Glycolipids share amphipathic characteristics with which class of molecules?

• A. Phospholipids.
• B. Purely hydrophobic molecules.
• C. Nucleic acids.
• D. Proteins.

Answer: (A)

Amphipathic means a molecule has both a polar, water-attracting region and a nonpolar, water-repelling region. Glycolipids have a hydrophilic sugar-containing head and a hydrophobic lipid tail, giving them this dual character just like phospholipids do. This shared amphipathicity explains why glycolipids and phospholipids both sit in membranes and help form bilayers. Purely hydrophobic substances lack a polar head and thus don’t have this dual nature. Nucleic acids are polar and water-loving due to their charged backbone, and proteins vary in composition with no single lipid-like amphipathic class, so the best comparison is phospholipids.