STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF LIPID

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Outline
• Definition of lipids

• Functions of lipids

• Classification of lipids

• Lipoproteins

• Amphipathic lipids

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Definition of lipids
• Lipids are the group of greasy organic compounds, which are
soluble in organic solvents like chloroform, ether and benzene
but insoluble in water
• It include fats, oils, waxes, complex lipids, sterols, hormones, bile
acids, fatty acids, and fat soluble vitamins.
• Lipids are present in all living organisms: humans, animals, plants,
and microorganisms

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Importance of lipids
• Store energy and source of energy

• Components of cell membrane and nerve tissues

• Serve as thermal insulator

• Acts as electrical insulators

• Emulsifying agents

• Component of lung surfactant

• Precursors for hormones and fat soluble vitamins

• Transport of lipids

• Serve as padding against injury.

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• Some saturated fatty acids are anti-microbial and anti-fungal
agents
• Lipids are an important group of antigens of parasites.

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Classification of lipids
• Biological lipids are a chemically diverse group of compounds and
classified
 Based on the biological functions of lipids(stored forms of
energy and structural elements )
 Based on the composition of lipids (derived, simple and
complex )

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Based on the composition lipids

1.Simple lipids: Esters of fatty acids with various alcohols

 Fats and oils and Waxes

2.Complex lipids: Esters of fatty acids containing groups other than

an alcohol and a fatty acid
 Phospholipids

 Glycolipids

3.Derived lipids: Hydrolytic product of simple & complex lipids.

 Fatty acids, steroids, glycerol

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Derived lipids
Fatty acids (FAs)
• Fatty acids are carboxylic acids with straight hydrocarbon chain
ranging from 4 to 36 carbons.
• Most fatty acids found in biological systems have an even number
of carbon atoms.

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Saturated and unsaturated fatty acids
•Saturated fatty acids: contain all c-c single bonds in the chain.

•Unsaturated fatty acids: contain one or more double bonds

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Cis and trans fatty acids
•In nearly all naturally occurring unsaturated fatty acids, the double
bonds are in the cis configuration.

• Trans-fatty acids are produced by the

chemical hydrogenation of
polyunsaturated fatty acids in vegetable
oils
• Margarine, french fries, doughnuts and
cookies are the major sources of trans
fatty acids for humans
• Diets high in trans fatty acids correlate
increased blood levels of LDL and
decreased HDL-cholesterol – associated
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with CVD.
Fatty acids based on hydrocarbon chain length
• Short chain less than six carbon atoms

• Medium chain- with 8-14 carbon atoms

• Long chain- with 16-18 carbon atoms

• Very long chain fatty acids- with 20 or more carbon atoms

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Physical properties of fatty acids
• The physical properties of fatty acids are determined by the

 Chain length

 Degree of saturation

• The longer the fatty acid chain and the fewer the double bond,
the higher is the melting point of the fatty acid.
 Vegetable oils are liquid at room temperature

 Butter fat are solids at room temperature

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Nomenclature of fatty acids

Common name
• Butyric acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid,
linolenic acid, or arachidonic acid

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Systematic nomenclature
• Saturated fatty acids end as anoic and unsaturated fatty acids
end as enoic.
• Δ for indicating the number and position of the double bonds
 A fatty acid containing 18 carbon atoms with no double
bond has a systematic name of octadecanoic acid
 Unsaturated fatty acid containing 16 carbon atoms and
one double bond is hexadecenoic acid
 Hexadeca-Δ9-cis monoenoic acid or cis-9-Hexadecaenoic
acid
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Shorthand notation: specifies the number of carbon atom, number
of double bonds and the position of the double bond.

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Nutritionally essential fatty acids
• Mammals can’t synthesize linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid because
they cannot introduce double beyond Δ9 in the fatty acid chain.
 Linoleic acid (18:2c Δ9, 12), is the precursor of arachidonic acid

 α-Linolenic acid (18:3c Δ9,12,15 ), important for growth and dev’t

 Arachidonic acid (20:4, ∆5,8,11,14) becomes essential if linoleic

acid is deficient in the diet

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Sterols and Steroids
•They contain steroid nucleus, four fused rings, three with six
carbons and one with five carbons
•Cholesterol: is the major sterol in animal tissues and performs
numerous functions in the body.
• Structural component of all cell
membranes, where it modulates their
fluidity
• It is precursor for bile acids, steroid
hormones and vitamin D. setted

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Plant sterols
• Stigmasterol, campesterol, ergosterol and β-sitosterol are some
sterol in plants.
• Plant sterols are natural cholesterol fighters.

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Simple lipids

Triacylglycerol
• Esters of alcohol glycerol and three fatty acids attached through
ester linkages

• TAGs are the main storage forms of fatty acids

in plants and animals.
 TAGs with unsaturated fatty acids are liquid
at room temperature (vegetable oils).
 TAGs with saturated fatty acids are white
greasy solids at room temperature (beef
fat).
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Waxes
• Esters of fatty acids with high molecular weight monohydric
alcohols
• Triacontanoylpalmitate is the major component of bees wax

• Used in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and other applications.

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Complex lipids
• Complex lipids include:

 Phospholipids (Glycerophospholipids and

Sphingophospholipids)
 Glycolipids (Cerebrosides, globosides and gangliosides)

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Phospholipids
•Phospholipids are abundant in all biological membranes.

•Phospholipids are composed of

 Fatty acids
 A backbone
alcohol
 A phosphate • Based on the alcohol group there are two
 A polar group classes of phospholipids:
a. Glycerophospholipids
b. Sphingophospholipids
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A. Glycerophospholipds
• Are lipids in which two fatty acids are attached in ester linkage to
the 1st and 2nd carbon of glycerol, and a highly polar is attached
through a phosphodiester bond to the 3rd carbon

Polar groups
Choline
Inositol
Glycerol
Serine
Ethanolamine 25
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Phosphatidylcholines (lecithins)
• Represent a large proportion of the body’s store of choline.

• Choline is important in nervous transmission, as acetylcholine,

and as a store of methyl groups.

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Dipalmitoyl lecithin
• Major constituent of the
surfactant preventing
adherence due to surface
tension of the inner
surfaces of the lungs.
• Its absence from the lungs
of premature infants
causes respiratory distress
syndrome.

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Phosphatidyl inositol
• Phosphorylation of membrane-bound phosphatidyl inositol
produces phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2)

• Degradation of PIP2 by
phospholipase C yields
inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate
(IP3) and DAG, which are
second messengers of
hormones.

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Cardiolipin

• Two phosphatidic acid are esterified through their phosphate

groups to C-1 and C-3 of an additional glycerol.

• Cardiolipin is antigenic, and is recognized by antibodies raised

against treponema pallidum, the bacterium that causes syphilis.

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Phosphatidyl ethanolamine (cephalin)
• Cephalins are major component of cell membrane, lipoproteins,
brain and nervous tissue

Phosphatidyl Serine
• Differ from phosphatidylcholine only in that serine replaces
choline
• Found in most tissues

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Plasmalogens
• It is phospholipids have ether linked unsaturated fatty acids

• Plasmalogens are found in brain, heart and muscle

• Vertebrate heart tissue is uniquely enriched in ether lipids; about

half of the heart phospholipids are plasmalogens

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Platelet-activating factor
•It is an ether glycerphospholipid, with a saturated fatty acids
•It is a potent biochemical signal molecule.
•It is released from leukocytes called basophils and stimulates
platelet aggregation and the release of serotonin

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B. Sphingophospholipids
• Contain long-chain amino alcohol sphingosine, long-chain fatty
acid, and a phosphorylcholine polar head group.

• Sphingosine esterified
to phosphorylcholine
producing
sphingomyelins.

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• Sphingomyelins are especially prominent in myelin sheath, a
membranous sheath that surrounds and insulates the neuronal
fibers of the central nervous system.

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Glycolipids
•Glycolipids contain:

 Fatty acids

 Sphingosine

 Carbohydrates

• The head group of glycosphingolipids

is provided by monosaccharide or
oligosaccharide attached directly to
ceramide

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Common glycolipids:
• Cerebrosides

• Globosides

• Gangliosides

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Cerebrosides
• Are composed of ceramide and
monosaccharide.
 Galactocerebrosides contain
galactose, present in
membranes of neural tissues
(brain and peripheral)
 Glucocerebrosides contain
glucose, present in plasma
membranes of cell in non-
neural tissues.
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 Globosides
• Are composed of ceramide and oligosaccharide

 Produced by attaching
additional monosaccharides
(e.g. galactose, N-
acetylglucosamine) to
glucocerebroside.

e.g. Lactosylceramide

• They are involved in cell communication,

cell adhesion and function as receptors.
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Gangliosides
• Are the most complex glycosphingolipids and consist of
ceramide and oligosaccharides head group, containing one or
more residues of N-acetylneuramanic acid (NANA), also called
sialic acid
• Gangliosides are found primarily in the ganglion cells of the
central nervous system, particularly at nerve endings
• At nerve ending they are important in nerve impulse
transmission

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Blood groups determinants
•Glycosphingolipids as determinants of blood groups.
•Oligosaccharides are attached to certain blood proteins of
individuals of blood types O, A, and B respectively

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Degradation of phospholipids
• Phospholipases in lysosomes degrade glycerophospholipids

 Phospholipase A2 is present
many mammalian tissues and
pancreatic juice.
 Phospholipase A2 is also present
in snake and bee venoms and
catalyze hydrolysis.
 Phospholipid breakdown
product, lysolecithin, acts as a
detergent 42
Lipoprotein

• Chylomicrons (CM)
• Very low density
lipoproteins (VLDL)
• Low density lipoproteins
(LDL)
• High density lipoproteins
(HDL)
Amphipathic lipids
• Amphipathic lipids spontaneously form a variety of structures
when added to aqueous solution such as micelles, liposomes

1. Micelles
• When a critical conc. of
amphipathic lipid is present in
an aqueous medium they
form micelles.

• Micelles are important in facilitating absorption of lipids from the

intestine.
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2. Liposomes
• Formed by sonicating an amphipathic lipid in an aqueous
medium
• They consist of spheres of lipid bilayers that enclose part of the

• aqueous medium.
Liposomes are of potential
clinical use particularly when
combined with tissue specific
antibodies - as carriers of drugs
in the circulation, targeted to
specific organ.

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