LIPIDS

Characteristics of Lipids
 Composed of Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen
 Greater than 2:1 ratio of H:O
 Includes fats, oils, phospholipids, and cholesterol
 Building blocks are fatty acids and glycerol.
 Energy storage molecules
 Phospholipids part of cell membrane
DIVERSE GROUP OF HYDROPHBIC
MOLECULES
 Lipids are the one class of large biological molecules that
do not form polymers
 The unifying feature of lipids is having little or no affinity
for water
 Lipids are hydrophobic becausethey consist mostly of
hydrocarbons, which form nonpolar covalent bonds
 The most biologically important lipids are fats,
phospholipids, and steroids
 Fatty Acid Structure

•Carboxyl group (COOH) forms the acid.

•“R” group is a hydrocarbon chain.
 FATS & FATTY ACID
 Fats are constructed from two types of smaller molecules:
glycerol and fatty acids
 Glycerol is a three-carbon alcohol with a hydroxyl group
attached to each carbon
 A fatty acid consists of a carboxyl group attached to a long
carbon skeleton
A Representative Fatty Acid
 Unsaturated
Fatty Acid

Saturated
Fatty Acid
Glycerol
Synthesis of a Triglyceride
Figure 5.10

Fatty acid
(in this case, palmitic acid)

Glycerol
(a) One of three dehydration reactions in the synthesis of a fat

Ester linkage

(b) Fat molecule (triacylglycerol)

Figure 5.10a

Fatty acid
(in this case, palmitic acid)

Glycerol
(a) One of three dehydration reactions in the synthesis of a fat
 • Fats separate from water because water molecules
form hydrogen bonds with each other and exclude
the fats
• In a fat, three fatty acids are joined to glycerol by an
ester linkage, creating a triacylglycerol, or
triglyceride

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Figure 5.10b

Ester linkage

(b) Fat molecule (triacylglycerol)

  Fatty acids vary in length (number of carbons)
and in the number and locations of double bonds
 Saturated fatty acids have the maximum
number of hydrogen atoms possible and no
double bonds
 Unsaturated fatty acids have one or more
double bonds

Animation: Fats
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Figure 5.11

(b) Unsaturated fat

(a) Saturated fat

Structural
formula of a
saturated fat
molecule
Structural
formula of an
unsaturated fat
molecule
Space-filling
model of stearic
acid, a saturated
fatty acid Space-filling model
of oleic acid, an
unsaturated fatty
acid
Cis double bond
causes bending.
Figure 5.11a
(a) Saturated fat

Structural
formula of a
saturated fat
molecule

Space-filling
model of stearic
acid, a saturated
fatty acid
Figure 5.11b
(b) Unsaturated fat

Structural
formula of an
unsaturated fat
molecule

Space-filling model
of oleic acid, an
unsaturated fatty
acid
Cis double bond
causes bending.
Figure 5.11c
Figure 5.11d
  Fats made from saturated fatty acids are called
saturated fats, and are solid at room
temperature
 Most animal fats are saturated
 Fats made from unsaturated fatty acids are
called unsaturated fats or oils, and are liquid at
room temperature
 Plant fats and fish fats are usually unsaturated

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  A diet rich in saturated fats may contribute to
cardiovascular disease through plaque deposits
 Hydrogenation is the process of converting
unsaturated fats to saturated fats by adding
hydrogen
 Hydrogenating vegetable oils also creates
unsaturated fats with trans double bonds
 These trans fats may contribute more than
saturated fats to cardiovascular disease

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  Certain unsaturated fatty acids are not
synthesized in the human body
 These must be supplied in the diet
 These essential fatty acids include the omega-3
fatty acids, required for normal growth, and
thought to provide protection against
cardiovascular disease

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  The major function of fats is energy storage
 Humans and other mammals store their fat in
adipose cells
 Adipose tissue also cushions vital organs and
insulates the body

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Triglycerides & Obesity
What's the difference between triglycerides and
cholesterol?
 Triglycerides and cholesterol are separate types of
lipids that circulate in your blood. Triglycerides
store unused calories and provide your body with
energy, and cholesterol is used to build cells and
certain hormones. Because triglycerides and
cholesterol can't dissolve in blood, they circulate
throughout your body with the help of proteins
that transport the lipids (lipoproteins).
Why do high triglycerides matter?

 Although it's unclear how, high triglycerides may

contribute to hardening of the arteries or
thickening of the artery walls (atherosclerosis) —
which increases the risk of stroke, heart attack and
heart disease.
 Extremely high triglycerides — for example, levels
above 1000 mg/dL (11.29 mmol/L) — can also cause
acute pancreatitis.
Triglycerides & Obesity
 High triglycerides are often a sign of other conditions
that increase the risk of heart disease and stroke as
well, including obesity and metabolic syndrome — a
cluster of conditions that includes too much fat
around the waist, high blood pressure, high
triglycerides, high blood sugar and abnormal
cholesterol levels.
Triglycerides & Obesity
 Sometimes high triglycerides are a sign of poorly
controlled type 2 diabetes, low levels of thyroid
hormones (hypothyroidism), liver or kidney
disease, or rare genetic conditions that affect how
your body converts fat to energy. High triglycerides
could also be a side effect of taking medications
such as beta blockers, birth control pills, diuretics
or steroids.
A Phospholipid
 Phospholipids
 Each Phospholipid molecule consists of glycerol and
two fatty acids.
 Attached to one of the –OH groups of glycerol is a
phosphate group and often to that a nitrogen-
containing group, such as choline.
 This Phosphate “head” is water soluble, whereas the
two fatty acids are not soluble in water.
 This makes the molecule have a hydrophilic (“water-
liking”) region and a hydrophobic (“water-hating”)
region.
Phospholipids
 Phospholipids
If in contact with
water, a single layer
of Phospholipids
will either form a
layer on top of the
water or will form
tiny spheres with
hydrophilic heads
attracted to water
and the
hydrophobic tails in
the centre.
 Functions of Triglycerides
 One of the very important functions of triglycerides and,
even more so, the related phospholipids is that they
contribute to the structure of membranes by the
formation of a lipid bilayer.
 The membranes serve as a barrier to keep separate the
inside of a cell and the outside of a cell. The triglycerides
and the phospholipids help to achieve this by having the
polar head of the molecule facing the inside of the cell as
well as the outside of the cell and then the nonpolar fatty
acid portions of the molecules tend to dissolve into one
another and form a mix that is resistant to water, thus
keeping the solution of the inside of the cell inside
restricting the flow of water and things to the outside of
the cell and vice versa.
 Functions of Triglycerides cont’d
 Cell membranes made in this way are not rigid. They are, in fact,
quite fluid and that is of considerable value to the cells. Of
course things do need to get from the outside of the cell to the
inside and from the inside to the outside. So, built into these
lipid bilayers are other kinds of molecules, such as proteins,
which will span from the inside to the outside and allow for the
conduction of chemicals into and out of the cell.

Other Functions
 They provide some protection against shock.
 They also provide thermal insulation.
 In foods they provide flavor and palatability.
 Also, of course, they are used as a source of energy.
 Functions of Phospholipids
 Act as building blocks of the biological cell
membranes in virtually all organisms
 Participate in the transduction of biological signals
across the membrane.
 Act as efficient store of energy as with triglycerides.
Play an important role in the transport of fat between
gut and liver in mammalian digestion.
 An important source of acetylcholine which is the
most commonly occurring neurotransmitter substance
occurring in mammals.