Overview

For the past 30 years I have been teaching lipid biochemistry to'inedical students, graduate students, and undergraduate students. The major topics covered in my courses were fatty acids, prostaglandins, leukotrienes, phospholipids, glyco- lipids, triacylglycerols, cholesterol, bile acids, and plasma lipoproteins. Empha- sis was placed on the regulation and disorders of lipid metabolism. The latter included hyperlipidemias, atherosclerosis, and alcohol-induced liver damage. In this volume, I have chosen to focus on the disorders of lipid metabolism at a level appropriate both for medical students and for graduate and undergradu- ate students majoring in the biological sciences. The biochemistry, nutrition, genetics, and cell biology aspects of lipids and lipid metabolism will be covered as they relate to lipid disorders. I am not aware of any textbook that integrates the disorders of lipid metabolism in this manner. Chapter 1 includes a brief discussion of the basic structures, properties, and metabolism of lipids. This chapter is not very detailed, since the material covered is available in basic textbooks on biochemistry. The major fpcus of this volume is the various lipid disorders, with emphasis on polyunsaturated fatty acids, the molecular biology and pathogenesis of the hyperlipidemias, dietary and drug therapy for the hyperlipidemias, and alcohol-induced liver damage. The material presented has been obtained from several textbooks on biochemistry and from a variety of recent articles in the scientific literature.