Omega hydroxy acids (also known as ω-

hydroxycarboxylic acid Hydroxycarboxylic acids are carboxylic acids containing one or more hydroxy (Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol) functional groups. They are of particular interest because several are bioactive and some are useful precursors to polyesters. The inventory ...

s) are a class of naturally occurring straight-chain

aliphatic In organic chemistry, hydrocarbons ( compounds composed solely of carbon and hydrogen) are divided into two classes: aromatic compounds and aliphatic compounds (; G. ''aleiphar'', fat, oil). Aliphatic compounds can be saturated, like hexane, ...

organic acids ''n'' carbon atoms long with a

carboxyl In organic chemistry, a carboxylic acid is an organic acid that contains a carboxyl group () attached to an R-group. The general formula of a carboxylic acid is or , with R referring to the alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, or other group. Carboxylic ...

group at position 1 (the starting point for the family of

carboxylic acid In organic chemistry, a carboxylic acid is an organic acid that contains a carboxyl group () attached to an R-group. The general formula of a carboxylic acid is or , with R referring to the alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, or other group. Carboxylic ...

s), and a

hydroxyl In chemistry, a hydroxy or hydroxyl group is a functional group with the chemical formula and composed of one oxygen atom covalently bonded to one hydrogen atom. In organic chemistry, alcohols and carboxylic acids contain one or more hydroxy ...

at terminal position ''n'' where ''n'' > 3. The C16 and C18 omega hydroxy acids 16-hydroxy

palmitic acid Palmitic acid (hexadecanoic acid in IUPAC nomenclature) is a fatty acid with a 16-carbon chain. It is the most common saturated fatty acid found in animals, plants and microorganisms.Gunstone, F. D., John L. Harwood, and Albert J. Dijkstra. The Li ...

and 18-hydroxy

stearic acid Stearic acid ( , ) is a saturated fatty acid with an 18-carbon chain. The IUPAC name is octadecanoic acid. It is a waxy solid and its chemical formula is C17H35CO2H. Its name comes from the Greek word στέαρ "''stéar''", which means tallow. ...

are key monomers of

cutin Cutin is one of two waxy polymers that are the main components of the plant cuticle, which covers all aerial surfaces of plants. It is an insoluble substance with waterproof quality. Cutin also harbors cuticular waxes, which assist in cuticle st ...

in the

plant cuticle A plant cuticle is a protecting film covering the outermost skin layer (epidermis) of leaves, young shoots and other aerial plant organs (aerial here meaning all plant parts not embedded in soil or other substrate) that have no ''periderm''. The ...

. The

polymer A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...

cutin is formed by inter-

esterification In chemistry, an ester is a compound derived from an oxoacid (organic or inorganic) in which at least one hydroxyl group () is replaced by an alkoxy group (), as in the substitution reaction of a carboxylic acid and an alcohol. Glycerides ar ...

of omega hydroxy acids and derivatives of them that are substituted in mid-chain, such as 10,16-dihydroxy palmitic acid.T.J. Walton TJ and P.E. Kolattukudy (1972) Enzymatic conversion of 16-hydroxypalmitic acid into 10,16-dihydroxypalmitic acid in ''Vicia faba'' epidermal extracts. Biochem Biophys Res Communications 46, (1), 16–21P. J. Holloway (1982) The chemical constitution of plant cutins. p45-85 in In "The Plant Cuticle". ed. by DF Cutler, KL Alvin and CE Price. Academic Press, London. Only the epidermal cells of plants synthesize cutin.Kolattukudy, PE (1996) Biosynthetic pathways of cutin and waxes, and their sensitivity to environmental stresses. In: Plant Cuticles. Ed. by G. Kerstiens, BIOS Scientific publishers Ltd., Oxford, pp 83-108 Omega hydroxy fatty acids also occur in animals.

Cytochrome P450 Cytochromes P450 (CYPs) are a Protein superfamily, superfamily of enzymes containing heme as a cofactor (biochemistry), cofactor that functions as monooxygenases. In mammals, these proteins oxidize steroids, fatty acids, and xenobiotics, and are ...

(CYP450)

microsome In cell biology, microsomes are heterogeneous vesicle-like artifacts (~20-200 nm diameter) re-formed from pieces of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) when eukaryotic cells are broken-up in the laboratory; microsomes are not present in healthy, liv ...

ω-hydroxylases such as

CYP4A11 Cytochrome P450 4A11 is a protein that in humans is codified by the ''CYP4A11'' gene. Function This gene encodes a member of the cytochrome P450 superfamily of enzymes. The cytochrome P450 proteins are monooxygenases which catalyze many reacti ...

CYP4A22 CYP4A22 (cytochrome P450, family 4, subfamily A, polypeptide 22) also known as fatty acid omega-hydroxylase is a protein which in humans is encoded by the ''CYP4A22'' gene. This gene encodes a member of the cytochrome P450 superfamily of enzymes ...

CYP4F2 Leukotriene-B(4) omega-hydroxylase 1 is an enzyme protein involved in the metabolism of various endogenous substrates (mainly the fatty acids) and xenobiotics (including pharmaceutical drugs). The most notable substrate of the enzyme is leukotrie ...

, and

CYP4F3 Leukotriene-B(4) omega-hydroxylase 2 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''CYP4F3'' gene. CYP4F3 encodes two distinct enzymes, CYP4F3A and CYP4F3B, which originate from the alternative splicing of a single pre-mRNA precursor molecule; ...

in humans, Cyp4a10 and Cyp4a12 in mice, and Cyp4a1, Cyp4a2, Cyp4a3, and Cyp4a8 in rats metabolize arachidonic acid and many arachidonic acid metabolites to their corresponding omega hydroxyl products. This metabolism of arachidonic acid produces 20-hydroxyarachidonic acid (i.e. 20-hydroxyeicosatetraeonic acid or 20-HETE), a bioactive product involved in various physiological and pathological processes; and this metabolism of certain bioactive arachidonic acid metabolites such as

leukotriene B4 Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) is a leukotriene involved in inflammation. It has been shown to promote insulin resistance in obese mice. Biochemistry Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) is a leukotriene involved in inflammation. It is produced from leukocytes in r ...

, 5-hydroxyicosatetraenoic acid, and 5-hydroxyicosatetraenoic acid produces 20-hydroxylated products which are 100- to 1,000-fold weaker than, and therefore represents the inactivation of, their respective precursors.

List

The definition for "omega" includes number of carbons (C#) greater or equal to three. Lower numbers are included here to match the formula pattern C_''n''H_2''n''O₃.

References

{{reflist Hydroxy acids Plant physiology ar:حمض هيدروكسي

List

See also

References