Lipids

The lipids are a heterogeneous group of compounds, including fats, oils, steroids, waxes, and
related compounds, which are related more by their physical than by their chemical properties.
They have the common property of being (1) relatively insoluble in water and (2) soluble in
nonpolar solvents such as ether and chloroform. They are important dietary constituents not
only because of their high energy value but also because of the fat-soluble vitamins and the
essential fatty acids contained in the fat of natural foods.E.g. fat and oils.

Functions of lipids
1. lipids are storage form of energy, Fat is stored in adipose tissue.
2. It also serves as a thermal insulator in the subcutaneous tissues and around certain organs.
3. Nonpolar lipids act as electrical insulators, allowing rapid propagation of depolarization
waves along myelinated nerves.
4. Combinations of lipid and protein (lipoproteins) are important cellular constituents,
occurring both in the cell membrane and in the mitochondria, and serving also as the
means of transporting lipids in the blood.
5. Lipids are also required for solubility of fat soluble vitamins.
6. Lipids are major source of metabolic water.
7. Lipids synthesize the hormones(steroid hormones, prostaglandins)

Classification of lipids

1. Simple lipids: Esters of fatty acids with 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.
c. cholesterol ester, ester of vitamin A& D

2. Compound lipids: Esters of fatty acids containing groups in addition to an alcohol and a fatty
acid.
a. Phospholipids: Lipids containing, in addition to fatty acids and an alcohol, a phosphoric acid
residue. They frequently have nitrogen containing bases and other substituents, eg, in
glycerophospholipids the alcohol is glycerol and in sphingophospholipids the alcohol is
sphingosine.
b. Glycolipids (glycosphingolipids): Lipids containing a fatty acid, sphingosine, and
carbohydrate c. Other complex lipids: Lipids such as sulfolipids and aminolipids. Lipoproteins
may also be placed in this category.

3. derived lipids: hydrolysed products of simple and compound lipids are derived lipids.These
include fatty acids, glycerol, cholesterol, other alcohol, fatty aldehydes, and ketone bodies .
4. miscellaneous lipids: these include heterogenous group of compounds possessing
characteristics of lipids. E.g. carotenoids, squalene, hydrocarbons, terpenes, vit E and vit K.

1
Fatty acids

Fatty acids are carboxylic acids with hydrocarbon chains ranging from 4 to 36 carbons long (C4
to C36). The general molecular formula is R-COOH.

Classification of fatty acid

1. Classification based on total no of carbon
i. Even chain fatty acids (naturally occuring f.a)
ii. Odd chain fatty acids (found in micro-organism and milk)
2. Classification based on length of hydrocarbon
i. Short chain f.a (C2-C6)
ii. Medium chain f.a (C8-C14)
iii. Long chain f.a (C16-C36)
3. Classification based on nature of hydrocarbon
i. Saturated fatty acids
ii. Unsaturated fatty acids which may be subclassified into Mono-unsaturated (mono-
enoic) having single double bond or Polyunsaturated (poly-enoic) with 2 or more double
bonds.
iii. Branched chain fatty acids
iv. Hydroxy fatty acids

2
Essential fatty acids
The fatty acids that cannot be synthesized by the body and, therefore, should be supplied in
the diet are known as essential fatty acids (EFA). Chemically, they are polyunsaturated fatty
acids, namely linoleic acid (18 : 2; 9, 12) and Iinolenic acid (18 : 3; 9, 12, 15). Arachidonic
acid (20 :4;5,8, 11,14) becomes essential, if its precursor linoleic acid is not provided in the diet
in sufficient amounts. The structures of EFA are given as

3
 Linoleic acid and linolenic acid are essential since humans lack the enzymes (desaturase) that
can introduce double bonds beyond carbon 9.

NEUTRAL FATS
Neutral fats are also called as triacylglycerols (TAG) or triglycerides (TG). These are esters of
the trihydric alcohol, glycerol with fatty acids. Naturally occurring fats and oils are mixtures of
triglycerides. If all the three hydroxyl groups of the glycerol are esterified to the same fatty acid,
a simple triacyl glycerol is formed, e.g. Tripalmitin, Triolein, etc. A mixed triglyceride is
formed, when different fatty acids are esterified to the hydroxyl groups of glycerol.

TAG

4
Properties of TAG
i. They are hydrophobic and insoluble in water.they can be store in large amounts in body.in
animals adipose tissue store fat & in plants TAG is stored in seeds.
ii. Oils are liquids at 20oC; they are triglycerides which contain a higher proportion of
unsaturated fatty acids or short chain triglycerides. Oils are generally of plant origin.
iii. Fats are solids at room temperature and contain mainly saturated long chain fatty acids.
Fats are mainly of animal origin.
iv. When the constituent fatty acids have a higher chain length and are predominantly saturated,
‘hard fat' is formed, e.g. pig fat.

PHOSPHOLIPIDS
Phospholipids are membrane lipids & they are amphipathic in nature i.e containing both
hydrophilic as well as hydrophobic part. Phospholipids are of 2 types
i. Glycerophospholipid- backbone is glycerol.

Types of glycerophospholipid

5
Ether linked phospholipid

ii. Sphingophospholipid- backbone is sphingosine. sphingomyelin is only

sphingophospholipid found in myelin sheath.
6
Glycolipids

They are seen widely in nervous tissues. This group of lipids do not contain phosphoric acid;
instead they contain carbohydrates and ceramide. Their role is to maintain the stability of
the cell membrane and to facilitate cellular recognition, which is crucial to the immune response
and in the connections that allow cells to connect to one another to form tissues.

Cerebrosides- they contain one or more sugars. They are found in white mater of brain. E.g.
glucocerebrosides, galactocerebrosides e.t.c.
Ganglosides- they contain oligosaccharides with at least one N-acetyl neuraminic acid (sialic
acid). They are found in gray mater of brain and ganglions.

Sterols
Sterols are membrane lipids found in most of eukaryotic cell membrane. They have a fused ring
system i.e. cyclopentanoperhydrophenanthrene ring system. Ring A, B & C are cyclopentane and
ring D is cyclohexane. Sterols are also amphipathic. E.g. is cholesterol and phytosterol
(sitosterol, ergocalciferol , stigmasterol)in plants.
Steroids are oxidesed derivatives of sterols and are more soluble than sterols. E.g.
glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids and sex hormones.

7
 Structure of cholesterol

Cholesterol

Terpenes
The lipids which carbon skeleton have structural relationship to isoprene i.e. (2-methylbutadiene)
are called terpenes. These terpenes include essential oils such as citral, camphor, rubber &
variety of plant pigments eg carotenes, lycopenes, squalene e.t.c.

• Terpenoids are compounds related to terpenes, which may include some oxygen
functionality or some rearrangement, however the two terms are often used
interchangeably.
• Monoterpenoid eg camphor
• Diterpenoid eg retinol
• Tri terpenoids eg cholesterol
• Tetra terpenoid eg beta carotene
• Polyterpenoid eg rubber

8
9