LIPIDS

Lipids are important constituent of of the diet because they are a source of high energy value.
Lipids are also important because of the fat-soluble vitamins, and essential fatty acids found in
the fat of the natural food stuffs. Body fat serves as a very good source of energy, it is stored in
adipose tissues. They also act as insulating material in the subcutaneous tissues and are also seen
around certain organs. Lipids combined with proteins are important constituents of the cell
membranes and mitochondria of the cell. Lipids are not generally macromolecules.

Lipids are naturally occurring organic compounds, commonly known as oils and fats. Lipids
occur through out the living world in microorganisms, higher plants and animals and also in all
cell types. Lipids contribute to cell structure, provide stored fuel and also take part in many
biological processes.

Lipids Definition
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Lipids are naturally occurring hydrophobic molecules. They are heterogenous group of
compounds related to fatty acids. They include fats, oils, waxes, phospholipids, etc. They make
up about 70% of the dry weight of the nervous system. Lipids are crucial for the
healthy functioning of the nerve cells. Lipids are greasy or oily organic substances; lipids are
sparingly soluble in water and are soluble in organic solvents like chloroform, ether and benzene.

Characteristics of Lipids
General characters of lipids are

Lipids are relatively insoluble in water.

They are soluble in non-polar solvents, like ether, chloroform, methanol.

Lipids have high energy content and are metabolized to release calories.

Lipids also act as electrical insulators, they insulate nerve axons.

Fats contain saturated fatty acids, they are solid at room temperatures. Example, animal
fats.

Plant fats are unsaturated and are liquid at room temperatures.

Pure fats are colorless, they have extremely bland taste.

The fats are sparingly soluble in water and hence are described are hydrophobic
substances.

They are freely soluble in organic solvents like ether, acetone and benzene.

The melting point of fats depends on the length of the chain of the constituent fatty acid
and the degree of unsaturation.

Geometric isomerism, the presence of double bond in the unsaturated fatty acid of the
lipid molecule produces geometric or cis-trans isomerism.

Fats have insulating capacity, they are bad conductors of heat.

Emulsification is the process by which a lipid mass is converted to a number of small

lipid droplets. The process of emulsification happens before the fats can be absorbed by
the intestinal walls.

The fats are hydrolyzed by the enzyme lipases to yield fatty acids and glycerol.

The hydrolysis of fats by alkali is called saponification. This reaction results in the
formation of glycerol and salts of fatty acids called soaps.

Hydrolytic rancidity is caused by the growth of microorganisms which secrete enzymes

like lipases. These split fats into glycerol and free fatty acids.

Types of Lipids
classification of lipids based on their chemical composition.

Simple Lipids or Homolipids

Simple lipids are the esters of fatty acids with various alcohols.

Fats and Oils (triglycerides and triacylglycerols) - These are esters of fatty acids with a
trihydroxy alcohol, glycerol. A fat is solid at ordinary room temperature, an oil is liquid.

Simple Triglycerides - Simple triglycerides are one in which three fatty acids radicles are similar
or are of the same type. Example: Tristearin, Triolein.

Mixed Triglycerides are one in which the three fatty acids radicles are different from each other.
Example: distearo-olein, dioleo-palmitin.
Waxes are the esters of fatty acids with high molecular weight monohydroxy alcohols. Example:
Beeswax, Carnauba wax.

Compound Lipids or Heterolipids

Heterolipids are esters of fatty acids with alcohol and possess additional groups also.

Phospholipids or Phosphatids are compound containing fatty acids and glycerol in addition to a
phosphoric acid, nitrogen bases and other substituents. They usually possess one hydrophilic
head and tow non-polar tails. They are called polar lipids and are amphipathic in nautre.
Phospholipids can be phosphoglycerides, phosphoinositides and phosphosphingosides.

Phosphoglycerides are major phospholipids, they are found in membranes. It contains fatty acid
molecules which are esterified to hydroxyl groups of glycerol. The glycerol group also forms an
ester linkage with phosphoric acid. Example: Lecithin, Cephalins.

Phosphoinositides are said to occur in phospholipids of brain tissue and soybeans. The ply
important role in transport processes in cells.

Phosphosphingosides are commonly found in nerve tissue. Example: sphingomyelins.

Glycolipids are the compounds of fatty acids with carbohydrates and contain nitrogen but no
phosphoric acid. The glycolipids also include certain structurally related compounds comprising
the groups gangliosides, sulpholipids and sulfatids.
Derived Lipids

Derived lipids are the substances derived from simple and compound lipids by hydrolysis. These
includes fatty acids, alcohols, monoglycerides and diglycerides, steroids, terpenes, carotenoids.

The most common derived lipids are steroids, terpenes and carotenoids.

Steroids do not contain fatty acids, they are nonsaponifiable, and are not hydrolyzed on heating.
They are widely distributed in animals, where they are associated with physiological processes.
Example: Estranes, androstranes, etc.

Terpenes in majority are found in plants. Example: Natural rubber. gernoil, etc.

Carotenoids are tetraterpenes. They are widely distributed in both plants and animals. They are
exclusively of plant origin. Due to the presence of many conjugated double bonds, they are
colored red or yellow. Example: Lycopreene, carotenes, Xanthophylls.

Essential fatty acids are those that cannot be constructed through any chemical pathways, known
to happen in humans. They must be obtained from the diet. Linoleic acid and linolenic acid are
the essential fatty acids.

Non-essential fatty acids are those which are not necessary to be taken through diet, they are
synthesized through chemical pathways.

Unsaturated fatty acids have one or more double bonds between carbon atoms. The tow carbon
atoms are bound to each other through double bonds and can occur in cis or trans configuration.
Saturated fatty acids are long chain carboxylic acids and do not have double bonds. Example:
Arachidic acid, Palmitic acid, etc.

Structure of Lipids

Lipids has no single common structure. The most commonly occurring lipids are triglycerides
and phospholipids.
Triglycerides are fats and oils. Triglycerides have a glycerol backbone bonded to three fatty
acids. If the three fatty are similar then the triglyceride is known as simple triglyceride. If the
fatty acids are not similar then the fatty acids are known as mixed triglyceride.

The second most common class of lipids are phospholipids. They are found in membranes
of animal and plants. Phospholipids contains glycerol and fatty acids, they also contain
phosphoric acids and a low-molecular weight alcohol. Common phospholipids are lecithins and
cephalins.

Function of Lipids
Lipids perform several biological functions:

Lipids are storage compounds, triglycerides serve as reserve energy of the body.

Lipids are important component of cell membranes structure in eukaryotic cells.

Lipids regulate membrane permeability.

They serve as source for fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E, K.

They act electrical insulators to the nerve fibres, where the myelin sheath contains
lipids.

Lipids are components of some enzyme systems.

Some lipids like prostaglandins and steroid hormones act as cellular metabolic
regulators.

Cholesterol is found in cell membranes, blood, and bile of many organisms.

As lipids are small molecules and are insoluble in water, they act as signalling
molecules.
 Layers of fat in the subcutaneous layer, provides insulation and protection from cold.
Body temperature maintenance is done by brown fat.

Polyunsaturated phospholipids are important constituents of phospholipids, they provide

fluidity and flexibility to the cell membranes.

Lipoproteins that are complexes of lipids and proteins, occur in blood as plasma
lipoprotein, they enable transport of lipids in aqueous environment, and their transport
throughout the body.

Cholesterol maintains fluidity of membranes by interacting with lipid complexes.

Cholesterol is the precursor of bile acids, Vitamin D and steroids.

Essential fatty acids like linoleic and linolenic acids are precursors of many different
types of ecosanoids including prostaglandins, thromboxanes. These play a important role
in pain, fever, inflammation and blood clotting.

List of Lipids

Lipids are a diverse group of naturally occurring organic compounds. Below are the list of lipids:

Examples of Lipids
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Few well known examples of lipids are as follows:

Fatty acids - Oleic acid, Linoleic acid, Palmitoleic acid, Arachidonic acid.

Fats and Oils - Animal fats - Butter, Lard, Human fat, Herring oil. Plant oils - Coconut oil,
Corn, Palm, Peanut, Sunflower oil.

Waxes - Spermacti, Beeswax, Carnauba wax.

Phospholipids - Lecithins, Cephalins, Plasmoalogens, Phosphatidyl inositols, Sphingomyelins.

Glycolipids - Kerasin, Phrenosin, Nervon, Oxynervon.

Steroids - C 29, C 28, C 27, C 24, C 21 steroids.

Terpenes - Monoterpenes, Sesquiterpenes, Diterpenes, Triterpenes.

Carotenoids - Lycopene, Carotenes, Xanthophylls.