salts on the lipid bilayer membrane

The interaction of submicellar concentrations of various physiologically important unconjugated [sodium deoxycholate (NaDC), sodium cholate (NaC)] and conjugated [sodium glycodeoxycholate (NaGDC), sodium glycocholate (NaGC), sodium taurodeoxycholate (NaTDC), sodium taurocholate (NaTC)] bile salts with dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) small unilamellar vesicles in solid gel (SG) and liquid crystalline (LC) phases was investigated using the excited-state prototropism of 1-naphthol. Steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence of the two excited-state prototropic forms of 1-naphthol indicate that submicellar bile salt concentration induces hydration of the lipid bilayer membrane into the core region. This hydration effect is a general phenomenon of the bile salts studied. The bilayer hydration efficiency of the bile salt follows the order NaDC > NaC > NaGDC > NaTDC > NaGC > NaTC for both DPPC and DMPC vesicles in their SG and LC phases.

Hydrophobicity and haemolytic potential of oxo derivatives of cholic, deoxycholic and chenodeoxycholic acids

The objective of this work was to study the effect of structure of bile acids on their membranolytic potential and extent of overlapping of the information about the membranolytic potential of bile acids and their physico-chemical parameters, namely: retention index R(M0) (as a measure of bile acid hydrophobicity, reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography (RPTLC)), lecithin solubilisation (measure of the interaction of bile acids with phospholipids) and critical micellar concentration (CMC). It was found that bile acid concentrations at 100% lysis of erythrocyte membranes is described best by their CMC values, whereas at 50% lysis the parameter used is lecithin solubilisation. This indicates that different mixed micelles are formed in the membrane lysis at lower and higher concentrations of bile acids. Replacement of the hydroxyl (OH) group in the bile acid molecule with an oxo group yields derivatives with lowered hydrophobicity, power of lecithin solubilisation, tendency for self-aggregation as well as the membranolytic activity.