Dictionary > Chyle

Chyle

Definition
noun, plural: chyles
A body fluid in the small intestine, containing mainly of emulsified fats and aids in the digestion
Supplement
The chyle is a body fluid in the small intestine. It is turbid and milky due to the presence of emulsified fats. The chyle is formed from the chyme during the digestion of fatty foods.
During the digestion of dietary fat, bile is discharged from the gallbladder into the duodenum to emulsify the lipids. The bile salts, in particular, aggregate around the droplets of lipids and form micelles. This prevents fat droplets from aggregating into larger fat particles. The fat particles are then hydrolyzed by lipases, resulting in a mixture of fatty acids (e.g. monoglycerides). These fatty acids are re-esterified inside the enterocytes (i.e. absorptive cells in the small intestine) to become triglycerides. Triglycerides bound to phospholipids, chlosterol ester, and apolipoprotein B48 form chylomicrons. Chylomicrons, in turn, are taken up by the lacteals to form chyle. The chyle is then transported into the lymphatic system, and finally into the venous circulation at the thoracic duct in the neck.
Word origin: Gk, chylos, juice
Synonym(s):

  • chylus

See also:

  • chyme
  • Related term(s):

    Related form(s):

  • chylous (adjective)


  • You will also like...

    vitamins
    A Balanced Vitamin Diet – Vitamins A – K

    A balanced diet is essential to a healthy organism. Insufficiency or too much of a particular element or compound, such ..

    Control of body movement
    Control of Body Movement

    Some of the body movements can be controlled at will, others cannot. The body has a motor program, which is the pattern ..

    Biological Energy
    ATP & ADP – Biological Energy

    ATP is the energy source that is typically used by an organism in its daily activities. The name is based on its structu..

    Water Cycle
    The Water Cycle

    The water cycle (also referred to as the hydrological cycle) is a system of continuous transfer of water from the air, s..

    Stem
    Stems

    Stems primarily provide plants structural support. This tutorial includes lectures on the external form of a woody twig ..

    Homeostatic Mechanisms and Cellular Communication
    Homeostatic Mechanisms and Cellular Communication

    Homeostasis is the relatively stable conditions of the internal environment that result from compensatory regulatory res..

    Related Articles...

    No related articles found

    See all Related Topics