The major aspects of lipid metabolism are involved with Fatty Acid Oxidation to produce energy or the synthesis of lipids which is called Lipogenesis. Lipid metabolism is closely connected to the metabolism of carbohydrates which may be converted to fats.
The first step in lipid metabolism is the hydrolysis of the lipid in the cytoplasm to produce glycerol and fatty acids. Fatty acids are synthesized from carbohydrates and occasionally from proteins. Actually, the carbohydrates and proteins have first been catabolized into acetyl CoA. Depending upon the energy requirements, the acetyl CoA enters the citric acid cycle or is used to synthesize fatty acids in a process known as LIPOGENESIS. Tissues depending on fatty acids for energy:
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1. Fatty acids
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4. Sphingolipids
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2. Transport fatty acid to the cytoplasm
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3. Transport fatty acid into the mitochondrial matrix
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