Assessment of Lipase Activity in Pancreatic Extracts - Essay Example

(Sizer, Piche and Whitney 2011). It binds the fat molecules on one end and the watery compounds on the other end. On binding to the fat, they form micelles. This process is called emulsification. Bile salts are the derivatives of cholesterol having both hydrophobic and hydrophilic domains. (Madenci and Egelhaaf 2010).The bile breaks down the large aggregates of triglycerides by binding them with the hydrophobic ends and separating the molecules from the aggregates. (Jenkins and Hardie, 2008).

The droplets become smaller and smaller by binding to the bile. When the food enters the small intestine, the gall bladder contracts and sends the bile into the intestine. The gall bladder stores the end products of liver including bile salts. Pancreas is a long fat gland that is present behind the stomach and opposite to the first lumbar vertebra. Pancreas is made up of glandular epithelial cells. The clusters contain the acini cells called as acinar cells. (Williams 2001). Pancreas consists of a head, body and tail.

Pancreas is connected to the duodenum by two ducts. Pancreas is the gland that contains both exocrine and endocrine parts. It has the retort shaped flask. It is 12-15 cm in length and weighs 90 grams. Every day pancreas produces 1200 – 1500 ml of pancreatic juice. (Pandol 2010). . The exocrine pancreas secretes a juice containing two components: they are pancreatic enzymes and aqueous alkaline solution. The pancreatic enzymes are secreted by the acinar tissue containing the acini epithelial cells.

(Williams 2001). The pancreatic enzymes are very important for our body because they can digest almost all the components of the food without the requirement of other enzymes. The aqueous water component is rich in sodium bicarbonate. The pancreatic enzymes are pancreatic amylase, pancreatic lipase, trypsin, chymotrypsin, carboxypeptidase, ribonuclease and deoxyribonulcease. The protein digestive enzymes are produced in the inactive form only. (Pandol 2010). Pancreatic lipases are the only enzyme that can digest the fat.

The pancreatic lipase digests the triglycerides into mono glycerides and free fatty acids. The pancreas enzymes are very active in the neutral pH which is provided by the aqueous alkaline solution. Lipase binds to the oil-water interface of the triglyceride water droplet and hydrolyzes the triglyceride. (Sherwood 2008). Bile acids and colipase are very important for the complete lipase activity. Bile acids increase the surface area for the action of the lipase enzyme. They form micelles with the fatty acid and monoglycerides.

By this action the glycerides are removed from the oil-water interface. (Pandol, 2010). The triglycerides are now converted into mono glycerides, free fatty acids and glycerol. These molecules are not absorbed directly by the mucus lining of the digestive tract. The mucus lining have aqueous environment and glycerides are hydrophobic. (Reis et al. 2009). The bile salts shuttles the lipid molecules and enters the adsorptive cells of the intestinal villi. These cells are now