Skip to main content
Biology LibreTexts

17: Fatty Acid Catabolism

  • Page ID
    15031
  • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    Fatty acid catabolism is the mechanism by which the body accesses energy stored as triglycerides.

    • 17.1: Digestion, Mobilization, and Transport of Fats
      In this chapter we will discuss the breakdown of fats to produce useful energy for biosynthesis and for ATP production.
    • 17.2: Oxidation of Fatty Acids
      Fatty acids, esterified to glycerol in triacylglycerols, are the major source of stored energy in organisms. As we burn fossil fuels to produce energy to drive our society, so can we "burn" fatty acids to produce energy for heat, to drive biosynthetic reactions and to do work. As discussed in an earlier chapter, fatty acids are highly reduced so their oxidation by dioxygen is highly favored both enthalpically (exothermic reaction) and entropically.
    • 17.3: Ketone Bodies

    Thumbnail: Idealized representation of a molecule of a typical triglyceride, the main type of fat. Note the three fatty acid chains attached to the central glycerol portion of the molecule. (Public Domain; Benjah-bmm27 via Wikipedia)


    This page titled 17: Fatty Acid Catabolism is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Henry Jakubowski and Patricia Flatt.