Lipase/ definition

Lipase (triacylglycerolacylhydrolase, EC 3.1.1.3) is a glycoprotein with 420,449 amino acid residues and a molecular weight of 46,000–56,000 for pancreatic lipase and 32,000–39,000 for serum lipase.

It is a hydrolytic enzyme that cleaves triacylglycerols with fatty acids with a chain longer than 12 carbons, in the presence of bile acids it cleaves fat into monoacylglycerols and diacylglycerols. The cleaving of fatty acids in the sn-1 and sn-3. positions are prefered. Similiarly to α-amylase lipase is produced by pankreatic glandular cells and secreted into the intestinal lumen in pancreatic juice. The concentration gradient between pancreatic tissue and serum lipase is about 20,000: 1.