ABSTRACT
This chapter examines two main aspects of the villus cell membranes, namely composition and metabolism and/or function. It focuses on the lipid composition of the various membranes in an attempt to determine the role of the membrane lipids in the fat absorption process. Studies of mucosal scrapings may therefore give only an obscure idea about the composition, structure, and function of the enterocyte lipids. Most of the neutral glycerol esters and free fatty acids are components of fat transport of the enterocytes, while free cholesterol is also a major component of the subcellular membranes. The chapter deals with compositional studies at the tissue and cellular level, involving whole mucosal scrapings of the small intestine and preparations of isolated villus cells, and also deals with analyses performed on several subcellular membrane fractions derived from these cells. It explores a consideration of the metabolic and functional changes in the villus cell membranes during fat absorption.
