Fatty Acids: Hydroxy and Other Oxygenated Structures, Occurrence and Biochemistry

The following is a guide to the more important naturally occurring fatty acids with hydroxy, epoxy (furanoid), methoxy and oxo substituents, but it is not intended to be a comprehensive list. The prostaglandins and other eicosanoids and the plant oxylipins are in essence fatty acids with additional oxygenated functional groups, but these are discussed elsewhere in this website. Similarly, hydroxy, oxo and epoxy fatty acids may arise adventitiously from hydroperoxides, and these are not discussed here. Nor are the many oxygenated fatty acids that are produced by synthetic means for industrial applications.