Lecture 2

by
Jacqueline S. De Vera
Chapter 5 - LIPIDS
Triglycerides,
Phospholipids,
and Sterols
 TYPES OF LIPIDS

1. Triglycerides

2. Phospholipids

3. Sterols
 1. TRIGLYCERIDES
• Triglycerides – Fats & Oils
1. Predominant form of fat in foods
and major storage form of fat in
the body
2. Structure – composed of 3 fatty
acids + glycerol
 Triglycerides
• glycerol + 3 fatty acids  triglyceride + H2O

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 Fatty Acids
• Organic acid (chain of carbons with hydrogens attached) that
has an acid group at one end & a methyl group at the other
end

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 FATTY ACIDS
 Fatty Acids – carbon
chains, vary in:
1. Length – affects
absorption
2. Saturation –chemical
structure; affects
cooking & storage
properties and health
Saturation FATTY ACIDS
 Saturated fatty acid – carbon chains
filled with hydrogen atoms (no C=C
double bonds)
1. Saturated fat – triglyceride
containing 3 saturated fatty
acids, such as animal fats
(butter, lard) & tropical oils
(palm, coconut)
2. Appear solid at room temperature
• Length of carbon chain

Stearic acid – 18-carbon, saturated

Simplified structure
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 FATTY ACIDS
 Unsaturated fatty acid – carbon chains lack some hydrogens (>1
C=C double bond)
1. Monounsaturated fat – triglyceride
containing fatty acids with 1 double
bond; i.e. canola & olive oil
2. Polyunsaturated fat- triglycerides
containing a high % of fatty acids with
>2 double bonds; i.e. corn, safflower,
soybean, sunflower oils and fish; 3. Appear liquid at room
temperature
Oleic acid – 18-carbon, monounsaturated

Linoleic acid – 18-carbon, polyunsaturated

Formation of Free radicals

Auto-oxidation
i.e. light, heat,
metals or oxygen
Photo-oxidation
UV radiation
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 Fatty Acids
• Location of double bonds
• Omega number – refers to the position
of the double bond nearest the methyl
(CH3) end of the carbon chain
• Omega-3 fatty acid
• Omega-6 fatty acid

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Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids Compared

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 FATTY ACIDS
 Hydrogenated – addition of
hydrogen to unsaturated fat
1. Makes it more “solid” or firm
2. Effects stability and protects
against oxidation; more “shelf-
stable”
3. Widely used by food industry in
margarine, shortening, peanut
butter, baked goods & snack food
Hydrogenation

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 Hydrogenation
• Cis vs. trans-fatty acids
• In nature, most double bonds are
cis meaning that the hydrogens next to the double bonds
are on the same side of the carbon chain
When a fat is partially hydrogenated, some of the double
bonds change from cis to trans
Cis- and Trans-Fatty Acids Compared

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Comparing Butter & Margarine Labels
 2. PHOSPHOLIPIDS

• Phospholipids – similar to triglycerides in

structure except only 2 fatty acids +
choline
Phospholipids in foods: Lecithin, egg
yolks, soybeans, wheat germ, peanuts
Lecithin

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Phospholipids
Functions:
part of cell membranes and acts
as an emulsifier (helps keep fats
in solution)
Phospholipids

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Sterols

Structure
consists of
carbon rings

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Thomson Learning
 STEROLS
 Important part of:
1. Sex hormones – testosterone
2. Vitamin D
3. Bile (aids fat digestion)
4. Adrenal hormones - cortisol
5. Cholesterol – in foods and
made by the liver; dietary
sources include egg yolks,
liver, meats, dairy products
Lipid Transport
Lipid Transport

-composed of long carbon chains

-insoluble in water

Lipoproteins
 Lipoproteins
• Interact with water insoluble fats
and allow fats to move through the
water inside and outside cells
• “oil tankers”
• Contain both proteins and lipids

Structure:

1. A core
-Triglycerides and cholesterols

2. Surface monolayer
-phospholipid layer with
specific proteins (apolipoproteins)
 Apolipoproteins
Proteins that function as structural components of lipoprotein
particles, cofactors for enzymes and ligands for cell-surface receptors.

• apoA1 – major protein component for HDLs

• apoA4 - for intestinal lipid adsorption
• apoE - mediates cholesterol catabolism
• ApoB - ligand for LDL receptors in various cells
• apoC - redistribute to the surface during absorption of fats
• apoD - unlike the others, only produced in brain and testes
Kinds of Lipoproteins

1. Chylomicrons
2. Very Low Density Lipoproteins (VLDLs)
3. Intermediate density lipoprotein(IDLS)
4. Low Density Lipoprotein(LDLs)
5. High Density Lipoprotein(HDLs)
Major Lipids associated with various
lipoproteins
 Transport Pathways

1. Exogenous Pathway
2. Endogenous Pathway
3. Reverse Transport Pathways
Bile Salts

Solubilize lipids
Emulsification of Fat by Bile

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 Exogenous Pathway
Chylomicrons

• Function
• transports exogenous
dietary lipids from the intestines
to adipose, cardiac and muscles
tissues
• Synthesized in small intestines
There are three stages in the
chylomicron's "lifecycle":

• Nascent chylomicron
• Mature chylomicron
• Chylomicron remnant
1.Exogenous Pathway

Lipoprotein
Lipase
(LPL)

Glycerol and Free Fatty Acids

Exogenous Pathway
 Fat from Diet & Adipose Cells
Triacylglycerols either way
• Triglycerides represent the major energy input in the modern
American diet (but it wasn't always this way)
• Triglycerides are also the major form of stored energy in the body
• Hormones (glucagon, epinephrine, ACTH) trigger the release of fatty acids from
adipose tissue
 How do Triglycerides make their way
into the other cells?
1. Breakdown and mobilization of
triglycerides into fatty acids and
glycerol
2. Activation of Fatty Acids and their
transport to the mitochondria
3. Degradation of Fatty acids into
acetyl-coA and ATP generation

Triglycerides
 Endogenous Pathway
Very Low Density Lipoproteins (VLDLs)

Function
-transports
endogenous triglycerides, phospholipids, cholesterol,
and cholesteryl esters.

-a lipoprotein made by the liver

VLDLs IDLs LDLs

Lipoproteins
2. Endogenous Pathway
 Reverse cholesterol transport
High Density Lipoproteins
(HDLs)
Function:

-considered as a “good
cholesterol” because it
removes fat molecules from cells and
transport these fats back to the liver
 3. Reverse cholesterol transport
1. When there is too much cholesterol
in peripheral tissue the ATP-binding
casette receptor A1 (ABCA1) receptor
becomes activated

2. Apo-A1 from HDLs acts as an acceptor

and mobilize the cholesterol

3. Lecithin-cholesterol
acyltransferase(LCAT) converts
cholesterols into cholesteryl esters

3. The cholesteryl esters can be transferred,

with the help of Cholesterylester transfer
protein(CETP) in exchange for triglycerides,
to other lipoproteins
Why HDLs are called good cholesterols
while LDLs are labeled as bad
cholesterols?
Atherosclerosis
Lipoproteins