FIGURE 7.

Structure and organization of lutein ND. A lutein ND particle is depicted showing a disk-shaped phospholipid bilayer with integrated lutein molecules (yellow dots). The disk is circumscribed by apolipoprotein scaffold molecules which contact otherwise solvent exposed phospholipid fatty acyl chains at the edge of the bilayer. In the expanded view, a plausible spatial orientation of lutein, with respect to the phospholipid bilayer, is presented. In this depiction lutein aligns parallel to phospholipid fatty acyl chains, such that its two hydroxyl moieties remain solvated, each localizing near phospholipid polar head groups at the aqueous interface.