3-hydroxy Lignoceric acid is a hydroxylated form of the 24-carbon saturated lignoceric acid . 3-hydroxy Lignoceric acid is found in minor amounts in Methyloligella, a novel Gram-negative bacteria. 3-hydroxy Lignoceric acid, in the form of an acyl-CoA metabolite, is an intermediate in fatty acid chain elongation from docosanoic acid to lignoceric acid (C24:0).
2-hydroxy Lignoceric acid is an α-hydroxy very long chain fatty acid that is normally present in the mammalian nervous system. In the brain, 2-hydroxy lignoceric acid is derived from lignoceric acid and further converted to ceramides and cerebrosides during the process of nerve sheath myelination. 2-hydroxy Lignoceric acid is produced by the α-oxidation of lignoceric acid in the peroxisome and defects in this pathway are associated with disorders such as Zellweger syndrome.
Lignoceroyl ethanolamide, a fatty N-acyl ethanolamine within the endocannabinoid family, is derived from lignoceric acid, which is found in relatively high concentrations in rat cerebrospinal fluid. However, the specific function and significance of this metabolite remain unclear.