Myricetin, a flavonoid found in the plant kingdom, has previously been identified as a food molecule with beneficial effects against obesity. This property has been related with its potential to inhibit lipase, the enzyme responsible for fat digestion. In this study, we investigate the interaction between myricetin and lipase under simplified intestinal conditions from a colloidal point of view. The results show that myricetin form aggregates in aqueous medium and under simplified intestinal condition, where it was found that lipase is in its monomeric form. Although lipase inhibition by myricetin at a molecular level has been reported previously, the results of this study suggest that myricetin aggregates inhibit lipase by a sequestering mechanism as well. The size of these aggregates was determined to be in the range of a few nm to >200 nm.
Keywords: intestinal conditions; lipase inhibition; myricetin aggregates; sequestering mechanism.