Draft: Lipids Part 2

The reason why the liver must process the material is because triacylglycerol’s hydrophobic nature makes it difficult to transport and store in the body. Animals attempt to solubilize these molecules through the biosynthesis and distribution of lipoproteins. Lipoproteins come in different types that vary in the percent and type of lipids and proteins that compose it. Lipoproteins have a phospholipid membrane with cholesterol and proteins embedded in it, and inside, they carry cholesterol esters and/or triacylglycerols. Triacylglycerols are then stored in adipose cells, or adipocytes, which are the location of fat storage in animals. Triacylglycerol synthesis is known as lipogenesis and is the creation of triacylglycerol from glycerol and three fatty acids. It occurs in the liver and adipose cells. On the other hand, triacylglycerol degradation is known as lipolysis and is the breakdown of triacylglycerol to glycerol and three fatty acids. It occurs only in adipose cells and involves three enzymes in the process. The fatty acid products then exit the cells and bind to albumin in the blood.