The above molecule is a cholesterol molecule and it has eight assymetric centers. It is a lipid that is produced by the liver and every cell in our body has cholesterol on its outer layer (the plasma membrane) as it is essential in determining which molecules can and cannot pass through. Among other things, cholesterol helps in the production of bile and plays a role in the metabolism of fat soluble vitamins including vitamins A, D, E, and K. It also prevents crystallization of hydrocarbons in the membrane.
High cholesterol levels can cause angina (chest pain that occurs when your heart muscles do not get enough blood), myocardial infarction (heart attack; usually caused by a clot in the artery), atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries), and a higher risk of coronary heart disease, which is just an abnormality of the arteries that supply blood and oxygen to the heart.
Sources:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/9152.php
http://www.chemspider.com/Chemical-Structure.5775.html
This is really interesting, I'm wondering though, is there any difference in the "good" and "bad" cholesterol? I would like to see how the structures of the two types differ, if it is a big difference or just a small difference.
ReplyDeleteIt seems odd that cholesterol helps with the metabolism of fat, yet it is the fat people that have problems with too much cholesterol. I guess it takes some science brains to counter the counter intuitiveness of that! I'm sure it is the supposed good cholesterol that helps with that, or maybe the problem is having too much of one good thing... Anyways, eating healthy can help us keep the right amount in our cell's lipid bilayers which provide for they glycoproteins they need for proper functioning.
ReplyDeleteI was actually wondering the same thing about the good and bad cholesterols. What in the structure makes one cholesterol good and the other bad? But I like the shape and trend of the cholesterol molecule above its looks pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteI think it's very interesting that Cholesterol has 8 chiral centers, which would give rise to 256 stereoisomers and only 1 of those is naturally occuring. For those that commented on it..."good versus bad" cholesterol doesn't refer to actual cholesterol itself, but the type of lipoprotein that carries the cholesterol throughout the bloodstream.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I think people focus so much on the negatives of high cholesterol that they forget how important it is in our daily functioning.
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