Hydroxy Fatty Acid

Synonyms

Oxidized fatty acids

Hydroxy fatty acids are derivatives of saturated or unsaturated fatty acids with or without branches containing a hydroxyl group at one or more positions. An important group is α-hydroxy fatty acids hydroxylated at C-2 of the fatty acid chain. Important examples are cerebronic acid (2-hydroxy FA 24:0) and hydroxynervonic acid (2-hydroxy FA 24:1) in mammalian glycosphingolipids in nerves. The α-hydroxy group is responsible for hydrogen bonding with membrane proteins and generally stabilizes membrane structures. Fatty acids hydroxylated at the methyl end are called ω-hydroxy fatty acids and can be further esterified with another fatty acid. ω-Hydroxy linoleic acid is esterified to sphingosine in human skin with another very long chain fatty acid (preferably FA 36:0) esterified to the ω-terminus. This complex pattern of building blocks results in one very long chain highly hydrophobic lipid compound which is mainly responsible in establishing the water...