Metabolism of Glycerol and Faith
Using the same biomolecule (GLYCEROL) as selected as the topic of their oral exam, each student will prepare a paper that relates a concept of faith to some aspect of their molecule’s metabolism. Papers will be graded based on their scientific accuracy, appropriate interpretation of faith based concepts, clarity of thought and insightfulness as well as proper spelling and grammar. The rubric that will be used to assess this assignment is posted to Sakai. (I attached the rubric to the instructions)
Please use 8 sources for the metabolism of Glycerol
Please use 8 sources for the faith (Christianity) integration part
Remember, this is for an UPPER-DIVISION BIOCHEMISTRY class at a CHRISTIAN university. The two parts: metabolism (science portion) and faith (Christian religion portion) must both be written as if a senior biochemistry major wrote the paper. The metabolism portion must be detailed and accurate. The faith portion must also be written as if the writer already took all of their required bible and theology classes. Thank you. Please let me know if you have any questions
Metabolism of glycerol and faith concept
Glycerol, also called glycerine or glycerin is a simple molecule which is colorless, an odorless, viscous liquid that is sweet-tasting and non-toxic and can be found in all living organisms. It was first discovered in 1779 from a saponification of olive oil with lead oxide (Nguyen, Bråthe & Hassel, 2003). It is widely used in the food industry as a sweetener and humectant (wetting agent) and in pharmaceutical formulations. It is soluble in water and alcohols and is hygroscopic in nature. It is a precursor for the synthesis of triacylglycerol in the liver and adipose tissue. When the body uses stored fat as a source of energy, glycerol is released into the blood stream. The origin of gly- and glu-prefixes for glycols and sugars is from Greek glukus which means sweet.
Metabolism, on the other hand, is the chemical reactions and pathways, including anabolism and catabolism, by which living organisms transform chemical substances. The main purpose of metabolism is the conversion of food/fuel to energy that runs cellular processes, conversion of food/fuel to building blocks, and the elimination of nitrogenous wastes (Benford, 2001). There are only two ways of metabolizing glycerol. The first process begins with dehydrogenation followed by a phosphorylation and the second one proceeds in the reverse order. The ability and extent of glycerol assimilation highly depend on the species and strain or exercise.
The strains of bacteria known for fermentative glycerol assimilation are Klebsiella aerogenes, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Klebsiella oxytoca. The species Klebsiella has drawn great interest in studies regarding glycerol metabolism because one of the end products is 1,3-PDO, a chemical that has seen renewed interest lately. Klebsiella species is capable of metabolizing glycerol both aerobically and anaerobically (Romano, Menten, Freitas, Lima, Pereira, Zavarize & Dias, 2014). In the absence of oxygen, Klebsiella planticola can usually metabolize glycerol if an alternative electron acceptor such as furmarate or nitrate is present. In the presence of oxygen, glycerol is metabolized via the glp regulon. Glycerol is phosphorylated to glycerol-3-phosphate via glycerol kinase and further oxidized to dihydroxy-acetonephosphate through the action of a flavin-linked glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. In anaerobic metabolism, glycerol is metabolized via dha regulon which allows for the use of the glycerol itself as the acceptor. Rumen bacteria can metabolize glycerol with carbon dioxide, aceti, and propionic acids as the main end products (Campbell, 2005).
Glycerin is chemically classified as sugar alcohol, but it is more similar to sugars, that is, they are readily absorbed and probably converted into glucose in the human body and provides 4.3 kilocalories of energy per gram (Nguyen, Bråthe & Hassel, 2003). Glycerin is well absorbed in the small intestine and does not pass to the large intestine where it would be fermented by intestinal bacteria like most sugars (Nguyen, Bråthe & Hassel, 2003). There is edible glycerin made from vegetable oils during the production of soap or biodiesel, animal glycerin which is a natural byproduct of animal fats, such as, beef tallow during the production of soap, and Synthetic glycerin produced from cane or corn syrup sugar, or propylene which is a petroleum derivative.
Production of biodiesel which is meant to replace fossil fuel like petroleum is from animal fats and vegetable oils which generate about 10% (w/w) glycerol as the main by-product (Nguyen, Bråthe & Hassel, 2003). The excess glycerol is a serious environmental problem since it cannot be disposed of in the environment. It is, therefore, of great importance to continuously analyze the metabolism of the glycerol that both animals and human substantively consumed in massive proportions. The fact that most manufacturing industries use glycerol as humectant, sweetener, solvent or preservative, makes consumers use it even unknowingly. The use of glycerol by pharmaceutical manufacturers also leaves the patients with no option but to use it at the specification of a medical practitioner.
Since glycerol is a three carbon alcohol, it is metabolized quite readily through an intermediate glycolysis process forming dihydroxyacetone phosphate. The hydroxyacetone, obtained from glycerol is metabolized into one of two possible compounds, pyruvic acid or glucose-6-phosphate (Van Rosendal, Osborne, Fassett & Coombes, 2009). Glycolysis of glycerol as a carbon alcohol produces two pyruvic acid molecules which are the end product of glycolysis per monosaccharide molecule. Glycolysis is an oxygen-independent metabolic pathway that does not use molecular oxygen (atmospheric) for any of its reactions though its products which are pyruvate and NADH +H+ and are sometimes metabolized using atmospheric oxygen in the process known as aerobic metabolism. Glycolysis occurs with variations in nearly all organisms, and there is an equally consistent production of glycerol and an indication that glycolysis is one of the ancient metabolic pathways (Woodward, Pattison & Patton, 2000).
The entire glycolysis can be separated into two phases, the preparatory or investment phase in which adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is consumed and the pay-off phase in which ATP is produced. Metabolism of glycerol requires energy (adenosine triphosphate) at the initial stage of hydrolysis of ATP to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) that transfers phosphates into the molecules (Durnin, Clomburg, Yeates, Alvarez, Zygourakis, Campbell & Gonzalez, 2009). This process is not strange though the objective of glycolysis is to produce energy as it takes heat to ignite the burning of papers or other fuels, for example in expanding some energy to get it started.
Numerous studies demonstrate significant roles of glucose metabolism. However, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Glycerol presence in human diet can be dangerous to health because of its complicated process of metabolism. The process of metabolism stimulates hepatic glycerol food break down, and this may account to pronounced hypoglycemia (Woodward, Pattison & Patton, 2000).
Faith differs relatively depending on the extraction and use of glycerol. Glycerine may involve additives that are sometimes found in foods as additives. The products may come from either plants or animals (McCullagh, Munge, Weerakkody & Gamble, 2013). When used as a food additive, they consumption is likely to affect various religious beliefs. For instance, there are Christians and Muslims who do not feed on certain animal products and the source of glycerol, whether synthetic, plants or animals, when used as supplements in some nutrients. Muslims and some Christians regard pigs as evil, dirty and unholy, while Hindus consider cows as sacred and should never use any of their byproducts (Lynch, 2004). The use of this product as it is, therefore, may cause some people from the various faiths to avoid the use of certain products which they may suspect to contain portions of glycerol from sources they disregard.
Beverages that contain glycerol enhance and preserve hydration levels of the body and Help in endurance body exercises enactment by attenuating critical physiological changes related to dehydration. The endurance to exhaustion rate increases by 24%, and 5% work power with the use of glycerol additives (Jewell, Ackermann, Payne, Fate, Voorman & Williams, 2007). In faith and religion aspect, however, energy and persistence to work result from cardiovascular changes and thermoregulatory improvements, and glycerol does not get credit for any modification. The significance that the researchers who conduct short investigations from glycerol tastes differ significantly with the studies that go for prolonged time durations for skills and agility tests which find no performance benefits of glycerol. Nevertheless, the use of glycerol has associated side-effects including dizziness, nausea, headaches, and gastrointestinal discomfort. In summary, while fluid ingestion and glycerol may result in short term hyper-hydration, the importance to exercise performance remains inconsistent (van Iperen, Gaillard, Kraaijenhagen, Braam, Marx & van de Wiel, 2000).
Glycerol use in an alcoholic beverage is against some faiths, especially Christians who classified it as a drug booster. Christians perceive it as a substance that can cause intoxication and lead to improper judgment in one way or the other. Products with glycerol content are, therefore, considered to belong to the same category as various alcoholic beverages, cigarettes and other hard drugs (Corbin, Welk, Corbin & Welk, 2001). Its consumption in whatever form, therefore, causes a lot of unease among ardent Christian faith followers.
The use of glycerol by pharmaceutical companies has led to some section of believers shunning the use of medication for fear of taking in what they consider unhealthy drugs that boost energy for a short time, while ultimately has grave dangers. Some faiths have recently been advocating for the use of herbal medicine in place of industrially manufactured drugs only because they feel that the content of the drugs includes unacceptable components like glycogen from sources that are not accommodated in their faith. An example of such a controversial drug would be one with a high concentration of alcohol levels and those that may have glycerol sources from animals that are considerably unclean as scripted in various religious guidelines and books (James & Ralph, 2000).
Some theological approaches to the solutions to avoid effects of glycerol opt for faith healing rather than the use of such drug. The fact that the source of glycerol used in any product is not revealed has makes it possible for the firm believers of various faiths to take a very hard stand regarding the use medicines that have clear evident of the presence of glycerol. Some foods influence the theological concepts by their chemical composition (Gawel, SLUYTER & Waters, 2007). Most food industries nowadays use synthetic glycerol in their products, either as sweeteners, acidity, the flavor intensifies or preservatives. The concept of living healthy as taught by, for instance, the Christian religion is, therefore, not adhered to according to the believers who have lately been advocating for natural and fresh grown products as opposed to the industrial foods. It is a question of using cheaply available raw material by industries on the one hand and Christian consumers, on the contrary, demanding for healthy food regardless of the cost of production. The constant conflict between the Christian believers and scientists is a subject of great interest as is the subject of glycerol metabolism which has brought great discovery in the recent years (Javor, n.d).
There is a great link between metabolism and faith as both greatly affect somebody’s life. There are several diseases that are directly associated with the metabolic system of an individual. Key of the metabolic process is the effect that glycerol metabolism has on the brain of an individual. Glycerol metabolism process provides the energy that is very essential to the brain and, therefore, directly affecting the action of an individual as would the faith of a person which dictates how one behaves (Gibney, Macdonald & Roche, 2003). The faith of an individual will affect their eating behavior, and the perception in mind has at times led to gastric upsets and even affected metabolism. In conclusion, people’s health affects the mental, spiritual and physical wellbeing of an individual and is responsible for their actions whether voluntarily or involuntarily and the ingestion and metabolism of glycerol as a critical source of energy has similar potential to affect anyone’s brain function, hence their behavior.
References
Benford, M. S. (2001). Radiogenic metabolism: an alternative cellular energy source. Medical hypotheses, 56(1), 33-39.
Campbell, A. V. (2005). Health as liberation: Medicine, theology, and the quest for justice. Wipf and Stock Publishers.
Corbin, C. B., Welk, G., Corbin, W. R., & Welk, K. (2001). Concepts of fitness and wellness. McGraw-hill.
Durnin, G., Clomburg, J., Yeates, Z., Alvarez, P. J., Zygourakis, K., Campbell, P., & Gonzalez, R. (2009). Understanding and harnessing the microaerobic metabolism of glycerol in Escherichia coli. Biotechnology and bioengineering, 103(1), 148-161.
Gawel, R., SLUYTER, S. V., & Waters, E. J. (2007). The effects of ethanol and glycerol on the body and other sensory characteristics of Riesling wines. Australian Journal of grape and wine research, 13(1), 38-45.
Gibney, M. J., Macdonald, I. A., & Roche, H. M. (2003). Nutrition and metabolism. Blackwell publishing.
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Jewell, C., Ackermann, C., Payne, N. A., Fate, G., Voorman, R., & Williams, F. M. (2007). Specificity of procaine and ester hydrolysis by human, minipig, and rat skin and liver. Drug Metabolism and Disposition, 35(11), 2015-2022.
Lynch, G. (2004). Understanding theology and popular culture.
McCullagh, J., Munge, J., Weerakkody, N., & Gamble, K. (2013, January). Physiological and performance effects of glycerol hyperhydration for world championship distance duathlons in hot conditions. In Proceedings of World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology (No. 79, p. 286). World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology (WASET).
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Romano, G. G., Menten, J. F. M., Freitas, L. W., Lima, M. B., Pereira, R., Zavarize, K. C., & Dias, C. T. S. (2014). Effects of glycerol on the metabolism of broilers fed increasing glycerine levels. Revista Brasileira de Ciência Avícola, 16(1), 97-105.
van Iperen, C. E., Gaillard, C. A., Kraaijenhagen, R. J., Braam, B. G., Marx, J. J., & van de Wiel, A. (2000). Response of erythropoiesis and iron metabolism to recombinant human erythropoietin in intensive care unit patients. Critical care medicine, 28(8), 2773-2778.
Van Rosendal, S. P., Osborne, M. A., Fassett, R. G., & Coombes, J. S. (2009). Physiological and performance effects of glycerol hyperhydration and rehydration. Nutrition reviews, 67(12), 690-705.
Woodward, J., Pattison, S., & Patton, J. (2000). The Blackwell reader in pastoral and practical theology. Wiley-Blackwell.
