Eicosatetraenoic acid
Encyclopedia
Eicosatetraenoic acid, ETA, designates any straight chain 20:4 fatty acid
.
Two isomers, both of them essential fatty acid
s, are of particular interest:
Some chemistry sources define 'arachadonic acid' to designate any of the eicosatetraenoic acids. However, almost all writings in biology, medicine and nutrition limit the use the term 'arachidonic acid' to all-cis 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid (ω-6).
ETA is found in green-lipped mussel and appears to act as dual inhibitor of arachidonic acid oxygenation by both the cyclooxygenase (COX) and lipoxygenase pathway.
Fatty acid
In chemistry, especially biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with a long unbranched aliphatic tail , which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have a chain of an even number of carbon atoms, from 4 to 28. Fatty acids are usually derived from...
.
- See essential fatty acid#nomenclature for nomenclature.
Two isomers, both of them essential fatty acid
Essential fatty acid
Essential fatty acids, or EFAs, are fatty acids that humans and other animals must ingest because the body requires them for good health but cannot synthesize them...
s, are of particular interest:
- all-cis 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid is an ω-6 fatty acidOmega-6 fatty acidn−6 fatty acids are a family of unsaturated fatty acids that have in common a final carbon–carbon double bond in the n−6 position, that is, the sixth bond, counting from the methyl end.The biological effects of the n−6 fatty acids are largely mediated by their conversion to n-6 eicosanoids...
with the trivial name arachidonic acidArachidonic acidArachidonic acid is a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid 20:4.It is the counterpart to the saturated arachidic acid found in peanut oil, Arachidonic acid (AA, sometimes ARA) is a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid 20:4(ω-6).It is the counterpart to the saturated arachidic acid found in peanut oil,...
. It is formed by a desaturation of dihomo-gamma-linolenic acidDihomo-gamma-linolenic acidDihomo-γ-linolenic acid is a 20-carbon ω−6 fatty acid. In physiological literature, it is given the name 20:3 . DGLA is a carboxylic acid with a 20-carbon chain and three cis double bonds; the first double bond is located at the sixth carbon from the omega end. DGLA is the elongation product...
(DGLA, 20:3 ω-6). - all-cis 8,11,14,17-eicosatetraenoic acid is an ω-3 fatty acidOmega-3 fatty acidN−3 fatty acids are essential unsaturated fatty acids with a double bond starting after the third carbon atom from the end of the carbon chain....
. It is an intermediate between stearidonic acidStearidonic acidStearidonic acid is an ω-3 fatty acid, sometimes called moroctic acid. It is biosynthesized from alpha-linolenic acid by the enzyme delta-6-desaturase. Natural sources of this fatty acid are the seed oils of hemp, blackcurrant, corn gromwell and echium, and the cyanobacterium Spirulina....
(18:4 ω-3) and eicosapentaenoic acidEicosapentaenoic acidEicosapentaenoic acid is an omega-3 fatty acid. In physiological literature, it is given the name 20:5. It also has the trivial name timnodonic acid...
(EPA, 20:5 ω-3)
Some chemistry sources define 'arachadonic acid' to designate any of the eicosatetraenoic acids. However, almost all writings in biology, medicine and nutrition limit the use the term 'arachidonic acid' to all-cis 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid (ω-6).
ETA is found in green-lipped mussel and appears to act as dual inhibitor of arachidonic acid oxygenation by both the cyclooxygenase (COX) and lipoxygenase pathway.