ME04 - Unsaturated Fatty Acids and Eicosanoids Flashcards
Fatty acids which contain 1 double bond (monounsaturated, MUFA) or more than 1 double bond (polyunsaturated, PUFA) in their structure
UNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS | Generally derived from vegetables and fish
What happens when Unsaturated fatty acids substituted for saturated fats in the diet,
MUFA lowers LDL and increases HDL
Compounds derived from 20-carbon fatty acids (C20 eicosanoic acids)
EICOSANOIDS
- Include prostanoids (prostaglandins, prostacyclins, and thromboxanes), leukotrienes, and lipoxins
What is the main precursor of eicosanoids
Arachidonic acid, which may be derived from cell membrane phospholipids or from the diet
Biochemical Importance of Unsaturated Fatty Acids
Unsaturated fatty acids maintain membrane fluidity
A high ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the diet lowers cholesterol
Unsaturated fatty acids give rise to local hormones called prostaglandins that mediate pain and inflammation, reproduction, and blood coagulation
Leukotrienes have chemotactic properties that are important in allergic reactions (they are bronchoconstrictors and play a part in the pathophysiology of asthma)
Fatty Acids which Cannot be synthesized in the body
Essential Fatty Acids | found in high concentrations in vegetable oils (from plants)
Example of Essential Fatty Acids
Linoleic and linolenic acid (both are unsaturated)
Is Arachidonic Acid an essential fatty acid?
Arachidonic acid is also esssential, but it is only semi-essential because it can be formed from linoleic acid
Function of Essential Fatty Acids
EFAs are required for the synthesis of prostanoids, leukotrienes, and lipoxins
Also found as structural lipids in the cell which preserve membrane structure
FA that lower both plasma LDL and HDL (Seen in nuts, avocado, sesame oil)
Omega 6
FA found in plants and fish oils
Omega 3
Deficiency symptoms are produced when EFAs are absent from the diet (skin lesions, impaired lipid transport) True or False?
True.
Synthesized from a-linolenic acid or obtained directly from fish oils
Important for brain and retinal development
DHA (Docosahexanoic acid)
Unsaturated Fatty Acid Synthesis
Monounsaturated fatty acids are synthesized by a D9 desaturase system (located in the ER)
Double bonds can be introduced at the D4, D5, D6, and D9 positions but never beyond D9
Plants can synthesize fatty acids with double bonds at the D12 and D15 positions, but mammals cannot (which makes linoleic and linoleic acid essential fatty acids)
The first double bond introduced into a saturated fatty acid is nearly always in the D9 position (As in stearoyl-CoA desaturase)
Additional bonds are always separated by a methylene group
Chain elongation is accomplished by adding 2 carbons to the chain catalyzed by the enzyme elongase
Rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of monounsaturated fatty acids
Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD)
Function of Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD)
It catalyzes the 9-cis desaturation of acyl- CoA substrates, the preferred substrates being palmitoyl-CoA and stearoyl-CoA, which are converted to palmitoleoyl-CoA and oleoyl-CoA, respectively
What are the substrates for incorporation into membrane phospholipids, triglycerides, cholesterol esters, and wax esters
Palmitoleoyl-CoA and oleoyl-CoA
Function of MICROSOMAL D9 DESATURASE
Conversion of Stearoyl-CoA *18C saturated) to Oleoyl-CiA *18-c, unsaturated at d9 or w9)
Receptors which is expressed in the liver that when absent, the liver esterifies fatty acids
to triglycerides
PEROXISOME PROLIFERATOR- ACTIVATED RECEPTORS (PPARs)
FATE OF ESTERIFIED LIPIDS
Esterified lipids are either exported by lipoproteins, or accumulate in the liver
What are the potent activators of PPAR-alpha
Fibrates, which lower serum lipids,
Transcription Factor which is most important in adipose
tissues because it Stimulates synthesis of many proteins involved in lipid metabolism
PPAR-Y TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR
What activates PPAR-Y TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR
PUFA
How is PPAR-Y TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR involved in Type 2 DM
Involved in type 2 diabetes pathogenesis by inducing PEP carboxykinase, which increases the conversion of pyruvate and lactate to glycerol-3-phosphate in adipose tissue
What is the mechanism of action of the insulin sensitizer Rosiglitazone (Avandia), a PPAR-gamma agonist
PPAR thus promotes TG synthesis even when insulin is low and little glycerol-3- phosphate is produced from glucose
What are the Most prominent Eicosanoids
Prostaglandins (PG)
Collectively identified as prostanoids
PG and thromboxanes (TX)
Origin of Eicosanoids
Prostaglandins were originally shown to be synthesized in the prostate gland,
Thromboxanes from platelets (thrombocytes) and
Leukotrienes from leukocytes, hence the derivation of their names
Differentiate the ring structure of Eicosanoids
In PG, the ring structure is cyclopentane Prostaglandin E2
In TX, the ring is a cyclic ether (Oxane ring)
The principal eicosanoids of biological significance to humans are derived from ________?
Arachidonic Acid
All mammalian cells except erythrocytes synthesize eicosanoids. True or False?
True.
How are eicosanoids referred as local hormones
All eicosanoids function locally at the site of synthesis, thus they are also referred to as local hormones