Post Absorption Processing of Lipids. Flashcards
List the steps in lipid metabolism.
What are features of Triglycerides?
- Fatty-acids (95%) and glycerol (5%).
- The principal storage form of energy in the body.
- Too large & hydrophobic to move about freely in the circulation.
- Transported in lipoprotein particles.
How is fat absorbed following digestion?
- As 2-monoacylglycerol and free FAs.
What activates FAs?
- Activated by Acyl-CoA Synthetase to acyl-CoA in the ER of intestinal mucosal cells.
- Triglycerides are then re-synthesised from Acyl-CoA and 2-monoacylglycerol within the enterocyte.
What happens to the TGs after synthesis?
- TGs are then incorporated into Chylomicron particles (98/99% lipids & 1-2% proteins).
- Proteins synthesised at the Rough ER with the lipids added in the smooth ER & Golgi Complex.
- The secretory pathway releases them into the
extracellular space as small fat droplets.
How are lipid droplets transported?
- They’re collected by local lymph ducts and are
transported via the thoracic duct to the left
brachycephalic vein.
What type of bond is in lipids?
- An ester bond forms when a hydroxyl (-OH) group from the glycerol bonds with the carboxyl (-COOH) group of the fatty acid.
- Monoacylglycerol: glycerol linked to a fatty acid via an ester bond.
- Triacylglycerol: an ester derived from glycerol and three fatty acids.
- Cholesteryl ester: ester bond formed between the carboxylate group of a fatty acid and the hydroxyl group of cholesterol.
What enzyme is needed for TGs use in tissues?
- Lipoprotein Lipase (LPL) is needed.
- Found in: adipose tissue, skeletal muscle,
myocardium, mammary gland, spleen, lung, kidney & aorta. - Not found in: liver or brain.
- LPL is attached to heparan sulphate glycoproteins on surface of the capillary endothelium.
- Different LPL isoenzymes are found in different tissues
What isoform of LPL is up-regulated by insulin?
- Adipose tissue LPL isoform.
What is the effect of different LPL isoenzymes on different tissues?
- Going from fed state to fasting, TGs are rerouted from adipose tissue to muscle.
How are TGs used in tissue?
- Chylomicrons bind to LPL and the TGs are hydrolysed.
- FAs and monoglycerides diffusing into the tissues directly.
Discuss glycerol-3-phosphate formation.
Discuss TG formation from glycerol-3-phosphate.
What are the sites of the biosynthetic pathways of TGs?
- Liver.
- Adipose tissue.
- Lactating Mammary glands.
- Different from intestinal pathway (assembled in chylomicrons within enterocyte)!
Discuss the hormonal regulation of TG metabolism in adipose tissue.
- Fat synthesis is stimulated by Insulin:
1. Insulin increases the rate of glycolysis.
2. Insulin increases LPL activity (releases FAs from chylomicron.
3. Insulin induces the Glycerolphosphate-acyl transferase which catalyses the first step in TG
biosynthesis.
How does insulin increase the rate of glycolysis?
- Increases the number of glucose transporters in
the adipocyte membrane. - Increases PFK1 activity via fructose 2,6 bisphosphate.
- More glycerol-3-phosphate is produced.
Discuss lipolysis/ TG breakdown.
- Requires the stepwise removal of 3 FAs.
- The first cleavage, the rate-limiting step*, is catalysed by: adipose tissue lipase (Hormone-sensitive).
- This enzyme catalyses the hydrolysis of TAG to diacylglycerol.
What hormone inhibits adipose tissue lipase and what activates it?
- Insulin
- Removal of insulin activates it.