mead acid

Mead acid, also known as 5,8,11-Eicosatrienoic acid, is an unsaturated fatty acid belonging to the Omega-9 series. It serves as an indicator of deficiency in essential fatty acids.

Mead acid, a 20-carbon ω-9 polyunsaturated fatty acid, experiences elevated levels in human plasma under conditions of essential fatty acid deficiency. As 1,25(Z),8(Z),11(Z)-Eicosatrienoic Acid methyl ester (Mead acid methyl ester), it frequently serves as a standard for fatty acid analysis, particularly after fatty acids have been transesterified into methyl esters.

5(S)-HETrE is produced by the action of 5-LO when mead acid is the substrate. There are no literature reports of the biological activity or further metabolic fate of 5(S)-HETrE.