Arachidonic acid

Arachidonic acid is a polyunsaturated fatty acid with twenty carbons and four cis double bonds, the first at the omega-6 position (20:4n-6). The double bonds are the source of its flexibility and give it the capacity to react with molecular oxygen. Arachidonic acid is also known as 5,8,11,14-Eicosatetraenoic acid, (all Z). It's chemical structural formula is CH₃(CH₂)₄CH=CHCH₂CH=CHCH₂CH=CHCH₂CH=CH(CH₂)₃COOH¹

It is present in the membranes of the body's cells, and is highly enriched in the brain. It is a precursor in the production of eicosanoids: the prostaglandins, thromboxanes, prostacyclin and the leukotrienes.

Arachidonic acid is one of the essential fatty acids required by most mammals. Some mammals lack the ability to—or have a very limited capacity to—convert linoleic acid into arachidonic acid, making it an essential part of their diet. Since little or no arachidonic acid is found in plants, such animals are obligatory carnivors; the cat is a common example.

See also

• Eicosanoid
• Fatty acid

External links

• Arachidonic Acid
• Special Dietary Requirements of Cats

See also: Arachidonic acid, Cat, Cell (biology), Cell membrane, Cis, Eicosanoid, Essential fatty acids, Fatty acid, Geometric isomerism, Leukotriene