Triacylglycerols enzymic hydrolysis

Mottram, H.R. (1999) The Application of HPLC-APCI MS to the Regiospecific Analysis of Triacylglycerols in Edible Oils and Fats. PhD thesis, Department of Chemistry, University of Bristol, UK. Movia, E. and Remoli, S. (1977) Application of enzymic hydrolysis to determine the genuineness of butter., Bollettino dei Chimici dei Laboratori Provinciali, 3, 187-192. 

Animals store energy in the form of triacylglycerols, kept in a layer of fat cells below the surface of the skin. This fat serves to insulate the organism, as well as provide energy for its metabolic needs for long periods. The first step in the metabolism of a triacylglycerol is hydrolysis of the ester bonds to form glycerol and three fatty acids. This reaction is simply ester hydrolysis. In cells, this reaction is carried out with enzymes called lipases. 

The metabolic breakdown of triacylglycerols begins with their hydrolysis to yield glycerol plus fatty acids. The reaction is catalyzed by a lipase, whose mechanism of action is shown in Figure 29.2. The active site of the enzyme contains a catalytic triad of aspartic acid, histidine, and serine residues, which act cooperatively to provide the necessary acid and base catalysis for the individual steps. Hydrolysis is accomplished by two sequential nucleophilic acyl substitution reactions, one that covalently binds an acyl group to the side chain -OH of a serine residue on the enzyme and a second that frees the fatty acid from the enzyme. 

The physiological pathway for oxidation of fatty acids in organs or tissues starts with the enzyme triacylglycerol lipase within adipose tissue, that is, the hormone-sensitive lipase. This enzyme, plus the other two lipases, results in complete hydrolysis of the triacylglycerol to fatty acids, which are transported to various tissues that take them up and oxidise them by P-oxidation to acetyl-CoA. This provides a further example of a metabolic pathway that spans more than one tissue (Figure 7.13) (Box 7.1). 

To biosynthesize fats (triacylglycerols), the phosphate residue is again removed by hydrolysis (enzyme phosphatidate phosphatase 3.1.3.4). This produces diacylglycerols (DAG). 

Triacylglycerol Upases [EC 3.1.1.3] (also known as triglyceride lipases, tributyrases, or simply as lipases) catalyze the hydrolysis of a triacylglycerol to produce a diac-ylglycerol and a fatty acid anion. The pancreatic enzyme acts only on an ester-water interface the outer ester links in the substrate are the ones which are preferentially... 

This enzyme [EC 3.1.1.34] (also called clearing factor lipase, diglyceride lipase, and diacylglycerol lipase) catalyzes the hydrolysis of a triacylglycerol to produce a diacylglycerol and a fatty acid anion. This enzyme hydrolyzes triacylglycerols in chylomicrons and in low-density lipoproteins and also acts on diacylglycerols. See also Lipases... 

Lipases are enzymes that catalyze the in vivo hydrolysis of lipids such as triacylglycerols. Lipases are not used in biological systems for ester synthesis, presumably because the large amounts of water present preclude ester formation due to the law of mass action which favors hydrolysis. A different pathway (using the coenzyme A thioester of a carboxylic acid and the enzyme synthase [Blei and Odian, 2000]) is present in biological systems for ester formation. However, lipases do catalyze the in vitro esterification reaction and have been used to synthesize polyesters. The reaction between alcohols and carboxylic acids occurs in organic solvents where the absence of water favors esterification. However, water is a by-product and must be removed efficiently to maximize conversions and molecular weights. 

Hydrolysis of triacylglycerols is catalyzed by lipoprotein lipase, a membrane-bound enzyme located on the endothelium lining the capillary beds of the muscle and adipose tissue. 

Certain classes of lipids are susceptible to degradation under specific conditions. For example, all ester-linked fatty acids in triacylglycerols, phospholipids, and sterol esters are released by mild acid or alkaline treatment, and somewhat harsher hydrolysis conditions release amide-bound fatty acids from sphingolipids. Enzymes that specifically hydrolyze certain lipids are also useful in the determination of lipid structure. Phospholipases A, C, and D (Fig. 10-15) each split particular bonds in phospholipids and yield products with characteristic solubilities and chromatographic behaviors. Phospholipase C, for example, releases a water-soluble phosphoryl alcohol (such as phosphocholine from phosphatidylcholine) and a chloroform-soluble diacylglycerol, each of which can be characterized separately to determine the structure of the intact phospholipid. The combination of specific hydrolysis with characterization of the products by thin-layer, gas-liquid, or high-performance liquid chromatography often allows determination of a lipid structure. 

Chylomicrons transport dietary triacylglycerol and cholesteryl ester from the intestine to other tissues in the body. Very-low-density lipoprotein functions in a manner similar to the transport of endogenously made lipid from the liver to other tissues. These two types of triacylglycerol-rich particles are initially degraded by the action of lipoprotein lipase, an extracellular enzyme that is most active within the capillaries of adipose tissue, cardiac and skeletal muscle, and the lactating mammary gland. Lipoprotein lipase catalyzes the hydrolysis of triacylglycerols (see fig. 18.3). The enzyme is specifically activated by apoprotein C-II, which... 

The breakdown of fatty acids in (3-oxidation (see Topic K2) is controlled mainly by the concentration of free fatty acids in the blood, which is, in turn, controlled by the hydrolysis rate of triacylglycerols in adipose tissue by hormone-sensitive triacylglycerol lipase. This enzyme is regulated by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation (Fig. 5) in response to hormonally controlled levels of the intracellular second messenger cAMP (see Topic E5). The catabolic hormones glucagon, epinephrine and norepinephrine bind to receptor proteins on the cell surface and increase the levels of cAMP in adipose cells through activation of adenylate cyclase (see Topic E5). The cAMP allosterically activates... 

Energy production from triacylglycerols starts with their hydrolysis into free fatty acids and glycerol. Enzymes called lipases, which catalyze the reaction, carry out this hydrolysis. 

Lipoprotein lipase (EC 3.1.1.34) is an enzyme or group of enzymes which catalyze the hydrolysis of the 1(3) ester bond(s) of triacylglycerols and the 1 ester bond of phospholipids. The enzyme plays a central role in lipoprotein metabolism, being responsible in particular for the hydrolysis of chylomicron and VLDL triglycerides and the formation of remnant particles from these lipoproteins. There have been reviews of this enzyme [e.g., (N9, Ql)] and lipoprotein lipase will not be discussed in detail in this review. Familial lipoprotein lipase deficiency and related disorders of chylomicron metabolism have also been reviewed (B58, N8) and will not be discussed in detail. 

Figure 25.1. Proposed biosynthetic pathway of castor oil. Heavy arrows show the key enzyme steps driving ricinoleate into acylglycerols. Two arrows with solid bars show a complete block. Two dashed arrows show the phospholipase C hydrolysis which can be targeted to block the incorporation of non-hydroxyl fatty acids into triacylglycerols to increase presumably the content of ricinoleate in transgenic seed oils.

Hydrolysis of a triacylglycerol with water in the presence of either acid, base, or an enzyme yields glycerol and three fatty acids. This cleavage reaction follows the same mechanism as any other ester hydrolysis (Section 22.11). This reaction is the first step in triacylglycerol metabolism. 

Many students have received degrees in recent years for exploring enrichment of marine oils (or other oils) by selective hydrolysis of triacylglycerols, or ester interchanges between esters and natural oils by enzymes. These explorations tend to be somewhat theoretical (100), but they can be effective, although impractical, for example, a 100-hour reaction time (101). Having a starting material rich in the desired product fatty acid (DHA) helped in one case (102), but the complexity of these proposed processes requires a separate article. 

In all species, the small intestine is the main site for simultaneous hydrolysis of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates by selective enzymes and absorption of the resulting nutrients. It consists of three sequential sections duodenum, jejunum and ileum, each with villi and mucosal linings. During the process, the pH of the digesta is raised from that of the stomach, to near neutrality over the length of the small intestine. In swine, the pH profile is as follows stomach, 2.4 proximal duodenum, 6.1 distal duodenum, 6.8 proximal jejunum, 7.4 distal jejunum, 7.4 and ileum, 7.5. In sheep, the profile is abomasum, 2.0 proximal duodenum, 2.5 distal duodenum, 3.5 proximal jejunum, 3.6 distal jejunum, 4.7 and ileum, 8.0 (48). Several types of contractive and peristaltic actions mix and move the digesta down the intestine. The lower pH at the proximal duodenum of ruminants plays a critical part in fatty acid reabsorption. Hydrolysis of triacylglycerols by pancreatic lipase... 

So far, only very little attention has been focussed on the use of zeolites in biocatalysis, i.e., as supports for the immobilization of enzymes. Lie and Molin [116] studied the influence of hydrophobicity (dealuminated mordenite) and hydrophilicity (zeolite NaY) of the support on the adsorption of lipase from Candida cylindracea. The adsorption was achieved by precipitation of the enzyme with acetone. Hydrolysis of triacylglycerols and esterification of fatty acids with glycerol were the reactions studied. It was observed that the nature of the zeolite support has a significant influence on enzyme catalysis. Hydrolysis was blocked on the hydrophobic mordenite, but the esterification reaction was mediated. This reaction was, on the other hand, almost completely suppressed on the hydrophilic faujasite. The adsorption of enzymes on supports was also intensively examined with alkaline phosphatase on bentolite-L clay. The pH of the solution turned out to be very important both for the immobilization and for the activity of the enzyme [117]. Acid phosphatase from potato was immobilized onto zeolite NaX [118]. Also in this study, adsorption conditions were important in causing even multilayer formation of the enzyme on the zeolite. The influence of the cations in the zeolite support was scrutinized as well, and zeolite NaX turned out to be a better adsorbent than LiX orKX. 

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