WETTABILITY OF CHOLESTEROL BY BILE-SALT SOLUTIONS

Interfacial interactions between bile salt solutions, sodium cholate ( NaC), sodium deoxycholate (NaDC), and sodium chenodeoxycholate (NaCDC) (in the concentration range 5 X 10(-5) to 5 X 10(-2) M), and the chol esterol surface (both bare and precontacted with bile salt solutions) are evaluated on the basis of the knowledge of the surface free energy components of both cholesterol and bile salt solutions. By use of the se components, the contact angles are estimated and compared to experi mental ones. It was found that large changes in the wettability of the cholesterol surface took place when the surface was in contact with s olutions in which micelles were present. Calculations suggest that mic elles adsorbed on the cholesterol surface are hydrated.