Sources and functions of fatty acids
| n -3 series | n- 6 series | |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Generally - vegetable oils; longer chained- fatty acids in phytoplankton and tranferred down the marine nutrition chain;α-linolenic acid (18:3n-3) also found in higher plant structural fats; eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3) predominantly found in fish oils | Generally derived from plants, grain and vegetable oils;linoleic acid (18:2 n-6) mainly in dietary vegetables and plant lipids - safflower, sunflower, soybean, borage, evening primrose; arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) predominantly in animal fats |
| Function | Precursors of signal molecules, constituents of membrane phospholipids | Precursors of signal molecules, constituents of membrane phospholipids |
| Derivatives | Eicosanoids including series 5 leukotrienes LTB5, prostaglandins eg PGE3, PGI3, thromboxanes eg TxA3 | Eicosanoids including leukotrienes eg LTB4, LTC4, prostaglandins eg PGE2, PGI2thromboxanes eg TxA2 |