Abstract
Summary
The effect of a plant sterols preparation on the solubility of cholesterol in various triglycerides at several levels of cholesterol concentration was studied. At cholesterol levels between one-half and full saturation cholesterol and the plant sterols preparation compete for solubility sites in the triglycerides. At cholesterol levels below one-half of saturation the dissolved plant sterols are without effect on the solubility of cholesterol but in the presence of excess, undissolved plant sterols preparation the concentration of cholesterol in solution is reduced, perhaps by adsorption on the undissolved plant sterols or by the formation of mixed crystals of cholesterol and the plant sterols. These studies furnish further evidence for the suggestion, previously made, that cholesterol at saturation in triglycerides is present in two states of dispersion; one form from one-half to full saturation that yields insoluble clathrates with appropriate dicarboxylic acid or imidazole and now appears to compete with the plant sterols preparation for solubility sites, and a second form from zero to one-half saturation that does not yield clathrates and does not appear to compete with the plant sterols.
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