Lipid Metabolism Flashcards
(89 cards)
What are lipids?
- group of molecules that are insoluble in water
What is the principle functions of lipids in the body?
- stored energy
What structural aspect in the body do lipids primarily contribute towards?
- biological membranes
How do lipids help with digestion in the GIT?
- act as an emulsifying agent
Do lipids that are stored as energy have positive or negative charge?
- neutral charge
Do membrane bound lipids contain a positive or negative charge?
- both - hydrophobic and hydrophilic
- negative in middle, positive on outside
What is the basic structure of a glycerophospholipids?
- glycerol backbone
- 2 fatty acids
- 1 phosphate attached to alcohol group

What is the basic structure of a sphingolipids?
- glycerol backbone
- 1 fatty acids
- 1 mono or oligosaccharide
What is the basic structure of a galactolipids?
- glycerol backbone
- 2 fatty acids
- 1 mono or oligosaccharide attached to a sulphate group
If a lipid is saturated what does this mean when thinking about the carbons?
- carbons have full compliment of H+
Are saturated or unsaturated lipids provide more flexibility to membranes?
- unsaturated
- due to kind in their tails
Unsaturated lipids have a double bond between 2 carbon molecules, what does this mean for the structure of the carbons?
- gives the tail of the lipids a kink
- makes the membrane it is part of more flexible
Are saturated and unsaturated more likely to be solutions or solids?
- saturated = solid and a ⬆️ melting point (butter)
- unsaturated = liquid and a ⬇️ melting point (olive oil)
What are the 2 major pathways of triglyceride metabolism?
- B oxidation = releaseing energy
- Synthesis = S for storing energy
Why is B oxidation called B oxidation?
- removal of electrons
- occurs prior to beta carbon
What is the first step of B oxidation?
- fatty acids are activated by coenzyme A
- coenzyme A attaches to fatty acid

In the mitochondria where do fatty acids become activated by the coenzyme A attaching to it?
- cytosol
What is an acyl group?
- carbon attached to O with double bond
- R tail is the fatty acid

What is the carnitine shuttle?
- exchange between CoA and carnitine groups
- facilitates acyl groups from cytosol to matrix of mitochondria

How does the carnitine shuttle move acyl across the inner mitochondrial membrane?
- acyl-CoA is converted into acyl-carnitine
- enzyme carnitine palmitoyl 1 cleaves CoA from fatty acid
- leaving Carnatine attached to fatty acid
- THIS IS THE RATE LIMITING STEP OF CARNATINE SHUTTLE

Once inside the matrix how does the carnitine shuttle keep acyl groups inside the matrix?
- acyl-carnitine is converted back into acyl-CoA
- enzyme carnitine palmitoyl 2 cleaves carnatine from fatty acid
- leaving CoA attached to fatty acid

What is the carnitine palmitoyl transferase I?
- enzyme
- converts acyl-CoA into acyl-carnitine
What is the carnitine palmitoyl transferase II?
- enzyme
- converts acyl-carnitine into acyl-CoA
What is the rate limiting step in B oxidation?
- carnitine shuttle
- exchange of acyl-CoA to acyl-carnatine












