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Calendic acid (sometimes α-calendic acid) is an
unsaturated fatty acid
In chemistry, particularly in biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with an aliphatic chain, which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have an unbranched chain of an even number of carbon atoms, f ...
, named for the pot marigold
''Calendula officinalis'', the pot marigold, common marigold, ruddles, Mary's gold or Scotch marigold, is a flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae. It is probably native to southern Europe, though its long history of cultivation makes its ...
(''Calendula officinalis''), from which it is obtained. It is chemically similar to the conjugated linoleic acid
Conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) are a family of isomers of linoleic acid. In principle, 28 isomers are possible. CLA is found mostly in the meat and dairy products derived from ruminants. The two C=C double bonds are conjugated (i.e., separated ...
s; laboratory work suggests it may have similar ''in vitro
''In vitro'' (meaning in glass, or ''in the glass'') studies are performed with microorganisms, cells, or biological molecules outside their normal biological context. Colloquially called "test-tube experiments", these studies in biology an ...
'' bioactivities.
Biosynthesis
Calendic acid is anomega-6 fatty acid
Omega-6 fatty acids (also referred to as ω-6 fatty acids or ''n''-6 fatty acids) are a family of polyunsaturated fatty acids that have in common a final carbon-carbon double bond in the ''n''-6 position, that is, the sixth bond, counting from ...
. though not usually listed with this group. Calendic acid is synthesised in ''Calendula officinalis'' from linoleate
Linoleic acid (LA) is an organic compound with the formula COOH(CH2)7CH=CHCH2CH=CH(CH2)4CH3. Both alkene groups are ''cis''. It is a fatty acid sometimes denoted 18:2 (n-6) or 18:2 ''cis''-9,12. A linoleate is a salt or ester of this acid.
L ...
by an unusual Δ12-oleate desaturase
A fatty acid desaturase is an enzyme that removes two hydrogen atoms from a fatty acid, creating a carbon/carbon double bond. These desaturases are classified as:
* Delta - indicating that the double bond is created at a fixed position from the ...
(a FAD 2 variant) that converts the ''cis''-double bond at position 9 to a ''trans'',''trans''-conjugated double bond system. An ''all-trans'' beta isomer has been described.
:
Effects
Calendic acid is the fatty acid responsible for the reduction in feed intake and improved feed utilization in mice when calendula oil is added to the feedstuff, as demonstrated by the comparative experiments in the examples using corn oil.References