Biochemistry - Carbohydrates and Lipids Flashcards
What are organic molecules?
Contain carbon, are covalently bonded, and are often large
What are inorganic molecules?
Don’t usually contain carbon and are relatively simple e.g. water, salts, many acids and bases
What are the four main types of organic molecules?
Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids (DNA and RNA)
What are the 3 types of carbohydrates?
Monosaccharides - 1 simple sugar unit e.g. glucose, fructose
Disaccharides - 2 simple sugar units joined together e.g. sucrose
Polysaccharides - many simple sugar units joined together e.g. glycogen, cellulose and starch
Why is glucose important?
Energy source for ATP production
Anaerobic - glycolysis
Aerobic - requires oxyen
Why must BGL be maintained?
When BGL drops the CNS can’t function properly- confusion, dizziness, lose consciousness
What monosaccharides form part of DNA and RNA?
Deoxyribose and Ribose
Why are carbohydrates important for in the body?
- Storage of glucose (glycogen)
- Attach to lipids and proteins
- Form part of cell surface markers (very important to immune system)
- Starch in food used as a source of monosaccharides
- Cellulose in food acts as dietary fibre
- energy source
What are lipids comprised of?
- Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen though less oxygen than carbohydrates.
- Fewer polar covalent bonds
- Lipids are largely non-polar
- Hydrophobic - insoluble in water
What are the different types of lipids?
- Fatty acids and triglycerides
- Phospholipids
- Steroids
What are triglycerides?
- 3 fatty acids joined to glycerol
- Stored in adipose tissue
- Body fat
- Liver converts excess carbohydrates, proteins, fats and oils to triglycerides
- Most highly concentrated form of chemical energy
Why are fatty acids and triglycerides important?
- Sources of energy for aerobic ATP production
- Padding for internal organs
- Heat insulation
What are phospholipids?
2 fatty acids joined to a phosphate group
- fatty acid end hydrophobic
- phosphate end hydrophillic
Why are phospholipids important?
- main component of cell membrane, including plasma membrane
- act as a barrier to separate cell compartments and the inside of the cell from extracellular fluid
- partly determines what can enter and exit a cell
- electrical insulation (myelin sheaths)
What are steroids?
4 rings of carbon atoms e.g. cholesterol, oestrogen, testosterone, cortisol, bile salts
