BIO - TERMS - FATTY ACID Flashcards
Acyl-CoA
The activated form of a fatty acid.
Arachidonic acid
A 20-carbon polyunsaturated fatty acid, precursor of prostaglandins and leukotrienes.
carnitine shuttle
Mechanism for moving fatty acids from the cytosol to the mitochondrial matrix as fatty esters of carnitine.
Cholesterol esters
Esters of cholesterol with a longchain fatty acid, for cholesterol transport and storage.
cis
Hydrogen atoms on the same side across a double bond in a fatty acid. See trans.
conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)
An ω-3 fatty acid with a single bond separating a pair of double bonds. It is found in meat and dairy products and is known for its strong anticarcinogenic activity. CLA has been used to treat inflammatory bowel disease and is thought to facilitate weight loss by reducing fat and increasing lean tissue.
desaturation
The biochemical process of removing a bond to create a double bond or unsaturated bond in a fatty acid.
diversion colitis
Inflammation and necrosis of intestinal enterocytes following surgical diversion of normal flow of fecal contents due to impaired metabolism resulting from loss of short-chain fatty acids derived from microbiota.
FAME
Fatty acid methyl ester; identification of microbes by the presence of specific fatty acids.
fatty acid oxidation
The breakdown of fatty acids two carbons at a time in the presence of oxygen.
fatty acid synthesis
The production of fatty acids two carbons at a time from acetyl CoA.
Linoleic acid
An ω6-polyunsaturated fatty acid.
Linolenic acid
An ω3-polyunsaturated fatty acid.
lipogenesis
(lı̆p′o-jĕn′e-sis) Formation of triglycerides from glycerol and fatty acids.
Lysophosphoglyceride
A phosphoglyceride with one fatty acid missing.
monounsaturated
A fatty acid in which there is one double bond in the hydrocarbon chain.
mycolic acid
Long-chained, branched fatty acids characteristic of members of the genus Mycobacterium.
Oleic acid
A C-18 monounsaturated fatty acid.
Palmitic acid
A saturated C-16 fatty acid.
Phosphatidic acid
Glycerol + two fatty acids + phosphate.
point of unsaturation
Place on the fatty acid hydrocarbon chain where a double bond occurs between adjacent carbon atoms.
PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acid)
A fatty acid with more than one double bond, generally nonconjugated.
Stearic acid
A saturated C-18 fatty acid.
nonalcoholic fatty acid liver disease or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis
A nonalcohol related liver disease characterized by fatty liver. Diabetics, obesity, and genetic propensity individuals are candidates for this disease.
