![The surface of highly curved lipid bilayer](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/The_surface_of_highly_curved_lipid_bilayer.png)
Lipidology is the scientific study of
lipid
Lipids are a broad group of naturally-occurring molecules which includes fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins A, D, E and K), monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others. The functions of lipids includ ...
s. Lipids are a group of biological
macromolecules
A macromolecule is a very large molecule important to biophysical processes, such as a protein or nucleic acid. It is composed of thousands of covalently bonded atoms. Many macromolecules are polymers of smaller molecules called monomers. The ...
that have a multitude of functions in the body.
Clinical studies on
lipid metabolism
Lipid metabolism is the synthesis and degradation of lipids in cells, involving the breakdown or storage of fats for energy and the synthesis of structural and functional lipids, such as those involved in the construction of cell membranes. In anim ...
in the body have led to developments in therapeutic lipidology for disorders such as cardiovascular disease.
History
Compared to other biomedical fields, lipidology was long-neglected as the handling of oils, smears, and greases was unappealing to scientists and lipid separation was difficult. It was not until 2002 that
lipidomics
Lipidomics is the large-scale study of pathways and networks of cellular lipids in biological systems The word " lipidome" is used to describe the complete lipid profile within a cell, tissue, organism, or ecosystem and is a subset of the "metabol ...
, the study of lipid networks and their interaction with other molecules, appeared in the scientific literature.
Attention to the field was bolstered by the introduction of
chromatography
In chemical analysis, chromatography is a laboratory technique for the separation of a mixture into its components. The mixture is dissolved in a fluid solvent (gas or liquid) called the ''mobile phase'', which carries it through a system ( ...
,
spectrometry, and various forms of
spectroscopy to the field, allowing lipids to be isolated and analyzed. The field was further popularized following the
cytologic
Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living and ...
application of the
electron microscope
An electron microscope is a microscope that uses a beam of accelerated electrons as a source of illumination. As the wavelength of an electron can be up to 100,000 times shorter than that of visible light photons, electron microscopes have a hi ...
, which led scientists to find that many
metabolic pathway
In biochemistry, a metabolic pathway is a linked series of chemical reactions occurring within a cell. The reactants, products, and intermediates of an enzymatic reaction are known as metabolites, which are modified by a sequence of chemical reac ...
s take place within, along, and through the
cell membrane
The cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane (PM) or cytoplasmic membrane, and historically referred to as the plasmalemma) is a biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of all cells from the outside environment ( ...
- the properties of which are strongly influenced
lipid composition.
Clinical lipidology
The
Framingham Heart Study
The Framingham Heart Study is a long-term, ongoing cardiovascular cohort study of residents of the city of Framingham, Massachusetts. The study began in 1948 with 5,209 adult subjects from Framingham, and is now on its third generation of partic ...
and other epidemiological studies have found a correlation between
lipoprotein
A lipoprotein is a biochemical assembly whose primary function is to transport hydrophobic lipid (also known as fat) molecules in water, as in blood plasma or other extracellular fluids. They consist of a triglyceride and cholesterol center, su ...
s and
cardiovascular disease (CVD).
[Therapeutic lipidology, p. vii-viii] Lipoproteins are generally a major target of study in lipidology since lipids are transported throughout the body in the form of lipoproteins.
A class of lipids known as phospholipids help make up what is known as lipoproteins, and a type of lipoprotein is called high density lipoprotein (HDL). A high concentration of high density lipoproteins-cholesterols (HDL-C) have what is known as a vasoprotective effect on the body, a finding that correlates with an enhanced cardiovascular effect. There is also a correlation between those with diseases such as chronic kidney disease, coronary artery disease, or diabetes mellitus and the possibility of low vasoprotective effect from HDL.
Another factor of CVD that is often overlooked involves the concentrations of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL). These are often seen at higher than expected and necessary levels in the body due to food uptake, family history, and a person's metabolic rate. There is a correlation between these increased levels and stroke, heart attack, and mortality.
Therapeutic lipidology
Statin
Statins, also known as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, are a class of lipid-lowering medications that reduce illness and mortality in those who are at high risk of cardiovascular disease. They are the most common cholesterol-lowering drugs.
Low ...
s are a class of drugs used to treat cardiovascular disease by lowering lipid levels, specifically LDL-C levels. Statins have shown to reduce new cardiovascular events by 30-40%.
However, complications may still arise even after taking the drug and some patients are statin-intolerant. Lipoprotein apheresis therapy is another nonsurgical treatment for reducing LDL-C concentrations.
PCSK9
Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is an enzyme encoded by the ''PCSK9'' gene in humans on chromosome 1. It is the 9th member of the proprotein convertase family of proteins that activate other proteins. Similar genes (ortholog ...
inhibitors are a new drug that can replace statins and lipoprotein apheresis therapy.
For patients that are statin-intolerant, PCSK9 inhibitors can provide a therapeutic alternative.
Lipidomics
Lipidomics is the complete profile of all lipids in a biological system at a given time. This is used to identify and quantify the lipids that can be detected. Since lipids have a variety of functions in the body, being able to understand which specific types are present in the body and at what levels is crucial to understand the diseases that result due to lipids.
Methods of lipidomic analysis include mass spectrometry and chromatography.
Monitoring lipid concentration can reveal much about an organism's health.
See also
*
Dyslipidemia
Dyslipidemia is an abnormal amount of lipids (e.g. triglycerides, cholesterol and/or fat phospholipids) in the blood. Dyslipidemia is a risk factor for the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease ( ASCVD). ASCVD includes coronary ar ...
References
;Books
*
*
{{Sphingolipids
Lipids
Biochemistry
Branches of biology