LIPIDS
Lipids
• Group of heterogeneous substances or compounds that are insoluble
in water and soluble in non-polar organic solvents such as ether,
acetone, benzene and methanol.
• Cell membrane components, energy storage molecules, insulation,
and hormones.
• Lipids are the polymers of fatty acids that contain a long, non-polar
hydrocarbon chain with a small polar region containing oxygen.
General Functions of Lipids
• They are efficient energy sources
• Serve as thermal insulators
• They are structural components of the cell membrane
• Serve as precursors for hormones (steroid hormones)
• They also dissolve the vitamins, which are fat-soluble and assist their
digestion
CLASSIFICATION OF LIPIDS
Saponifiable Lipids
Compromises one or more ester groups, enabling it to undergo
hydrolysis in the presence of a base, acid or enzymes; including
waxes, triglycerides, sphingolipids and phospholipids.
These categories can be divided into non-polar and polar lipids.
POLAR Lipids- could form a barrier with an external
NON-POLAR lipids- Utilized as fuel and to store energy.
water environment and are utilized in membranes.
Example: Triglycerides
Examples: Sphingolipids and Glycerophospholipids.
Nonsaponifiable Lipids
This cannot be
Examples:
disintegrated into
Cholesterol and
smaller molecules
prostaglandins
through hydrolysis.
Simple Lipids
• Esters of fatty acids with different alcohols.
• Triacylglycerols/triacylglycerides/FATS: Esters of fatty acids with
glycerol. Oils are fats in the liquid state.
• WAXES: Esters of fatty acids with higher molecular weight monohydric
alcohols
• Note: TAGS- storage forms of lipids
Fatty Acids
• Fatty acids are carboxylic acids, usually with long aliphatic tails (long chains) either
unsaturated or saturated.
• Saturated- lack of carbon-carbon double bonds indicate that the fatty acid is
saturated. The saturated fatty acids have higher melting points compared to
unsaturated acids of the corresponding size due to their ability to pack their
molecules together thus leading to a straight rod-like shape.
• Unsaturated- when a fatty acid has more than one double bond.
Saturated Fatty Acids
Numerical Symbol Common Name
4:0 Butyric Acid
6:0 Caproic Acid
8:0 Caprylic Acid
10:0 Capric Acid
12:0 Lauric Acid
14:0 Myristic Acid
16:0 Palmitic Acid
18:0 Stearic Acid
20:0 Arachidic Acid
Unsaturated Fatty Acids
Numerical symbol Common Name
11:1 Undecylenic Acid
16:1 Palmitoleic Acid
18:1 Oleic Acid
18:29,12 Linoleic Acid
18:39,12,15 Linolenic Acid
20:45,8,11,14 Arachidonic Acid
22:64,7,10,13,16,19 Docosahexanic Acid/Cervoric Acid
20:55,8,11,14,17 Eicosapentanoic Acid/Timnodoic Acid
Functions of Fatty Acids
1. The fluidity of membrane depends on length and degree of
unsaturated fatty acids
2. They are required for the synthesis of phospholipids, cholesterol
ester and lipoproteins
3. Polysaturated fatty acids are released from membranes, diverted
for the synthesis of prostaglandins, leukotrienes and thromboxanes
4. They act as fat mobilizing agents in liver and protect liver from
accumulating fats (fatty liver)
Waxes
• Esters of a long chain fatty acids with a long chain, monohydric
alcohol.
• Use: Water repellant
Complex Lipids
• Esters of fatty acids containing groups in addition to alcohol and fatty acid.
1. Phospholipids: these are lipids containing, in addition to fatty acids and alcohol,
phosphate group. They frequently have nitrogen-containing bases and other
substituents, eg, in glycerophospholipids the alcohol is glycerol and in
sphingophospholipids the alcohol is sphingosine
2. Glycolipids (Glycosphingolipids): Lipids containing fatty acid, sphingosine and
carbohydrate.
3. Other complex lipids: Lipids such as sulfolipids and amino lipids. Lipoproteins may also
be placed in this category.
Functions of Phospholipids
• Phospholipids are components of membrane; impart fluidity and
pliability to the membrane
• Dipalmitoyl choline (lecithin) acts as surfactants and lowers the
surface tension in alveoli of lungs. Lecithin along with sphingomyelin
maintains the shape of alveoli and prevents their collapse due to high
surface tension of the surrounding medium.
• Intracellular signals (for second messengers) like inositol triphosphate
and diacylglycerol are generated from membrane phospholipids,
during the action of hormones
• Phospholipids anchors certain proteins to cell membranes. PL being
amphiphatic can interact with non polar and polar substances. They
link proteins to nonpolar membranes.
• Solubilization of cholesterol is done by amphiphatic nature of PL
• Lipids are transported as lipoproteins, which require PL.
Examples of Phospholipids/Glycerophospholipids
• Phosphatidic Acid (base)
• Phosphatidylethanolamine (Cephalin)
• Phosphatidylcholine (Lecithin)
• Phosphatidylserine
• Phosphatidylinositol
Phosphoglycerides/Glycerophospholipids Examples
Phosphatidylethanolamine
Phosphatidylglycerol
Sphingolipids
• Do not have glycerol as backbone
• Backbone is Sphingosine.
• Examples:
• Ceramide (base)
• Sphingomyelin (Ceramide + PO4 + Choline)
• Cerebrosides (Galactosylceramide, Glucosylceramide)
• Glubosides
• Gangliosides
Sphingolipids
Derived Lipids
• These include fatty acids, glycerol, steroids, other alcohols, fatty aldehydes,
and ketone bodies, hydrocarbons, lipid-soluble vitamins, and hormones.
Because they are uncharged, acylglycerols (glycerides), cholesterol and
cholesteryl esters are termed neutral lipids. These compounds are produced
by the hydrolysis of simple and complex lipids.
Non-Fatty Acid Containing Lipids
Cholesterol
• One of the important non fatty acid lipid that is grouped with steroids
• STEROIDS are compounds containing 27 carbon
cyclopentanoperhydrophenanthrene structures with four rings
• Steroids are complex fat-soluble molecules, which are present in the
plasma lipoproteins and outer cell membrane.
Functions of Cholesterol
• For the synthesis of bile salts that are important in lipid digestion and
absorption
• For the synthesis of steroid hormones that are biologically important
like the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone
• For the synthesis of Vitamin D3
• As a structural material in biological membranes
• As a component of lipoproteins as transport forms of lipid based
energy.
Derivatives of Cholesterol
Steroid Hormones-
Bile Acids- important for Glucocorticoids (Cortisol),
digestion of dietary lipids Mineralocorticoid
(by emulsification) (aldosterone), Sex
hormones.
Volatile Oils
Non-aromatic-
Aromatic- Shikimic Mevalonate
Acid Pathway
(terpenoids)
Fat Soluble Vitamins
A- Retinol/Retinal/Retinoic Acid (Eyesight)
D- Cholecalciferol (Ca+ Regulation)
E- Tocopherol (Antioxidant)
K- Phytonadione (Clotting Process, Synthesis of clotting factors 10, 9, 7, 2)
Eicosanoids
20 C compounds
Origin: Arachidonic Acid
Arachidonic
Acid
Cylooxegenase Lipoxygenase
Prostaglandins Thromboxanes Leukotrienes
(PEG2) (TXA2) (LTA4)
Prostaglandin
Thromboxane
Leukotriene
