Lipids Flashcards
What is a lipid?
It is an ester of a long hydrocarbon FA that is insoluble in water and is found in all living cells and tissues
What are the functions of lipid?
Energy storage, signalling molecules, enzyme cofactors, structural component of cell membranes, synthesis of vitamins and hormones
What are FAs?
They are hydrocarbon chains with a carboxylic group at one end, they can be saturated or unsaturated and their nutritional value can vary
What are the 4 types of fats?
Essential, good, bad and really bad
What are essential fats?
Fats that must be obtained from the diet as we can not produce C=C structures beyond C9 e.g. Linoleic acid
What are good fats?
Polyunsaturated e.g. plant oils
What are bad fats?
Unsaturated e.g. steric acid
What are really bad fats?
Trans fats e.g. margarine
What do gluconeogenic substances not contain?
FAs
What does the FA nomenclature of 12:1 and 16:2(2,8) mean?
12: 1- 12xC’s and 1xC=C
16: 2(2,8)- 16xC’s and 2xC=C (at C2 and C8)
What are the 3 major classes of lipids?
FA, triacylglycercide (TAG) and phospholipid
What are TAGs?
Main dietary lipid consisting of esters of FAs and glycerol
What are the properties of TAG?
It is anhydrous, highly reduced, combine in to water droplets and are major components of adipose tissue
What are the functions of TAG?
Energy storage (best), insulators, and forms depot fat in adipose tissue
What do phospholipids consist of?
Glycerol, 2xFA and a phosphate group
What are the properties of phospholipids?
Anhydrous
What are the functions of phospholipid?
Basic structure of cell membranes
What diseases are lipids involved in?
Atherosclerosis and steatorrhea
What is atherosclerosis?
Increases blood pressure due to an imbalance in lipid metabolism
What is steatorrhea?
Lipid malabsorption which leads to excess fat in pool and causes stool to float due to excess fluid. It has an oily appearance and foul smell
What causes steatorrhea?
Problems in bile secretion, pancreatic function and intestinal cell uptake
Where does digestion take place?
In the mouth and small intestine (mainly)
What is involved in digestion?
All lipids (mainly TAG), pancreatic enzymes, bile salts which cause emulsification and peristalsis
How are TAGs digested?
By pancreatic lipase which forms monoacylglycerol and 2xFAs
How are cholesterol esters digested?
Broken down to cholesterol and 1xFA
How are phospholipids digested?
Hydrolysed to lysphophospholiid and 1xFA
When are FAs releases from fat stores?
When energy supply is low
How are lipids absorbed?
The products of digestion form mixed micelles with bile salts and their contents are released when a brush border membrane is crossed
Do all FAs need micelles?
No, only long chain FAs
What are bile salts?
Derivatives of cholesterol that are biological detergents that form emulsions with mixed micelles and prevent lipids from combining in an aqueous environment