MODULE 3:

Lipids
General Functions
1. Storage fuels (stored in unlimited amounts)

2. Paddings & insulators for internal organs

3. Building materials for active materials

4. Nervous system components

5. Utilization of fat soluble vitamins

6. Membranes and organelles

Lipids
• Biopolymers related by their physical rather
than chemical properties.

Esters of long chain fatty acids and fatty

alcohols
Principal stored forms of energy

Fats
• Esters of saturated fatty acids with fatty alcohols
Fixed Oils
• Esters of unsaturated fatty acids with fatty
alcohols
Waxes
• Esters of fatty acids with high molecular weight
monohydric alcohols.
Fatty Alcohols
Complex Lipids
• Contain other groups in addition to the alcohol
and the fatty acid.

Phospholipids
• Contain fatty acids, glycerol or
sphingol/sphingosine, PO43- , and nitrogenous
compounds
• Basic unit: Phosphatidic Acid
• Major component of cell membranes
e.g. glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids

Glycolipids/Glycosphingolipids
• Contain fatty acids, sphingol and carbohydrates
Phosphatidic Acid
Phospholipids
Lecithin
• Most abundant phospholipid of the cell
membrane
Cephalin
• Essential for blood clotting.
 Phospholipases
PLA1 or PLA2
gives lyso-
phospholipids

PLC gives
diacylglycerol

PLD gives
phosphatidate

Other important phospholipids:

Phosphatidylinositol – Precursor for secondary messengers
Phosphatidylglycerol – Precursor for cardiolipins, the major
lipids of the mitochondria
Fatty Acids
• Building blocks for lipids
• Obtained from hydrolysis of fats
• Biosynthesized from acetyl CoA
Saturated fatty acids:
• Regular carboxylic acids
• Even number of C atoms
• Impart high melting points
Unsaturated fatty acids:
• Can be monounsaturated and
polyunsaturated
• Impart low melting points
O
CH2 CH2 CH2 CH CH2 CH2 CH2 C
H3C CH2 CH2 CH CH2 CH2 CH2 CH2 OH
Unsaturated Fatty Acids
Palmitoleic Acid Δ9 16:1 or 16:1;9 or ω7, C16:1
or n-7, 16:1
Oleic Acid Δ9 18:1 – most abundant
Linoleic Acid Δ9,12 18:2 - dietary precursor for
arachidonic acid
Linolenic Acid Δ9,12,15 18:3
Arachidonic Acid Δ5,8,11,14 20:4 - precursor for
eicosanoids
Timnodonic Acid Δ5,8,11,14,17 20:5 - important
component of fish oils
Cervonic Acid Δ4,7,10,13,16,19 22:6 - important
component of fish oils
Essential Fatty Acids
• Must be provided in the diet and deficiency
can cause growth retardation and other
derangements.
• Linoleic and Linolenic Acid
Functions:
1. Structural elements
2. Eicosanoidal synthesis
3. Decrease cholesterol levels
4. Prolong clotting time
5. Fibrinolytic activity
6. Deficiency causes cirrhosis, eczema-like
dermatitis arterial wall degeneration
Fat Alcohols
1. Glycerol/Glycerin
• Simplest trihydric alcohol
ID Test: Acrolein Test (heating with KHSO4)
(+) pungent odor

2. Sterols – ALL have a CPPP ring

• Occur as unsaponifiable matter in lipid samples
• Synthesized from Acetyl-CoA

Other Sterols

1. 7-dehydrocholesterol
Present in skin; precursor for vitamin D3

2. Ergosterol
Present in fungi; precursor for vitamin D2
Other Sterols
3. Stigmasterol/Phytosterol/Sitosterol
Present in plants; no nutritional value but
appears to decrease blood cholesterol

Chemical Tests for Sterols

1. Liebermann-Burchard Test (Acetic Acid-Sulfuric
Acid Test)
(+) red → blue → bluish green colored solution

2. Salkowski Test (Sulfuric Acid Test)

(+) bluish red → cherry red and purple color of
CHCl3 layer, green fluorescence in the acid
layer
Fates of Cholesterol
1. Converted to Bile Acids (predominant)

Bile Acids are:

a. are emulsifiers of dietary fats for easier attack by
lipases
b. inc. absorption of fatty acids
c. inc. utilization of fat soluble vitamins
d. keep cholesterol in solution inside the gall bladder
2. Converted to 7-dehydrocholesterol and coprosterol

3. Essential for biosynthesis of steroidal hormones

(adrenocortical and gonadal hormones)

4. In the plant kingdom, it is essential for the biosynthesis

of sitosterols, some alkaloids and cardiac glycosides
Digestion and Absorption of Dietary
Lipids
• Cholesterol
• Triacylglycerol → Monoacylglycerol + 2 F.A.’s
• Phospholipid → Lysophospholipid + F.A.
• Particles emulsified by bile acids and transported
into the intestinal cell

Chylomicrons – Dietary TAGs to peripheral tissues

VLDL – TAGs to peripheral tissues
LDL – Cholesterol to peripheral tissues
HDL – Cholesterol from tissues to the liver
Cholelithiasis