[Fatty acids: their biochemical and functional classification].

C Agostoni; M G Bruzzese

PubMed · 1488301

[Fatty acids: their biochemical and functional classification].

Abstract

Fatty acids (FA) constitute the main component of phospholipids, triglycerides and cholesterol esters. FA are acidic, monocarboxylic linear chains of variable length: short-chain FA (2-4 carbon atoms), medium-chain FA (6-12 carbon atoms), long-chain FA (14-18 carbon atoms), very long-chain FA (derived from parental 18-carbon molecules). They can be further subdivided into saturated (no double bond), monounsaturated (one double bond) and polyunsaturated (two or more double bonds). They are all involved in energetic, metabolic and structural activities. Short-chain FA act as growth factors; medium chain FA are readily available as energy source; saturated long-chain FA constitute a source of energy but may be implicated in the development of the atherosclerotic process; unsaturated long-chain FA include oleic acid and the essential fatty acids (linoleate and linolenate), and are all implicated in fundamental metabolic processes; very-long chain FA are the most characteristic molecules in biologic membranes. From recent works it is clearly established that the physiological role of FA depends on the chain length, and that the very-long chain molecules could determine the quality of human development. A functional classification of FA today must be based not only on the rate of unsaturation, but also (and most importantly) on the chain length.

Explore related subjects

Biochemical Phenomena Biochemistry Dietary Fats Fatty Acids Humans Structure-Activity Relationship English Abstract Journal Article Review

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

C Agostoni, M G Bruzzese. [Fatty acids: their biochemical and functional classification].. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1488301/

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related citations

PubMed2007

"Pocket dendrimers" as nanoscale receptors for bimolecular guest accommodation.

A new series of dendrimer receptors was prepared by combining a (tetraphenylporphinato)zinc(II) core and benzyl ether type dendritic substituents. Since one direction of the (tetraphenylporphinato)zinc(II) was not substituted by a dendritic residue, the resulting unsymmetrical dendrimers have "pockets" available for access of external substrates. Molecular modeling, NMR measurements, and zinc-coordination experiments revealed that the third-generation dendrimer of this type exhibited characteristic inclusion of coordinative pyridine guests. When diamidopyridine moiety was introduced into the dendrimer pocket, a thymine derivative was bound through complementary hydrogen bonding. Two different kinds of substrates, pyridine and thymine derivatives, were simultaneously accommodated in the nanoscale pocket and bimolecular guest accommodation was realized with the designed dendrimer receptor.

Biochemical Phenomena↗

PubMed2006

Distribution of selenium in different biochemical fractions and raw darkening degree of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers supplemented with selenate.

Effects of Se fertilization on potato processing quality, possible changes in Se concentration and form in tubers during storage, and retransfer of Se from seed tubers were examined. Potato plants were grown at five selenate (SeO4(2-)) concentrations. Tubers were harvested 16 weeks after planting and were stored at 3-4 degrees C prior to analysis. The results showed that the Se concentration did not decrease during storage for 1-12 months. In tubers, 49-65% of total Se was allocated in protein fraction, which is less than found in plant leaves in a previous study. The next-generation tubers produced by the Se-enriched seed tubers had increased Se concentrations, which evidenced the relocation of Se from the seed tubers. At low levels, Se improved the processing quality of potato tubers by diminishing and retarding their raw darkening. The value of Se-enriched potato tubers as a Se source in the human diet was discussed.

Biochemical Phenomena↗

PubMed2006

Human development V: biochemistry unable to explain the emergence of biological form (morphogenesis) and therefore a new principle as source of biological information is needed.

Today's biomedicine builds on the conviction that biochemistry can explain the creation of the body, its anatomy and physiology. Unfortunately there are still deep mysteries strangely "fighting back" when we try to define and understand the organism and its creation in the ontogenesis as emerging from biochemistry. In analysing this from a theoretical perspective using a mathematical model focusing on the noise in complex chemical systems we argue that evolving biological structure cannot in principle be a product of chemistry. In this paper we go through the chemical gradient model and argue that this is not able to explain the ontogenesis. We discuss the used gradients as information carriers in chemical self-organizing systems and argue that by use of the "Turing structures" we are only able to modelling the mostly simple biological systems. The bio-chemical model is only able to model simple organization but not to explain the complexity of biological phenomena. We conclude that we seemingly have presented a formal proof (a NO-GO theorem) that the self-organizing chemical systems that are using chemical gradients are not able to explain complex biological matters as the ontogenesis. We need a fundamentally new, information-carrying principle to understand biological information and biological order.

Biochemical Phenomena↗