BIOL 221 Study Guide - Final Guide: Bile Acid, Soy Protein, Cell Membrane
11 Feb 2020
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Document Summary
Lipids, specifically phospholipids, form the bulk of the plasma membrane. Cholesterol is also an important component of the plasma membrane where it helps to prevent the plasma membrane from crystalizing when very cold. Cholesterol is also the compound from which bile salts are formed. Recall from topic 8 that these compounds are essential to the physical digestion of fat globules and absorption of lipids and lipid-soluble vitamins in the small intestine. These include the steroid hormones produced from cholesterol by the gonads and adrenal cortex. They have many important functions including promoting blood clotting, sensitizing blood vessels to inflammatory compounds, causing pain, and stimulating labor contractions. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications work in part by interfering with the actions of prostaglandins. The liver plays many important roles in metabolism and use of lipids. The liver synthesizes cholesterol which it then uses to synthesize bile salts.
