Opening image: cholesterol. The large nonpolar surface means that cholesterol is insoluble in aqueous solutions. (The limit of detection of free cholesterol molecules in solution is 10^-8 M.)

You may be surprised to learn that a molecule, beta-cyclodextrin, built from glucose, is able to extract substantial amounts cholesterol from mammalian cell membranes into a water-soluble cyclodextrin-cholesterol complex.