Micellization of bile salts in aqueous medium: a fluorescence study

Owing to the physiological importance of the micellization process of bile salts, the critical micelle concentration (CMC) becomes a fundamental parameter in the evaluation of their biological activities. The present study suggests fluorescence probing, using 1,6-diphenylhexatriene (DPH), as a simple, convenient, sensitive and economic method for monitoring the micellization process of bile salts in aqueous medium. Three independent parameters: fluorescence intensity, anisotropy and lifetime of DPH have been employed successfully for determining the CMC of two bile salts, sodium deoxycholate (NaDC) and sodium cholate (NaC), in aqueous medium. The CMC values reported by all the above three parameters of DPH are found to be same and it is 16 mM for NaC and 6 mM for NaDC at 25 degrees C in unbuffered solution. The effect of temperature and ionic strength on the micellization process has also been investigated employing DPH as a fluorescent probe. Increasing temperature leads to the formation of fluffier micelles with less rigid interior for both NaC and NaDC. The micelle core of NaC is less perturbed by the presence of NaCl whereas in case of NaDC, the aggregates provide DPH a more nonpolar and rigid environment in presence of NaCl than that in absence of salt.