lipid metabolism Flashcards
what are lipids?
heterogenous
water INsoluble
hydrophobic
MAJOR source of energy
what are the common classes of lipids?
fatty acids
triacylglycerol
glycerophospholipid
steroid
sphingoglycolipid
where does lipid digestion begin?
stomach
lipase - what about it
catalyzes the digestion of lipids
it is an acid stable enzyme (therefore it can withstand stomach acid)
lipase mainly targets triacylglycerols
where does emulsification of lipids occur
the duodenum
lipase attaches to fat
the mixing in the gut and action of bile salts allow the breakdown of fat into fatty droplets
smaller fat droplets allow lipase to work more efficiently
what molecules do pancreatic enzymes degrade?
TAG - pancreatic lipase
Cholesterol esters - cholesterol esterase
phospholipids - phospholipase A2, lysophospholipase
Degradation of TAGs
TAG —pancreatic lipase—-> 2-monoacylglycerol
degradation of TAGs releases 2 Fatty Acids (C1 and C3)
Degradation of cholesterol esters
cholesteryl ester –cholesterol esterase–> cholesterol
releases Fatty acids
cholesteryl esterase activity INCREASES with INCREASED presence of bile salts
degradation of phospholipids
phospholipase A2 removes 1 FA (fatty acid) from C2, leaving a lysophospholipid
lysophospholiase removes the FA at C1 leaving a glycerophosphoryl base
phospholipid –phospholipase–> glycerophosphoylcholine
pancreatic enzymes in digestion of lipids
pancreatic enzymes breakdown dietary lipids and also release FAs in the process through hydrolysis reaction
what do bile salts do?
bile salts emulsify large fat droplets into small fat droplets
because there is more “surface area” (because there is more fat droplets spread out) lipase action increases = increased lipid absorption
Hormonal control of lipid digestion in sm. intestine
cholecystokinin (in blood to stomach
secretin (in blood to sm. intestine)
gut endocrine cells secrete both hormones by the stimulation of the presence of dietary lipids
what type of cell absorbs lipids?
intestinal mucosal cells (enterocytes)
what components make up a mixed micelle?
lipids, bile salts, fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E,K)
lipids = 2-monoacylglycerol, long chain FA, cholesterol
what even is a mixed micelle?
a mixed micelle is a disk shaped cluster of amphipathic (both hydrophilic and phobic) lipids.
hydrophobic groups are on the inside of the micelle
hydrophilic groups are on the outside of the micelle
where is the primary site of lipid absorption
brush border membrane of enterocytes
resynthesis of TAGs and cholesteryl esters
the mixture of lipids (mixed micelles) absorbed by the enterocytes are REsynthesized into complex lipids in the ER of the cell
what lipids are resynthesized?
triacylglycerol
cholesteryl ester
in the enterocyte cell, what resynthesized components come together in the chylomicron?
phospholipids, TAGs, Cholesteryl ester
where does the chylomicron go after collecting all these lipids?
to the lymphatic system
what is lipid malabsorption?
fats that are not absorbed in the small intestine pass to our colon - resulting in STEATORRHEA - fatty stools
- blockage of bile salts and blockage of pancreatic juice to sm. intestine
- defective cells
what are chylomicrons
chylomicrons are lipid droplets surrounded by phospholipids, unesterified cholesterol, and apolipoprotein
- these things increase the stability of the droplet
how are chylomicrons secreted?
chylomicrons are released by exocytosis from the enterocytes
they enter the lacteals of the lymphatic vessels of the small intestine villi
what pathway do chylomicrons take?
lymphatic pathway –> blood
in the blood, chylomicrons…
chylomicrons carry around lipid components
the TAG components are drawn off the chylomicron by muscle and fat cells
TAG components are hydrolyzed by lipoprotein lipase and release fatty acids into the tissues
how are dietary lipids used by the tissues
TAGs - lipoprotein breaks it down
- muscle and adipose tissues use it
FAs - taken up by muscle cells and adipocytes
- travel in blood
- produce energy
- stored as TAGs
Glycerol - used by liver to produce glycerol-3-phosphate
what are the two forms of fatty acids in the body
free FAs
Fatty acyl esters in TAGs
What is cool about Free FAs
Free FAs can be oxidized to produce energy in the liver and muscle
structure of FAs
hydrophobic hydrocarbon chain and terminal
hydrophilic carboxyl group
amphipathic molecule
fatty acid esters
more than 90% of FAs in the plasma are FA esters
these FAs esters are contained in circulating lipoprotein particles
How do unesterified (FREE) FAs transported?
in circulation with albumin
Saturation of FAs
single bonds - saturated FAs
double bonds - unsaturated FAs
- cis bonds cause a kink in the FA chain
-this causes FAs to not pack as tightly together
- this leads to lower melting point
- double bonds spaced at 3 carbon intervals (C9, C12, C15)