Different designations and sources of some polyunsaturated fatty acids and derivatives (ester and acyl radical) found in nature
| Trivial namea . | IUPAC systematic nameb . | Shorthand notation . | n-x abbreviation . | Occurrence . |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linole- (LA) | (9Z,12Z)-Octadeca-9,12-dieno- | 9c12c-18:2 | 18:2n-6 | Widespread in most vegetable oils. Major component in sunflower, safflower, corn and soy-bean oil |
| γ-Linolen- (GLA) | (6Z,9Z,12Z)-Octadeca-6,9,12-trieno- | 6c,9c,12c-18:3 | 18:3n-6 | Evening primrose, blackcurrant and borage oil and human milk |
| Dihomo-γ-linolen- (DGLA) | (8Z,11Z,14Z)-Icosa-8,11,14-trieno- | 8c,11c,14c-20:3 | 20:3n-6 | Very minor component in animal tissues |
| Arachidon- (AA) | (5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z)-Icosa-5,8,11,14-tetraeno- | 5c,8c,11c,14c-20:4 | 20:4n-6 | Major component in animal phospholipids, marine algae and some fish |
| Adren- | (7Z,10Z,13Z,16Z)-Docosa-7,10,13,16-tetraeno- | 7c,10c,13c,16c-22:4 | 22:4n-6 | Very minor component in animal tissues |
| Osbond (DPA) | (4Z,7Z,10Z,13Z,16Z)-Docosa-4,7,10,13,16-pentaeno- | 4c,7c,10c,13c,16c-22:5 | 22:5n-6 | Very minor component in animal tissues |
| α-Linolen- (ALA) | (9Z,12Z,15Z)-Octadeca-9,12,15-trieno- | 9c,12c,15c-18:3 | 18:3n-3 | Major component in flaxseed oil and perilla oil, minor component in other vegetable oils |
| Stearidon- (SA) | (6Z,9Z,12Z,15Z)-Octadeca-6,9,12,15-tetraeno- | 6c,9c,12c,15c-18:4 | 18:4n-3 | Very minor component in animal fats and common vegetable oils |
| Eicosapentaeno-c (EPA) or timnodon- | (5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z,17Z)-Icosa-5,8,11,14,17-pentaeno- | 5c,8c,11c,14c,17c-20:5 | 20:5n-3 | Major component in fish oil, especially oily fish (salmon, herring, anchovy, smelt and mackerel) and marine algae |
| Docosapentaeno- (DPA) or clupanodon- | (7Z,10Z,13Z,16Z,19Z)-Docosa-7,10,13,16,19-pentaeno- | 7c,10c,13c,16c,19c-22:5 | 22:5n-3 | Animal phospholipids; widespread in fish, especially oily fish (salmon, herring, anchovy, smelt and mackerel) |
| Docosahexaeno- (DHA) or cervonic | (4Z,7Z,10Z,13Z,16Z,19Z)-Docosa-4,7,10,13,16,19-hexaeno- | 4c,7c,10c,13c,16c,19c-22:6 | 22:6n-3 | Animal phospholipids; fish, especially oily fish (salmon, herring, anchovy, smelt and mackerel) |
| Trivial namea . | IUPAC systematic nameb . | Shorthand notation . | n-x abbreviation . | Occurrence . |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linole- (LA) | (9Z,12Z)-Octadeca-9,12-dieno- | 9c12c-18:2 | 18:2n-6 | Widespread in most vegetable oils. Major component in sunflower, safflower, corn and soy-bean oil |
| γ-Linolen- (GLA) | (6Z,9Z,12Z)-Octadeca-6,9,12-trieno- | 6c,9c,12c-18:3 | 18:3n-6 | Evening primrose, blackcurrant and borage oil and human milk |
| Dihomo-γ-linolen- (DGLA) | (8Z,11Z,14Z)-Icosa-8,11,14-trieno- | 8c,11c,14c-20:3 | 20:3n-6 | Very minor component in animal tissues |
| Arachidon- (AA) | (5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z)-Icosa-5,8,11,14-tetraeno- | 5c,8c,11c,14c-20:4 | 20:4n-6 | Major component in animal phospholipids, marine algae and some fish |
| Adren- | (7Z,10Z,13Z,16Z)-Docosa-7,10,13,16-tetraeno- | 7c,10c,13c,16c-22:4 | 22:4n-6 | Very minor component in animal tissues |
| Osbond (DPA) | (4Z,7Z,10Z,13Z,16Z)-Docosa-4,7,10,13,16-pentaeno- | 4c,7c,10c,13c,16c-22:5 | 22:5n-6 | Very minor component in animal tissues |
| α-Linolen- (ALA) | (9Z,12Z,15Z)-Octadeca-9,12,15-trieno- | 9c,12c,15c-18:3 | 18:3n-3 | Major component in flaxseed oil and perilla oil, minor component in other vegetable oils |
| Stearidon- (SA) | (6Z,9Z,12Z,15Z)-Octadeca-6,9,12,15-tetraeno- | 6c,9c,12c,15c-18:4 | 18:4n-3 | Very minor component in animal fats and common vegetable oils |
| Eicosapentaeno-c (EPA) or timnodon- | (5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z,17Z)-Icosa-5,8,11,14,17-pentaeno- | 5c,8c,11c,14c,17c-20:5 | 20:5n-3 | Major component in fish oil, especially oily fish (salmon, herring, anchovy, smelt and mackerel) and marine algae |
| Docosapentaeno- (DPA) or clupanodon- | (7Z,10Z,13Z,16Z,19Z)-Docosa-7,10,13,16,19-pentaeno- | 7c,10c,13c,16c,19c-22:5 | 22:5n-3 | Animal phospholipids; widespread in fish, especially oily fish (salmon, herring, anchovy, smelt and mackerel) |
| Docosahexaeno- (DHA) or cervonic | (4Z,7Z,10Z,13Z,16Z,19Z)-Docosa-4,7,10,13,16,19-hexaeno- | 4c,7c,10c,13c,16c,19c-22:6 | 22:6n-3 | Animal phospholipids; fish, especially oily fish (salmon, herring, anchovy, smelt and mackerel) |
Ending in ‘-ic’, ‘-ate’ or ‘-oyl’ for acid, salt or ester, or acyl radical, respectively.
Ending in ‘-ic’, ‘-ate’ or ‘-yl’ for acid, salt or ester, or acyl radical, respectively.
Formerly ‘eicosa’ (changed by IUPAC Commission on Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry, 1975).