The Anatomy and Physiology of Lipids

The Anatomy and Physiology of Lipids

Abstract

When you get up each morning and look outside your window looking out at the beautiful

plants and adorable little animals, have you ever wondered what makes all living things? Lipids are

what help create all the living things we see everyday. Lipids are found in all membranes, mainly

plasma membranes, meaning animals and plants contain lipids. In this paper I will display and

explain the formation of micelles and bi-layers from lipid amphiphilicity. A variety of books were

used to study different types of lipids; the three major components, glycerophospholipids,

sphingolipids, and sterols, and their affects in the cellular and multicultural systems.

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Lipids are structural components found in living cells that are either soluble in organic

solvents or insoluble in water.1 These lipid membranes are demonstrated in Singer and Nicolson’s

1972 fluid mosaic model. Lipids are commonly recognized as fats, oils, wax, etc. There are three

major different types of lipids that exist: glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, and sterols.2

Within each type there are a variety of subtypes.

Glycerophospholipids are commonly referred to as plain phospholipids. Within itself it

contains three components. First it is constructed with a phosphorylated head group, then a three

carbon glycerol backbone, and finally a two hydrocarbon fatty acid chains. The phosphorylated

head group is attached to one of the glycerol hydroxyls with addition to the two hydrocarbon fatty

acid chains bonded to the other two glycerol hydroxyls.3 The purpose for glycerophospholipids is

to construct and or maintain the cell membrane. In a microscopic view of the cell membrane we can

observe that the glyceropho...

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