Palmitoleic acid, or (9''Z'')-hexadec-9-enoic acid, is an omega-7

monounsaturated In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers specifically to triglycerides (triple est ...

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, ...

(16:1n-7) with the formula CH₃(CH₂)₅CH=CH(CH₂)₇COOH that is a common constituent of the

glyceride Glycerides, more correctly known as acylglycerols, are esters formed from glycerol and fatty acids, and are generally very hydrophobic. Glycerol has three hydroxyl functional groups, which can be esterified with one, two, or three fatty acids ...

s of human

adipose tissue Adipose tissue, body fat, or simply fat is a loose connective tissue composed mostly of adipocytes. In addition to adipocytes, adipose tissue contains the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) of cells including preadipocytes, fibroblasts, vascular ...

. It is present in all tissues but, in general, found in higher concentrations in the

liver The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it ...

. It is biosynthesized from

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 L ...

by the action of the enzyme

Stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (Δ-9-desaturase) is an endoplasmic reticulum enzyme that catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the formation of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), specifically oleate and palmitoleate from stearoyl-CoA and palmitoyl-C ...

. Animal and cell culture studies indicate that palmitoleic acid is anti-inflammatory, and improves

insulin sensitivity Insulin resistance (IR) is a pathological condition in which cells fail to respond normally to the hormone insulin. Insulin is a hormone that facilitates the transport of glucose from blood into cells, thereby reducing blood glucose (blood sugar) ...

in liver and skeletal muscles, but more studies are required to establish its actions in humans. Many of the effects of palmitoleic acid are due to its activation of PPAR-alpha.

Dietary sources

Palmitoleic acid can be abbreviated as 16:1∆⁹. Dietary sources of palmitoleic acid include breast milk, a variety of animal fats,

vegetable oil Vegetable oils, or vegetable fats, are oils extracted from seeds or from other parts of fruits. Like animal fats, vegetable fats are ''mixtures'' of triglycerides. Soybean oil, grape seed oil, and cocoa butter are examples of seed oils, or f ...

s, and marine oils.

Macadamia oil Macadamia oil (or macadamia nut oil) is the non-volatile oil collected from the nuts of the macadamia (''Macadamia integrifolia''), a native Australian plant. It is used in food as a frying or salad oil, and in cosmetic formulations as an emollien ...

(''

Macadamia integrifolia ''Macadamia integrifolia'' is a small to medium-sized tree, growing to 15 metres in height. Native to rainforests in south east Queensland and northern New South Wales, Australia. Common names include macadamia, smooth-shelled macadamia, bush n ...

'') and

sea buckthorn oil Sea buckthorn oil is a red–orange oil derived from sea buckthorn plants. The most commonly used species for this purpose is '' Hippophae rhamnoides''. Species belonging to this genus accumulate lipids in the mesocarp (the fruit pulp), so th ...

(''

Hippophae rhamnoides ''Hippophae rhamnoides'', also known as sea-buckthorn, is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeagnaceae, native to the cold-temperate regions of Europe and Asia. It is a spiny deciduous shrub. The plant is used in the food and cosmetic ...

'') are botanical sources with high concentrations, containing 17% and 19-29% palmitoleic acid, respectively.

References

{{Fatty acids Alkenoic acids Fatty acids