Micelle formation of sodium deoxycholate and sodium ursodeoxycholate (part 1).

Micellization of sodium deoxycholate (NaDC) and sodium ursodeoxycholate (NaUDC) was studied for the critical micelle concentration (CMC), the micelle aggregation number, and the degree of counterion binding to micelle, where sodium cholate (NaC) was used as a reference. The fluorescence probe technique of pyrene was employed to determine accurately the CMC values for the bile salts, which indicated that a certain concentration range of CMC and a stepwise aggregation for micellization were reasonable. The temperature dependences of micellization for NaDC and NaUDC were studied at 288.2, 298.2, 308.2, and 318.2 K by aqueous solubility change with solution pH. Aggregations of the bile salt anions were analyzed using the stepwise association model and found to grow in size with increasing concentration, which confirmed that the mass action model worked quite well. The average aggregation number was found to be 2.5 (NaUDC) and 10.5 (NaDC) at the concentration of 20 mM and at 308.2 K. The aggregation number determined by static light scattering also agreed well with those by the solubility method in the order of size: NaUDC<NaC<NaDC at 308.2 K. The results indicated that the location of the OH group at C-7 and its orientation were the most important factors from the viewpoint of chemical structure for the growth of micelles. The activity measurement for sodium ions was made by a sodium ion selective electrode in order to confirm the low counterion binding to micelles and the validity of the present association model of bile salts, but the model did not hold good for NaDC at higher concentrations.