LIPIDS

• are organic molecules that contain hydrocarbons and make up the building blocks of the structure and
function of living cells it is also used by cells as long-term energy storage they are hydrophobic and
insoluble in water because they have hydrocarbon chains that are nonpolar and repellent to water.

FUNCTIONS OF LIPIDS in the body

• They store energy in the body.

o mainly utilized during starvation, fasting, or bodily exercise.
• They are part of structural components of cells, such as cell membranes
o For example, phospholipids are structural components in the cell membrane.
• They play a role in insulation
o This helps prevent heat loss and keep the body warm during the cold seasons.
• They cushion delicate internal organs such as the heart
o Within the body there are two types of fat - VISCERAL and SUBCUTANEOUS.
o Visceral fat, surrounds vital organs such as the heart, kidneys, and liver.
o Subcutaneous fat, or fat underneath the skin, insulates the body from extreme temperatures
and helps keep the internal climate under control
• Transporting
o Fat-soluble nutrients are important for good health and exhibit a variety of functions.
o Vitamins A, D, E, and K—the fat-soluble vitamins—are mainly found in foods containing fat.
• Regulating and Signaling
o Fats also play important functional roles in sustaining nerve impulse transmission, memory
storage, and tissue structure.
o More specifically in the brain, lipids are focal to brain activity in structure and in function.
o help form nerve cell membranes, insulate neurons, and facilitate the signaling of electrical
impulses throughout the brain.
• Hormone Production
o Cholesterol is a type of lipid needed to produce important steroid hormones in your body.
o Estrogen, testosterone, progesterone and the active form of vitamin D are all formed from
cholesterol and are needed to maintain pregnancy, develop sex characteristics and
regulate calcium levels in your body.

CLASSIFICATION OF LIPIDS

a. FATS AND OILS

• Composition of a typical fats
o A typical fat consists of a glycerol molecule with three fatty acid chains that are combined
through a dehydration reaction. (glycerol + fatty acids = triglycerides)
• Fatty acids
o the building blocks of the fat in our bodies and in the food we eat.
o During digestion, the body breaks down fats into fatty acids, which can then be absorbed into
the blood.
o Fatty acid molecules are usually joined together in groups of three, forming a molecule called
a triglyceride
• Triglycerides
o a major component of animal fats and vegetable oils.
o Triglycerides (also knowns as fats) make up more than 95 % of lipids in the diet.
o Triglycerides are lipids you obtain from food sources, e.g cooking oils, butter, animal fat,
avocados, olives, corn, and nuts.
• 2 types of fatty acids: SATURATED and UNSATURATED
• SATURATED FATTY ACIDS
o have no double bonds in their hydrocarbon chains which gives them a straight-chain
conformation
• UNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS
o have hydrocarbon chains that contain one or more double bonds between carbon atoms. These
double bonds usually bend in the carbon chain.
• Where do we usually encounter FATS?
o can be in the form of animal, plant, or fish fats
o ANIMAL FATS, consist of saturated fatty acids, which make them solid at room temperature.
Examples include the fats present in fatty pork cuts (A) and butter (B).
o PLANT and FISH OILS, are liquid at room temperature because of their unsaturated fatty acids.
Examples include sunflower oil (C) and cod liver oil (D) in supplements.
• TRANS FAT
o are produced from hydrogenation. They are common in fast foods, fried foods, and many junk
food products.
o Fast-food items, such as burgers and fries, are usual sources of trans fats.
o Excess consumption of these products may increase our risk of acquiring heart disease.
o also called trans-fatty acids – raise “bad” cholesterol and lowers “good” cholesterol.
o The more trans fats eaten, the greater the risk of heart and blood vessel disease

b. PHOSPHOLIPIDS
o A phospholipid has tails of 2 fatty acid chains and a head that contains a phosphate group.
o Hydrophilic head + hydrophobic tail = phospholipids
o are a vital class of lipids because they are the primary components of cell membranes
o The presence of unsaturated fatty acids in some phospholipids contribute to the fluidity of the
cell membrane.

c. STEROIDS
o Examples of steroids, Cholesterol and testosterone are examples of steroids
o class of lipids containing four connected carbon rings. Although steroids can bond to fatty acids,
steroid molecules do not contain a fatty acid chain, and the monomer of a steroid biomolecule is
difficult to define.
o Steroid rings usually contain a few small functional groups including hydroxyls (-OH) or carboxyls
(-COO). Cholesterol and other steroids containing a hydroxyl group are called sterols.
o the least common type of lipid.
o Cholesterol is perhaps the best well-known steroids.
✓ Cholesterol, the most abundant steroid lipid in the body, is required in every cell in the
body.
✓ plays a role in cell repair and the formation of new cells.
✓ Having a high cholesterol level increases your risk of cardiovascular disease.
✓ Cholesterol serves as the precursor of all other steroid products. It is a key component of
animal cell membranes and an essential component in our diet
o Testosterone, naturally synthesized by the male gonad to initiate many male-specific changes in
the body.

d. WAXES
o produced by plants to prevent desiccation or water loss when exposed to too much sunlight
o Waxy water repellent layers are present in feathers of birds & exoskeleton of insects
o Beeswax is a natural wax produced in honeycombs
 How do some metabolic processes generate energy from lipid molecules?
1. Lipolysis & Beta Oxidation

• Triglyceride (a) digestion involves the subsequent release of individual fatty acid chains, which
ultimately produces a monoglyceride (b).

2. Transport through Chylomicrons and Lipoproteins

• The chylomicrons contain triglyceride molecules and other cholesterol molecules to carry these
molecules from the intestine to the liver and adipose tissue

SUMMARY

• Lipids are organic compounds used by cells as long-term energy storage or building

blocks. They are hydrophobic and insoluble in water because they have hydrocarbon

chains that are nonpolar and repellent to water.

• A typical fat consists of glycerol molecules joined with three fatty acid molecules through

dehydration reactions, which result in triglycerides or triacylglycerol. Its major portion

is the fatty acid, which is a long hydrocarbon that stores high quantities of energy

• A phospholipid consists of two fatty acid tails and a head that contains glycerol and a phosphate
group. The tails are hydrophobic, but the highly polar phosphate group makes the head very
hydrophilic. Phospholipids are important structural and functional components of cell membranes.

• Steroids are lipids that have 4 interconnected carbon rings and no fatty acid tails. They have
diverse roles, such as hormone synthesis and vitamin transport.

• Waxes consist of long-chain fatty acids that are bound to long-chain alcohols. Their molecules are
packed tightly, so the resulting substance is firm and water-repellent. Waxes are solid at normal
temperatures because they have a high melting point.

• The oxidation of fatty acids generates energy and synthesizes new lipids from smaller constituent
molecules. Lipid metabolism is associated with carbohydrate metabolism, as products of glucose
can also be converted into lipids.
LIPIDS

GENERAL PROPERTIES

• Consists of C, H, and O atoms

• Mostly hydrophobic
• Structurally diverse

CLASSES

• Fats and Oils

• Phospholipids
• Steroids
• Waxes

FUNCTIONS

• Storage of energy
• Hormone and bile salt synthesis
• Vitamin support
• Formation of water-repellent layers
• Plasma membrane and fluidity

METABOLISM AND TRANSPORT

• Lypolysis
• Beta oxidation
• Transport through chylomicrons and lipoproteins