College of Applied Medical Sciences- Al Quwayiyah

Nursing Sciences Department

BIOCHEMISTRY CHM 207

Lec NO 6

Biochemistry of Lipids

College of Applied Medical Sciences- Al Quwayiyah

 Biochemistry of Lipids
The lipids are a heterogeneous group of
compounds, including fats, oils,steroids,
waxes, and related compounds, relatively
insoluble in water but soluble in (organic )
nonpolar solvents such as ether and
chloroform.
.
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• Important
• They give high energy value
• Source of fat-soluble vitamins and the essential fatty
acids.
• Fat storage form in adipose tissue.
• Serves as a thermal insula-tor in the subcutaneous
tissues
• Nonpolar lipids act as electrical insulators.
• Lipoproteins serve as the means of transporting
lipids in the blood.
• Protect vital organs, Considerable fat is stored
around vital organs, such as the heart, kidneys, and
spleen, where it cushions and helps to prevent
injury to these organs.
• Formation of cell membrane.
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Lipids Classified as Simple or Complex or
Derived
Simple lipids: Esters of fatty acids with -1
.various alcohols
a. Fats: Esters of fatty acids with glycerol.
.Oils are fats in the liquid state
b. Waxes: Esters of fatty acids with higher
.molecular weight monohydric alcohols
:Complex lipids or compound -2
Esters of fatty acids with alcohol and containing
additional group eg phospholipids, glycolipids &
.lipoprotein
a. Phospholipids:
Lipids containing, in addition to fatty acids and an
.alcohol, a phosphoric acid residue
In glycerophospholipids the alcohol is glycerol and in
.sphingophospholipids the alcohol is sphingosine
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b. Glycolipids (glycosphingolipids):
Lipids containing a fatty acid, sphingosine(2-amino-4-
octadecene-1,3-diol), and carbohydrate.

c. Other complex lipids:

Lipids such as sulfolipids and aminolipids. Lipoproteins
may also be placed in this category.
3- Derived lipids:
These include fatty acids, glycerol, steroids, other
alcohols, fatty aldehydes, ketone bodies,
hydrocarbons, lipid-soluble vitamins, and steroid
hormones.
• Fatty Acids( R-COOH)
• Fatty acids, are simply linear of hydrocarbon chains
that begin with CH3(Hydrophobic part)
& terminate with a carboxyl group (COOH).(Hydrophilic
part)
• Classification of fatty acid
Fatty acids are variable in length and can be classified
as short-chain (4–6 carbon atoms), medium-chain (8–
12 carbon atoms), or long-chain (more than 12 carbon
atoms) fatty acids.
Most fatty acids in our diet are of the long chain variety
and contain an even number of carbon atoms.
• Depending on the types of bond, fatty acids can
be classified as:

1- Saturated fatty acid

2- Unsaturated fatty acid

1- Saturated fatty acid:

contain no double bonds ( CH3-(CH2)n-COOH) eg;
- Butyric acid (4C)
- Palmitic acid (16C )
- Stearic acid ( 18C)
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2- Unsaturated fatty acid:
Contain double-bonds ( Cn-H2n-COOH ) based on the
number of double-bonds can be sub classified in to:
a- Monounsaturated (one double-bond) eg;
- palmitoleic acid ( 16: 1 Δ7)(ω7 )
- oleic acid ( 18:1 Δ9 ) (ω9 )
b- Polyunsaturated (two or more double-bonds). eg;
Linoleic acid ( 18:2 Δ9,12 ) (ω6),
Linolenic ( 18:3 Δ6,9,12 ),( ω3)
Arachidonic acid ( 20: 4 Δ5,8,11,14 ) (ω6).

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College of Applied Medical Sciences- Al Quwayiyah
Dietary Classification of fatty acid
• Essential fatty acid
•Non-essential fatty acid
•Essential fatty acid: fatty acids that cannot
be synthesized in the body, they must be
obtained from the diet include polyunsaturated
fatty acids eg;
- Linoleic & Arachidonic acids (omega –6 fatty
acid)
- Linolinic (omega – 3 fatty acid).
Triglycerides
Structure of triglycerides
contain three fatty acid molecules attached to
one molecule of glycerol by ester bond
Function of triglycerides; Triglycerides provide your body
with energy, but their main function is to store energy for
.later use

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Waxes
waxes are neutral lipids, consist of a long-chain fatty acid
linked with a long-chain alcohol by ester bond.
Waxes are water-insoluble and solid at room temperatures.
•Biological important

Their strongly hydrophobic nature allows them to function

as water repellents on the leaves of some plants, on
feathers, and on the cuticles of certain insects.
•Waxes also serve as energy-storage substances in plankton
microscopic aquatic plants and animals.
• Phospholipids

• Structure of Phospholipids

Are similar in structure to triglycerides except

that they only have two esterified fatty acids
The third position on the glycerol backbone
instead contains a phosphate group.
• There are several types of phospholipid head
groups, such as choline, inositol, serine, and
ethanolamine, which are all hydrophilic in nature.
• The various types of phospholipids are named
based on the type of phospholipid head group
present.
• Phosphatidylcholine, for example ,has a choline
head group and is the most common phospholipid
found on lipoproteins and in cell membranes.
• Phospholipid is amphipathic because
phospholipids contain both hydrophobic fatty acid
chains and a hydrophilic head group
• Function of phospholipids;
Major component of all cell membranes as they can
form lipid bilayers
• Cholesterol
Structure of cholesterol
Cholesterol is an unsaturated steroid alcohol
containing four rings (A, B, C, and D), and it has a
single side chain tail, Cholesterol can also exist in
an esterified form called cholesteryl ester

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Function of cholesterol
• Cholesterol is not catabolized & not serve as a
source of fuel.
• Component of cell membranes
• Precursor of bile acids
• Precursor of steroid hormones
• Cholesterol form vitamin D3 under the skin by
sunlight.

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 LIPOPROTEINS
• Structure of lipoproteins
• Lipoproteins are composed of both lipids and
proteins
• Lipoproteins are typically globular in shape consist of
nonpolar lipid core surrounded by amphipathic outer
layer.
Nonpolar lipid core composed of triacylglycerol and
cholesteryl ester.
Amphipathic outer layer composed of phospholipids,
cholesterol & protein.

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The protein part of lipoprotein is called apolipoprotein
or apoprotein.
Function of lipoproteins is lipids transport

Classification of lipoprotein
• Classified by using electrophoresis in to α , β
, pre ß , braod ß .
• Classified based on density by using
ultracentrifugation into 5 different density
fractions; Chylomicrons, VLDL, LDL, and HDL
Relative sizes of lipoproteins
• Chylomicrons: are the largest and the least
dense of the lipoprotein, chylomicrons
transport dietary lipids to liver
• Very Low Density Lipoproteins (VLDL) transfer
endogenous triglycerides from the liver to
peripheral tissue.
• Low-Density Lipoproteins:LDL ( bad
cholesterol)transport cholesterol from liver to
peripheral tissues
• High-Density Lipoproteins:

HDL( good cholesterol), the smallest and most

dense lipoprotein particle that contain higher
amount of protein,. HDL synthesized by the liver
& transport cholesterol from peripheral tissues
to liver.
THANKS