Digestive Helpers : There is a special structure and function of each macromolecule. Polysaccharide, lipid, protein and nucleic acid are important in its own way for the human body. The monomers (subunits) are different for all four molecules and they play an important role in the functional system of the complex molecules.

Firstly, monomers are a sub unit of polymers. Monomers of complex carbohydrates or polysaccharides are the formed chains of countless amounts of sugar monomers. Monosaccharides are the monomer of carbohydrates. As carbohydrate is a polymer, so its monomer is sugar, monosaccharides are the monomers of polysaccharides. Lipid is a greasy and oily compound. Lipids can’t dissolve easily in liquidly substance although it can dissolve in non-polar substances. There is no specific monomer for lipids because lipids have a variety of forms, which they need specific set of building blocks. Lipids are fatty acids that don’t have a specific monomer. The monomer of proteins is amino acids. Proteins are made up of carbon, amino group, carboxyl, hydrogen and an R group that separates each monomer from each other. Lastly, the monomer of nucleic acid is nucleotides. The five basic nucleotides are thymine, uracil, adenine, guanine and cytosine.

Furthermore, the formation plays an important role in the structure and functions of these four complex molecules. Polysaccharides are chains of sugar monomers joined by dehydration synthesis. All carbohydrates contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Polysaccharides are starch, glycogen and cellulose, which store energy and have structural roles. Lipids are non-polar hydrocarbons; there are different categories of lipids: glycerides, phospholipids, waxes and sterols. Glycerides contain glycerol backbone and have up to three fatty acid tails. Phospholipids also contain glycerol backbone, phosphate, other polar group, and two fatty acids. Waxes contain alcohol and fatty acid tails. Sterols contain four carbon rings.

Each category has its own function. Glycerides, are fats such as butter and oils such as corn oil, they store energy. Phospholipids, are the main source of cell membranes such as lecithin. Waxes converse water in plants, such as cetin. Sterols, as for cholesterol that makes steroids and produce vitamin D. As for proteins, there are two kinds, fibrous proteins and globular proteins.

Fibrous proteins are long sheets of polypeptide chains such as, keratin in hair and nails, collagen in the bones, and myosin and actin in the muscles. Globular proteins are polypeptide chains that are shaped into globular form. Globular proteins such as, enzymes that increase reaction rates, haemoglobin that transport oxygen throughout the body, insulin maintains the glucose level and antibodies fight of big small diseases. Finally, nucleic acids contain five-carbon sugar, phosphate and a nitrogen base. Nucleic acids make up DNA and RNA, they help store, transport and interpret genetic information in the body. Each of the four biological macromolecules functions has their own special task that maintains the human body.