Triacylglycerol, Phospholipids Flashcards
How can lipids be defined?
What are 2 common properties?
Heterogenous group of biological compounds, including fats, oils, steroids, waxes, that are relatvely insoluble in water
- Relatively insoluble to water (hydrocarbon chains)
- Soluble in nonpolar solvents (ex: ether and chloroform can be used for lipid isolation)
What are some functions of lipids?
- ENERGY STORAGE
- Important dietary components because of their high energy
- Structural components of bio membranes
- Serve as thermal insulators in subcutaneous tissues and around certain organs
- Signaling molecules (PI, Leukotrienes)
- Hormones precursors (ex: steroids)
What configurations do lipid take in aqueous envrionments?
Fatty acids form micelles → hydrophobic core surrounded by the polar heads
(fatty acids have only 1 tail so easy to compact)
Phsopholipids form Bilayers or Vesicles (loop of bilayer)
*2 hydrocarbon chains
What is special about acetic acid?
It is a lipid, but 100% soluble in H2O because it has a very very short hydrocarbon chains (1C)
What is the structure of a basic fatty acid?
Carboxylic acid (COOH) polar head + 1 long hydrocarbon (CH) tail
Saturated → only single bonds, all C have 2xH atoms
Unsaturated → 1 or more double bonds
How do we name a lipid composed of 2 phospholipids bound together?
Cardiolipin
Where in cells are lipids found?
- Plasma membrane (phospholipids are “stored there”)
- Mitochondrion (for beta-oxidation → very transient)
- Cytosol (Fatty acid biosynthesis → very transient)
- ER (phospholipid and neutral lipid biosynthesis → transient)
- Lipid droplets (lipolysis → stable storage, in micelle or vesicle conformations)
What is Atherosclerosis?
the buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances in and on the artery walls → forms plaque which narrows the artery
Can cause a stroke or heart attack due to lack of O2 to the muscles or the brain
What are purified lipids?
Butter, Oil
Composed of 3 acyl chaines + glycerol backbone → Triacylglycerol
Neutral lipids → very insoluble in water
Saturated acyl chains → solid at room Temp
Unsaturated acyl chains → liquid at room Temp
What are the different cellular lipids?
Lipid droplets → Triacylglycerol, Cholerteryl esters → Neutral lipids
Membrane lipids → Phospholipids, Spingolipids, Glycolipids, Cholesterol → Amphipatic
What si the role of i-FABP?
Intestinal Fatty acid binding protein
- Carries FA inside enterocytes (and from one compartment to another inside the cell)
How do lipids pass from the small intenstin lumen → blood?
- Mucosa of the small intestin allows absorption of Fatty Acids, MAG, sterols
- ER of microvilli epithelial cells → Chylomicron assembly:
- Triacylglycerol
- Cholestrol
- ApoB48 - Chylomicron secretion from epithelial cells to circulation
- Transported in the blood via lipoproteins (forming chylomicrons)
- Stroed in cells in lipid droplets (triglycerides) or used to generate phospholipids
How are lipids absorped from mucosa to epithelial cells?
In the lumen:
- Pancreatic Lipase → hydrolyzes 2-Monoglyceride + 2 free fatty acids → uptaken by brush border intestinal cells
- Bile salts → help with micelle formation by forming a hydrophilic surface (for free fatty acids)
*Bile salts are produced by the liver
Where in the cell are fatty acids the most present?
Mitochondrion → beta-oxidation
Cytosol → Fatty acid biosynthesis
*Very transient
How does the melting point fluctate when the number of carbons change in the hydrocarbon chain?
More Carbons → melting point goes up
What happens to the melting point when the number of unsaturations goes up?
More unsaturation → decrease in melting point
From highest → lowest melting point:
Saturated → trans-unsaturated → cis-unsaturated
What abreviation can represent the structure of different fatty acids?
Saturated: 10:0 → 10 carbons, 0 double bonds
Unsaturated:
Delta) 18:2c∆9,12 → 18 carbons, 2 double bonds a positions 9 and 12 from the COOH group
Omega) 18:2(w6,9) → 18 carbons, 2 same double bonds, but start counting at the carbon the most distant from carboxyl group
What are Cis vs Trans fatty acids?
Different isomers of unsaturated FA
Cis → radicals are on the same side of double bond → bent molecule, disturbs solid phase
Trans → radicals on opposit sides of double bond → straight molecule
- Higher melting points because pack more regularly → more solid at room temps → increases risk of cardiovascular diseases
- Trans fats are produced by partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils in the food industry → converts cis double bonds to trans configuration
What are the characteristics of branched-chain fatty acids?
Uncommon in humans, only have 2:
- Pristanic acid
- Phytanic acid
Present in bacteria and some ruminants (ex: dairy products)
Undergo a-oxidation (peroxisome) instead of b-oxidation (in mitochondria)
What are Isoprenoids?
Not a branched-chain Fatty acid, different type of molecule similar to fatty acid with some branching
Ex: GPP
What is the structure and the characteristics of triglycerides?
3 acyl chains + 1 glycerol
- 100% hydrophobic
- Excellent way to package and transport fatty acids
- Present in many foods: Olive oil, Butter, Beef fat
- Stored in vesicles
*Glycerol = C bound to 3 Oxygens from COOH groups of fatty acids
What are the characteristics and the structures of the 2 main membrane lipids?
Membrane lipids are amphipathic: Polar head group + hydrophobic tail
- Phospholipids → 2 hydrophobic tails, 1 saturated, 1 cis-unsaturated
- Glycerol/Spinegosine + acyl chains - Cholesterol → 1xSaturated hydrophobic tail + rigid steroid ring structure + polar head group
What are the different pathways for triglyceride breakdown (lipolysis)?
(Where)
- Pancreatic Lipase (GI-tract)
- Lipoprotein Lipase (Blood Vessels)
- Lipid droplets (adipose & liver)