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Bile is an important player in the digestive system largely because it helps to digest fats.
In the gut, fats exist as relatively large globs that cannot be absorbed. To prepare fats for absorption, they must first be broken down into their component parts. An enzyme called lipase ("lip-", fat; "-ase", break down) is capable of breaking down the large fat globs. However, lipase acting by itself would be very inefficient because these large fat globs have a very low surface area-to-volume ratio. This means that the globs have a lot of fat in them, but not much surface for lipase to work on. Lipase can only act efficiently on fat globs with high surface area-to-volume ratios.
This is where bile comes in. The major players in bile that help achieve a high surface area-to-volume ratio are called bile salts. Bile salts are amphipathic -- they have both water-soluble (hydrophilic) and water-insoluble (hydrophobic) regions. The water-soluble regions are repelled from fats, but the water-insoluble regions are strongly attracted to fats in the gut. This arrangement allows bile salts to associated with one part of the fat glob and then cause the region nearby to break off. Bile salts do this by forming a spherical structure around globs of fat in the gut; this spherical structure (in combination with a few other proteins that get added to it) is called a micelle.
By forming micelles, bile salts break up (or emulsify) large fat particles into smaller ones. The proteins associated with the micelle also attract the digestive enzyme lipase, which breaks down the fats inside the micelle into their component parts for absorption in the gut.
Read more: How_does_bile_help_in_digestion
What else can I help you with?
What nutrient acts as a helper in many different chemical reactions in the body?
Vitamins. They are known as co-enzymes.
What acts as biological catalysts?
enzymes acts as biological catalyst.
What nutrient acts as helper molecules in many different chemicals reactions within the body?
Vitamins. They are known as co-enzymes.
What acts as biochemical catalysts in the body?
Enzymes.
This is the material or substance on which an enzyme acts?
The material or substance on which an enzyme acts is called a substrate. Enzymes bind to their specific substrate molecules to catalyze a biochemical reaction, resulting in the creation of products. This process allows enzymes to speed up reactions within cells and facilitate various biological processes.
What are Enzymes are responsible for?
Enzyme, a substance that acts as a catalyst in living organisms, regulating the rate at which chemical reactions proceed without itself being altered in the process.
The vitamin that acts as a coenzyme for transaminase enzymes is?
The vitamin that acts as a coenzyme for transaminase enzymes is vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine. Vitamin B6 plays a crucial role in amino acid metabolism by facilitating the transfer of amino groups between different amino acids.
What is the difference between an enzyme and a protein?
An enzyme is a type of protein that acts as a catalyst in chemical reactions, speeding up the process. While all enzymes are proteins, not all proteins are enzymes. Proteins have various functions in the body, such as providing structure and support, while enzymes specifically facilitate chemical reactions.
What term describes a biological substance that acts as a catalyst?
enzymes
Why are enzymes needed to control chemical reactions in cells?
it acts as a catalyst
What are monomeric enzymes?
those enzymes which contain only one polypeptide chain in which the active site resides are known as monomeric enzyme .the grop has relatively small number of hydolytic enzymes which take part in digestion. most monomeric enzymes are synthesized as inactive molecules known as zymogen granules which become activated under different agents.
Is it true that enzymes are a protein that acts as a biological catalyst?
Yes; enzymes can be simple or complex molecules that serve to catalyze biological reactions.
