LIPIDS
 Energy storage
General Structure:
 Not polymers
 AMPHIPHATIC – polar & non-polar ends
 Very small structures
Major Types:
 FATTY ACIDS
o Simplest form of lipid
o Has an acid group that serves as the
polar end/hydrophilic end ( -COOH) *acid head*
o Has a non-polar end/ hydrophobic end (-
R) *hydrocarbon tail*
o Rarely found in large amounts
o Types:
 SATURATED FATTY ACIDS
• Do not have double
bonds
• Fit closely in regular
pattern
 UNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS
• Has one or more
double bonds
• Double bonds in
fatty acids are in Cis configuration
(naturally occurring)
• Forms a kink
 NATURALLY OCCURRING FATTY
ACIDS
• Cis configuration
• Even numbered
o Naming:
 Common name
 Systematic name
 Formula
 Symbol
• 8 – # of carbons
present
• 1 – # of double
bonds present
• c – Cis form
• 3 – carbon where
double bond is
8:1c3
 FATS (TRIGLYCERIDES/TRIACYLGLYCEROL)
o Storage form of fat in the body
o Formed by combining 3 fatty acids plus
a glycerol compound (attaches close to the head)
o Linked by ESTER BONDS
(triacylglycerol)
o Liberates 3 molecules of water
o TRIACYLGLYCEROL
 Long Hydrocarbon chains of
fatty acids
 Mixture of saturated &
unsaturated fat
 Greater concentration of
unsaturated tend to be in liquid form
 Greater concentration of
saturated tend to be in solid form
o Function:
 Heat production
o 1g of
protein = 4 cal
o 1g of fat
= 9 cal
o REACTIO
NS OF TRIGLYCERIDES
 HYDROGENATION
• Occurs in
unsaturated fat
• Unsaturated
compound reacts with H2
• Ni or Pt catalyst
• C=C bonds -> C-C
bonds
 HYDROLYSIS
• Fats are being
degraded to glycerol & 3 molecules of
fatty acids
• Through water &
acid or enzyme (LIPASE)
 SAPONIFICATION
o Reacting
triglycerides with an alkaline solution will
produce SOAP
 WAXES
o Add
alcohol to long chain of fatty acids
o Heads
are less hydrophilic
o Beeswax
– also includes some free alcohol and
fatty acids
o Spermac
eti – contains cetyl palmitate (from
whale oil) that is useful for
pharmaceuticals (creams/ointments;
tableting and granulation)
o Carnaub
a wax – from a palm tree from brazil
that is a hard wax used on
o cars and
boats
o simple
esters of fatty acids (usually saturated

with long chain monohydric alcohols)
MEMBRANE FORMING
LIPIDS
o Functions
to form cell membrane
o Has a
polar head and a non-polar tail
o Lipid
components of a cell membrane
o Types:
 GLYCEROPHOSPHOLIPIDS
• a.k.a.
PHOSPHOGLYCERIDES
• Has a phosphate
group and the form depends
on the R3
 SPHINGOLIPIDS

• Contains
SPHINGOSINE – an amino
alcohol
SPHINGOSINE + F.A. = CERAMIDE
CERAMIDE + PHOSPHOCHOLINE = SPHINGOMYELIN
 GLYCOSPHINGOLIPIDS
• Sugar + ceramide =
CEREBROSIDE
 STEROLS/STEROIDS
o Male/fem
ale hormones
o Bile acids
o Vitamin D
o Adrenal
Corticosteroids
o Cholester
ol
o Fat
soluble vitamins:
 VIT A
 VIT D2
 VIT E
 VIT K
Key biological functions of LIPIDS:
 Structural components of cell membranes
 Energy storage
 Participate in signaling pathways
 Form part of membranes
 Vitamins have regulatory or coenzyme functions
 Control of body’s homeostasis
Structural components of membranes:
 Main component of biological membranes
 Plasma membrane and intracellular membranes of
organelles
 Separates cell into compartments
 Glycerophospholipids are used
 Amphipathic
 Contain a glycerol core linked to 2 fatty acid
derived tails
Intracellular signaling:
 Lipid signals may occur via activation of nuclear
receptors
 Stimulates transcription/translation of proteins
 Examples : Diacylglycerol (DAG),
phosphatidylinositol phosphate (PIP), and
prostaglandins (function during inflammation and
immunity)
 Steroid hormones such as estrogen, testosterone
and cortisol have effects on reproduction, metabolism
and blood pressure
Fat soluble vitamins – stored in liver & fatty tissues
Acyl Carnitines – transport and metabolism of fatty acids
Polyprenols – transports oligosaccharides across
membranes
Cardiolipins – activate enzymes involved in oxidative
phosphorylation
Membrane Transport
 Types:
• Passive - high pressure to
low pressure
 Simple diffusion –
high to low concentration gradient because of
random molecule
 Osmosis – H20
high to low concentration gradient because of
semi-permeable membrane
 Facilitated
diffusion - high to low concentration gradient
because of protein channels
o rate of
transportation - a substance is
transported more rapidly than it would
be by diffusion (only for that substance!
w/c cannot readily diffuse through a
membrane
o saturatio
n kinetics - as the concentration of the
substance initially increases on one side
of the membrane, the transport rate will
increase
o Chemical
specificity - to be transported, the
substance must have a certain chemical
structure
o Competit
ion for carrier - substances of similar
structure may compete for the same
transporter
• Active – low to high (against
a concentration gradient) needs ATP for transport
 Primary Active
Transport
o Low to
high w/ ATP
o Sodium
Potassium ATP pump
o is
consumed directly by the transporting
protein, the transporting protein has
ATPase activity
 Secondary Active
Transport
o low to
high but depends on the other channel
o Cannot
directly utilize ATP
o Sodium
Calcium ATP pump
o depends
indirectly on ATP as a source of energy,
on ATP utilized by the Na/K ATPase
pump (always powered by the Na/K
pump in the basal membrane)
o depends
upon luminal sodium, is stimulated by
luminal sodium (via increased sodium
 gradient), is linked to the uptake of
sodium

o 2 layers:
• Co transport – 2 molecules
same direction
• Counter transport – 2
molecules in different direction

Ficks Law of diffusion – express the factors affecting

velocity and rate of diffusion

Rate = Concentration Gradient + Surface Are + Solubility

Thickness * molecular thickness

Greater Conc. Grad. = faster rate of diffusion

Greater Surface Area = faster rate of diffusion

Greater Solubility = faster rate of diffusion

Greater Thickness = slower rate of diffusion

Greater Surface Area = slower rate of diffusion

Diffusion – is the random molecular movement of

substances molecule by molecule, either
through intermolecular spaces in the membrane or in
combination with a carrier
protein.The energy that causes diffusion is the energy
of the normal kinetic motion of matter.
• Concentration gradient - the greater the conc
gradient, the greater the rate of diffusion
• Surface Area - the greater the surface area, the
greater the rate.
• Exercise - opens additional
pulmonary capillaries, increasing surface
area for exchange
• Emphysema - decreases the
surface area for exchange
• Solubility in the membrane or permeability -
the more soluble the substance, the faster it will
diffuse. CO2 is more soluble than O2.
• Thickness of the membrane - the thicker the
membrane, the slower the rate of diffusion
(e.g>fibrosis)
• MW - not imp. clinically

-Rosette Go 082508 