SCD (stearoyl-CoA desaturase (delta-9-desaturase))

Despite the presence of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) in the usual diet, these fatty acids may also be synthesized de novo from saturated fatty acids (SFA) through enzymatic desaturase activity (Arregui et al., 2012). Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD)1 and SCD5 isozymes have been identified in human. SCD1 or ?9 desaturase is predominantly expressed in adipose tissue, meibomian, harderian and preputial glands. This enzyme is highly induced in response to high carbohydrate diet (Mauvoisin Mounier, 2011). It has been proven that the elevated levels of SCD1 are associated with obesity, metabolic disorders and malignancies. Altogether, these findings propose SCD1 as a new therapeutic target.