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A new eicosapentaenoic acid formed from arachidonic acid in the coralline red algae Bossiella orbigniana
Author(s) -
Burgess John R.,
Rosa Roger I.,
Jacobs Robert S.,
Butler Alison
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
lipids
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.601
H-Index - 120
eISSN - 1558-9307
pISSN - 0024-4201
DOI - 10.1007/bf02544012
Subject(s) - eicosapentaenoic acid , arachidonic acid , chemistry , fatty acid , algae , docosahexaenoic acid , chromatography , conjugated system , organic chemistry , enzyme , biology , polyunsaturated fatty acid , botany , polymer
Aqueous extracts of the coralline red algae Bossiella orbigniana have been shown to catalyze the enzymatic oxidation of arachidonic acid to a previously unreported ω6 eicosapentaenoic acid product. This unique fatty acid contains a conjugated tetraene with absorption maxima at 293, 306, and 321 nm, and was identified by spectral methods as 5(Z),8(Z),10(E),12(E),14(Z)‐eicosapentaenoic acid. The compound was given the trivial name bosseopentaenoic acid. Under experimental conditions, production of bosseopentaenoic acid was linear up to 2 hr and dioxygen was consumed. Bosseopentaenoic acid, along with several other conjugated tetraenes, was also present in the algae endogenously as revealed by a comparison of the ultraviolet (UV) spectra and the high‐performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) pattern of the purified product and the organic extract of Bossiella .