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Lipids are a class of hydrocarbon-containing organic compounds essential for the structure and function of living cells. Lipids are characterized by being water-insoluble and soluble in nonpolar organic solvents. Although the term lipid is often used as a synonym for fat, the latter is in fact a subgroup of lipids called triglycerides.

Types of lipids


Along with proteins, nucleic acids and carbohydrates, lipids are one of the major classes of biologically important molecules or biomolecules. However, unlike these other groups of molecules, lipids comprise a broader and more diverse range of structures. The term lipid really is a catch-all phrase for a wide variety of hydrocarbon-based molecules of biological origin that are predominantly nonpolar or hydrophobic ("water-fearing"), meaning that they do not interact well with polar solvents like water, and are instead soluble in less polar organic solvents. Most lipids also have some polar or hydrophilic ("water-loving") character. This makes them amphipathic or amphiphilic molecules (having both hydrophobic and hydrophilic portions). In the case of cholesterol, the polar group is a mere -OH (hydroxyl or alcohol). In the case of phospholipids, the polar groups are considerably larger and more polar. Lipids encompass a huge range of structures. They can be aliphatic or aromatic. They can be acyclic or cyclic, straight or branched, saturated or unsaturated. Lipids can be flexible or rigid. This diversity makes it impossible to define lipids on the basis of a single core structural feature or biosynthetic origin, as can be done with the other major groups of biomolecules. The basic classes of lipids are:

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Apollo Lipids - Offers an online medical education resource concerning lipid management, dyslipidemia treatment and cardiovascular disease treatment and prevention.
Meta Description: [ Providing medical professionals with a medical education resource on lipids in health and disease. Improve lipid management, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and dyslipidemia treatment. ]

Carbohydrate Nomenclature - Detail guidelines about nomenclature of carbohydrates.
Meta Description: [ The full text of the IUPAC and IUBMB nomenclature carbohydrates ]

Carbohydrate::CHEM-ONLINE.org:: - Carbohydrate site of chem-online.org offer very detail information about carbohydrate products.
Meta Description: [ carbohydrate site of CHEM-ONLINE.org offer very detail information about carbohydrate ]

Carbohydrates - Chapter on carbohydrate chemistry, including classification, stereoisomers, glycosidic bonds, and polysaccharides, with glossary and test, from the hypertext book maintained at University of Akron.

Cyberlipid Center - Information on lipids, their history, structure, use and analysis.
Meta Description: [ All about lipids,their description,distribution,oxidation,analysis-Biology, medicine,nutrition,pharmacology-Resources for students,technicians,scientists-Publication news, events calendar,links. ]

Euro Fed Lipid - European federation for for national societies, focused on the science and technology of fats and oils, and improving lipid science and technology in Europe.
Meta Description: [ The European Federation for the Science and Technology of Lipids ]

German Society for Fat Science (DGF) - Promotes interdisciplinary cooperation among those involved in the scientific, medical, technological agricultural and ecological research of fats and oils.
Meta Description: [ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Fettwissenschaft DGF ]

Glycobiology Resources - Primer on monosacchardies, their derivatives, glycocongugation, biosynthesis of glycan, glycosaminoglycan and glycolipids. Chime-dependent images include glycoproteins, and links to related research, from the Structural Glycobiology Section of the National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD.
Meta Description: [ Resources for glycobiology, including at introduction to carbohydrates and protein-carbohydrate interactions, as well as an overview of current glycobiology research. ]

Glycoforum - News, views and links for topics in glycoscience, maintained in Japan.

Glycomics - One day course in high-throughput methods for carbohydrate synthesis and analysis, for carbohydrate-based therapeutics at Cambridge Healthtech Institute, Cambridge, MA.

Inositols.com - Scientific resource for inositols, phosphoinositides, phosphatidylinositols and other essential cell signaling molecules.
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Leuchron - Research on leukotrienes, and their role as signaling molecules in chronic and degenerative diseases, at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.

Lipid Analysis Unit - Providing training, literature citations specializing on lipids, fatty acids, triacylglycerols, phospholipids, glycolipids, using chromatography, NMR and electrospray mass spectrometry. Offers commercial lipid analysis and contract research through Mylnefield Research Services Ltd, at the SCRI in Scotland. UK.

Lipids Online - Provides educational resources, slide database, video presentations and webcasts for researchers, faculty, and clinicians in atherosclerosis and other lipid disorders from Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.
Meta Description: [ Developed by Baylor College of Medicine, Lipids Online provides up-to-date resources for researchers, faculty, and clinicians in atherosclerosis and other lipid disorders. ]

Marine Lipids Laboratory - Laboratory of Comparative Biochemistry, Institute of Marine Biology, Vladivostok, Russia.
Meta Description: [ We study lipids of all classes from marine plants and animals. The priorities include studying the composition, distribution, and paths of biosynthesis of lipids; investigating trophic relations in marine communities using lipid markers; marine bacteria chemotaxonomy; structural analysis of lipid... ]

Purdue University - Whistler Center for Carbohydrate Research - Includes a description of research interests, faculty and staff, and annual reports.
Meta Description: [ Purdue University's Whistler Center for Carbohydrate Research (WCCR) provides world-class excellence in focused areas of carbohydrate research, communication related to the research areas, analytical services, and education. ]

Russian Academy of Science - Carbohydrate Chemistry Lab - Includes an overview of lab structure, who's who, research interests, publications, and databases.
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Saccharomics - Information archive and portal for glycomics; the study of protein-carbohydrate interactions, with examples of bioinformatics applications in engineering polysaccharides, from Klebos Ltd., Cambridge, UK.

Superfund Metabolomics Laboratory - Laboratory performs the analysis of signaling lipid messengers such as prostaglandins, leukotrienes and EETs as well as general metabolic fingerprinting of all metabolite classes.

404 UK Carbohydrate Chemistry Network - Aims to foster interdisciplinary science, bringing together scientists with interests in synthetic and medicinal carbohydrate chemistry, carbohydrate materials, structure analysis, structural biology, carbohydrate biochemistry and glycobiology. Includes a list of meetings and job opportunities.
Meta Description: [ The UK Carbohydrate Chemistry Network aims to foster interdisciplinary science, bringing together scientists with interests in synthetic and medicinal carbohydrate chemistry, carbohydrate materials, structure analysis, structural biology, carbohydrate biochemistry and glycobiology. ]

University of Georgia - Complex Carbohydrate Research Center - Research at the CCRC includes the characterization of complex glycans from a variety of plant, animal, and microbial sources. Includes a list of personnel, research interests, publications, databases, facilities, employment, and lab history.
Meta Description: [ The Complex Carbohydrate Research Center at the University of Georgia. Research at the CCRC includes the characterization of complex glycans from a variety of plant, animal, and microbial sources. State-of-the-art spectroscopic and computational techniques are used to study relationships betw... ]

Whistler Center for Carbohydrate Research - University-industry research center that conducts fundamental research related to practical applications of carbohydrates.
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