Where Are Micelles Located?

Micelles are essentially small aggregates (4-8 nm in diameter) of mixed lipids and bile acids suspended within the ingesta. As the ingesta is mixed, micelles bump into the brush border of small intestinal enterocytes, and the lipids, including monoglyceride and fatty acids, are taken up into the epithelial cells.

Where is micelles stored?

It passes through the enterocyte with the other lipids of the micelle and is ultimately stored in the liver.

Where do micelles come from?

Micelles are formed by self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules. The structures contain hydrophilic/polar region (head) and hydrophobic/nonpolar region (tail) [1]. Micelles are formed in aqueous solution whereby the polar region faces the outside surface of the micelle and the nonpolar region forms the core.