Human Biochemistry (HDD 10803)
Tutorial 2
Lipids
1. Differentiate between the four types of cholesterol (structure/composition, apolipoprotein
content & function).
Chylomicron VLDL HDL LDL
Structure/ Very big in Smaller than Very small. Very small.
composition size. Contains chylomicron. High protein High protein
less proteins More proteins content. content.
then VLDL. than Contains Contains
Contains chylomicrons. triglycerides. triglycerides.
cholesterol. Contains
cholesterol.
Apolipoprotein Apolipoprotei Apolipoprotei Apolipoprotei Apolipoprotei
composition n B-48 n B-100 n A-I, A-II, A-IV n B-100
Function Transporting Deliver TG Transports Transports
dietary from liver to cholesterol cholesterol
triglycerides peripheral from from
and tissues. peripheral peripheral
cholesterol tissues to tissues to liver.
absorbed by liver.
intestinal
epithelia.
2. Explain the Ketone acid function in brain.
- Play a neuroprotective role through an improvement in metabolic efficiency, by sparing
glucose, and the degradation of muscle derived amino acids for substrates.
3. Explain the effect of ketone acid accumulation in diabetes mellitus.
- When the body doesn’t have enough insulin, blood sugar rises. The liver breaks down fat
for fuel, and produces a lot of ketones. These over accumulation of ketones in the body
causes diabetes mellitus.
4. Explain the steps in B-oxidation pathway.
- Fatty acids are converted into fatty acyl COA molecules in cytoplasm. Fatty acyl COA
combines with carnitine to create a fatty acyl carnitine molecule. The fatty acyl carnitine
molecule is converted back into fatty acyl COA and then into Acetyl COA. Acetyl COA
enters the Krebs cycle.