FATTY ACIDS &

LIPIDS
 What are Fatty Acids?

• Molecules that have:

• long hydrocarbon chain (hydrophobic)

• terminal carboxylate group (hydrophilic)

 Roles of Fatty Acids

• Fuel source of the cells

• Building blocks of cell membrane (i.e. phospholipids)

• Modify proteins by direct attachment of fatty acids

• Building blocks of hormones and other messenger

molecules
 Fatty Acid Metabolism

• Consists of the following steps:

• Breakdown process (oxidation)

• Synthesis process

• Reverse of one another

 Breakdown Process

• Consists of 4 steps:

• Oxidation 1

• Hydration

• Oxidation 2

• Cleavage
 Breakdown process in
summary…

• Oxidative process

• involves extracting electrons

• cleave a sigma-bond to shorten the fatty acid chain by

two carbons

• Each cycle of oxidation removes two C

Breakdown Oxidation 1

• Involves the extraction of electrons

• Removal of H atoms from two C in the chain

• Forms a pi-bond (double bond)

Oxidation 1 forms a pi-bond
 Breakdown Hydration

• To attach a hydroxyl group (OH) in one of the carbons to

break the pi-bond

• Result: presence of an alcohol group

Breakdown Oxidation 2

• Involves extraction of
electrons

• Transform the attached

alcohol group into a
carbonyl group
 Breakdown: Cleavage
Process

• Coenzyme A cleaves
the bond between the
two carbonyl groups
to form two product
molecules
Acetyl group vs Acyl group

• Acetyl group has two carbons in its chain + Co-A unit

• Acyl group still has a fully saturated carbon chain which

can continue the process of breakdown to form more
acetyl units
 Use of acetyl units

• Acetyl units can now enter the

Citric Acid Cycle to generate
ATP
 Summary

• Oxidative process that

• releases an activated acetyl-

CoA unit

• shortening the hydrocarbon

chain by two C

• supplies the needed Acetyl-

CoA required in the Kreb’s
Cycle to generate ATP
 Fatty Acid Synthesis

• Enough ATP has been formed

• Build needed fatty acids for hormone synthesis

• Build fatty acids required for cell membrane formation

 Synthesis
Mirror-image reactions
TRIGLYCERIDES
Storage form of fatty acids
What are triglycerides?

• FA serves as fuel molecules

that are stored in the form of
triglycerides (or
triacylglycerols)

• Consists of:

• 3 fatty acid chains

• 1 glycerol
TRGLY as stored energy

• Carbohydrate storage is used

up within 24 hours

• Triglycerides can sustain the

cell’s needs for several weeks

• Triglycerides are used up

when the readily available
sources of energy are used up
(carbohydrates, including
glucose)
 What makes TGLY ideal for
this purpose?
• Highly reduced molecules

• they can undergo many

cycles of oxidation to
produce a large number of
molecules for ATP

• Anhydrous (free of water)

• Water molecules will not

easily associate with them

• Results to having a more

concentrated form
 TGLY v.s. Glycogen

• Glycogen has glucose

subunits

• glucose has hydroxyl

groups

• OH groups tend to be
soluble in water

• Less concentrated form of

energy storage
 Storage Sites

• Adipose cells (fat cells)

• store most of the TGLY

within the cytoplasm

• TGLY aggregate together

into fat globules inside the
cytoplasm

• Specialized muscle cells

Digestion, Absorption
and Transport
Triglycerides in the Body

• Majority of the fats we ingest are in

the form of triglycerides

• anhydrous (insoluble in water)

• aggregate as fat globules when

TGLY reach the lumen of the
small intestine (it is an aqueous
environment)
 Action of the Pancreas

• The pancreas secretes the enzyme lipase

• proteolytic enzyme

• responsible in cleaving the ester bonds within the triacylglycerol

• result: monoglyceride + fatty acid chains

• Our cells can only take in monoacyglycerols and fatty acid units
The Lumen’s environment is
troublesome
• Lumen = aqueous

• TGLY = revert into big fat

globules

• Lipase cannot easily reach the

inner TGLY inside the
molecule

• The fat globule structure must

be breached

• HOW?
 Liver’s role

• Liver uses cholesterol molecules that produces bile salts

• Bile salts are stored in the gall bladder

• Bile salts emulsify (breakdown) fat globules into smaller

constituents
 Nature of bile salts

• Amphipathic molecules

• enables them to associate

with the hydrophilic part of
the lumen and the
hydrophobic nature of fat
globules
 What happens next?
• Fat globules are acted upon
by bile salts

• Bile salts emulsify these into

separate TGLY

• TGLY is acted upon by

lipase

• FA & monoglycerides are

emulsified further into
micelles

• They enter the small

intestine

• Inside the cell, the FA are

resythesized back into TGLY

• WHY? Because TGLY

need to reach target cells
(adipose/muscle cells)
Chylomicrons
• TGLY are placed into carrier
molecules called chylomicrons

• CHYL are carrier proteins

made up of many
substances, but 90% of it is
TGLY

• CHYL then enter the lymphatic

system into the bloodstream
 HOMEWORK
• Explain the difference between:

• Saturated fatty acids v.s. unsaturated fatty acids

• Monounsaturated fatty acids v.s. polyunsaturated fatty

acids

• Cis-fatty acid v.s. Trans-fatty acid

• Create an info-graph for each (a total of 3 documents) via

PIKTOCHART (https://piktochart.com/ )

• Upload all three in MB (due SUNDAY, NOV. 12 @ 4:00 P.M.)