LIPIDS : Functions and

Classification
AS PRESENTED BY : MR. R.PHIRI
FOR BIOCHEMISTRY (CH 2011) 2020 INTAKE
LUSAKA APEX MEDICAL UNIVERSITY
INTRODUCTION
• Lipids are a heterogeneous group of molecules which are
related more by their physical than their chemical
properties.

• They have the common property of being relatively

insoluble in water but soluble in nonpolar solvents

• Their functions are as diverse as their chemical properties

 Functions
The biological functions of lipids are as diverse as their chemical properties:
1. Fats and oils are the major form of stored energy for the body.
2. Phospholipid and sterols are major structural elements of biological
membranes.
3. Other lipids play important roles as enzyme cofactors, electron
carriers, light absorbing pigments, hormones, and intracellular
messengers
4. Lipids also give shape and contour to the body and protect internal
organs by providing a cushioning effect.
5. Also serves as a thermal insulator in the subcutaneous tissues and
around certain organs.
6. Act as electrical insulators, allowing rapid propagation of
depolarization waves along myelinated nerves.
Classification of Lipids
• Lipids can be grouped into four (4) classes:

1)Simple Lipids

2)Compound or Complex Lipids

3)Derived and Precursor Lipids

4)Miscellaneous Lipids
Simple Lipids
• Simple lipids are composed of fatty acids and an alcohol

• Simple lipids include:

a)Fats : which are esters of fatty acids with glycerol as the alcohol.
Oils are fats in the liquid state.

b)Waxes : these are esters of fatty acids with higher molecular weight
monohydric alcohols.
 Complex Lipids
• These are lipids which are composed of fatty acids, an alcohol and an
additional group
a)Phospholipids. These are esters containing, in addition to the alcohol
and fatty acids, a phosphoric acid residue. Examples include
glycerophospholipids containing glycerol as the alcohol and
sphingophospholipids where sphingosine is the alcohol. They may also
have nitrogen-containing bases and other substituents.

b)Glycolipids (Glycosphingolipids): these contain a fatty acid, sphingosine

and a carbohydrate

c)Other complex lipids include sulfolipids, aminolipids and lipoproteins

Derived and Precursor Lipids

• These are derivatives of hydrolysis (breakdown) of simple and

complex lipids which possess the characteristics of lipids.

• They include fatty acids, glycerol, other alcohols, steroids, fatty

aldehydes, and ketone bodies, hydrocarbons, lipid-soluble vitamins,
and hormones.
Miscellaneous Lipids

• These are compounds that possess characteristics of lipids e.g.

carotenoids, terpenes, squalene etc.

• NOTE: Acylglycerols, cholesterol, and cholesteryl esters are termed

as neutral lipids because they are uncharged
 Fatty Acids
• Fatty acids are carboxylic acids with hydrocarbon chains ranging from 4-36
carbons long
• They mostly occur in ester form (attached to an alcohol) but may exist in
the “free form”
• Fatty acids from natural fats/oils usually have straight chains (not cyclic or
branched) and even numbers for carbon atoms.
• The hydrocarbon chain of fatty acids may be saturated (having no double
bond) or unsaturated (having one or more double bonds)
• Unsaturated fatty acids show cis-/trans-isomerism with almost ALL
naturally occurring fats having the cis-conformation
 Nomenclature of Fatty Acids
1.Systematic names:
a)Fatty acids (FAs) can be named after the hydrocarbon with same
number and arrangement of carbon atoms with –oic replacing final –e
( i.e. -anoic acid for saturated FAs and –enoic acid for unsaturated FAs).
Carbons are numbered starting from the carboxyl end (alpha end). If a
double bond(s) is present, it must be specified as or
 Nomenclatures of FAs cont’d.
b) Short hand notations are another systematic way of naming FAs. This
indicates the length of the fatty acid and how many double bonds if any.
e.g. 18:0 means an carbon fatty acid with no double bonds
20:4;5,8,11,14
Various conventions use (delta)to indicate the number and position
of double bonds
e.g. Δ9 indicates a double bond between 9th and 10th carbon from the
alpha end and, ω9( or ) indicates a double on the 9th carbon from the
omega end.
• Long-chain saturated fatty acids stack tightly and form solids at room temperature.
• There is freedom of rotation around each carbon-carbon bond which gives the
hydrocarbon chain greater flexibility.
• Molecules can pack in crystalline arrays with atoms all along their lengths in contact
with atoms of neighbouring chains and thus are solids at r.t.p.
• Storage lipids are more saturated.
• Unsaturated fatty acids do not stack compactly and are liquid at room temperature.
• A cis double bond forms a kink in the hydrocarbon chain.
• Molecules can not pack as tightly as fully saturated fatty acids and their interactions
with each other is weaker.
• The membrane lipids, which must be fluid at all environmental temperatures, are more
unsaturated.
• The melting points of even-numbered-carbon fatty acids increase with chain length
and decrease according to unsaturation.
 Unsaturated Fatty Acids are subdivided into:

1.Monounsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFA or monoenoic acids): these

contain one double bond

2.Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA or polyenoic acids): these contain

two or more double bonds.

3.Eicosanoids : these are a special kind of PUFAs. They are derived from
eicosa-polyenoic fatty acids. Eicosa means carbons. This class includes
prostanoids, leukotrienes and lipoxins. Prostanoids include
prostaglandins, prostacyclins and thromboxanes.
 Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)
• Mammals can synthesize saturated and monoenoic fatty acids. However, they
can not synthesize fatty acids containing more than one double bond.
• The fatty acids that cannot be synthesized by the body but must be supplied
through diet are known as essential fatty acids.
• The essential fatty acids are linoleic acid (an FA with formula 18:2;9,12)and
linolenic acid (an FA with formula 18:3;9,12,15)
• Arachidonic acid is said to be semi-essential. This is simply because
Arachidonic acid can be made in the body (thus not essential)using linoleic
acid. However, it becomes essential if its precursor, linoleic acid, is missing in
the diet.
• These essential fatty acids are important for normal functioning of all tissues.
They are precursors for synthesis of eicosanoids.
• An imbalance of EFAs is associated with atherosclerosis, toad skin disease
among other defects