Bile salt-dependent lipase

  • CAS Number: 9026-00-0

Bile salt-activated lipase (BAL) (also: carboxyl ester lipase gene name: CEL ) is the lipase, which splits the received food cholesterol ester in the small intestine of mammals in long chain fatty acids and cholesterol. BAL is formed in pancreatic acinar cells and in breast milk. Mutations in the CEL gene can cause enzyme deficiency and this is a form of hereditary diabetes mellitus.

Medical the cholesterol lowering effect of statins is at least partially due to inhibition of BAL. The use of the fat in BAL sensors for the food industry was investigated several times. A further application in the paper industry have been proposed.

Catalyzed reaction

In addition to the cleavage of BAL sterol esters is able to degrade diglycerides to triglycerides and fatty acids. The activity of the BAL is greatly increased by the bile salts cholate, chenodeoxycholate and their adducts with glycine or taurine, as well as by dimerization.

In the infant the BAL splits also monoglycerides into glycerol and fatty acids, which constitutes the final step in the digestion of milk fats. It is unclear whether this function in adults has a meaning.

Protein isoform Human Genome Organisation CAS registry number Cholesteryl ester Cholic acid Chenodeoxycholic acid Digital Object Identifier Biochimica et Biophysica Acta
359564
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