Triglycerides - how they assemble

Hydrocarbons

• hydrogen+carbon, petroleum, engine fuel
• must use fire to release energy
  • the heat of fire injects oxygen
• cannot mix with water
  • oily carbon without any oxygen of water

Carbohydrates

• carbon+hydration (water), adds oxygen
• can burn into energy without fire
  • due to oxygen being attached into the molecule
• can mix with water
  • oxygen of water dominates the oily carbon

Lipids

• cannot mix with water, oil like, hydrophobic
• carbon atoms dominate oil, fat, wax, lipids
  • the foundation of our membranse and skin the repels water
• oxygen atoms dominate water, blood plasma, body fluids,
  • the foundation of breathing, digestion, elimination

Fatty acids

• a type of carbohydrate
  • oxygen of water at one end - hydrophilic
  • oily carbon at the other end - hydrophobic
• useful for membranes
  • skin
  • arteries
• separates fluids into compartments
  • eye
  • gallbladder
  • urninary bladder
  • lymph fluid
  • blood
  • heart
• the carbon end stops water - fatty
  
  • basically a hydrocarbon of 14 to 24 carbons
  • carbon atoms tend to be pair-like, even numbered
• the oxygen end mingles with water - acid
  
  • the acid end is the same as the amino acids
    • amino acid
    • fatty acid

Triglycerides

• built with a 3 carbon sugar - glycerol
• this 3 carbon sugar can bond with up to 3 fatty acids
• mono-glyceride
  • 3 carbon sugar - glycerol
  • one (mono) fatty acid
• di-glyceride
  • 3 carbon sugar - glycerol
  • two (di) fatty acids
  • neuro transmitter
  • Transient Receptor Potential (TRP)
    • sight, vision
    • hearing, sound
    • mood, thoughts
  • lipid bilayer
    • key to membranes
• tri-glyceride
  • 3 carbon sugar - glycerol
  • three (tri) glyceride
  • not useful in membranes
    • often rejected to cause an immune response
    • attacked by white blood cells, leukotriene
    • inflammatory reaction

Phospholipid

• diglyceride where phosphate takes the place of a fatty acid
• key for
  • digestion
  • membranes, allowing passage of
    • oxygen
    • water
    • nutrietrients
    • carbon dioxide
    • proteins
• same 3 carbon glycerol sugar holding it together
• important for myelin sheaths and memory

Summary

• we need phospholipids
• triglycerides are not