FATTY ACID

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does fatty acid mean? 

• FATTY ACID (noun)
  The noun FATTY ACID has 1 sense:

1. any of a class of aliphatic monocarboxylic acids that form part of a lipid molecule and can be derived from fat by hydrolysis; fatty acids are simple molecules built around a series of carbon atoms linked together in a chain of 12 to 22 carbon atoms

  Familiarity information: FATTY ACID used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FATTY ACID (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any of a class of aliphatic monocarboxylic acids that form part of a lipid molecule and can be derived from fat by hydrolysis; fatty acids are simple molecules built around a series of carbon atoms linked together in a chain of 12 to 22 carbon atoms

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("fatty acid" is a kind of...):

carboxylic acid (an organic acid characterized by one or more carboxyl groups)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fatty acid"):

saturated fatty acid (a fatty acid whose carbon chain cannot absorb any more hydrogen atoms; found chiefly in animal fats)

unsaturated fatty acid (a fatty acid whose carbon chain can absorb additional hydrogen atoms)

trans fatty acid (a fatty acid that has been produced by hydrogenating an unsaturated fatty acid (and so changing its shape); found in processed foods such as margarine and fried foods and puddings and commercially baked goods and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils)

 Context examples 

It is characterized by the deficiency of an enzyme involved in the fatty acid oxidation process.

(Mitochondrial Trifunctional Protein Deficiency, NCI Thesaurus)

Women who had low levels of omega-3 fatty acids at the start of the study benefitted the most from supplementation, researchers found.

(Omega-3 Fatty Acids Reduce Asthma Risk in Children by One-Third, VOA)

This gene plays a role in the synthesis of long-chain fatty acids.

(ACACA Gene, NCI Thesaurus)

The authors suggest that testing for free fatty acids may help doctors interpret glucose test results in children, decreasing the number of children who need to be re-tested for high blood sugar.

(Researchers identify method to verify if children fasted before medical testing, National Institutes of Health)

This protein plays a role in the synthesis of fatty acids.

(Acyl-CoA Desaturase, NCI Thesaurus)

The oxidation of fatty acids is an important source of energy for ATP production in mitochondria through the entry of acetyl-CoA into the Krebs cycle.

(Mitochondrial Carnitine Palmitoyltransferase Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

This eventually prevents hepatic gluconeogenesis, enhances insulin sensitivity and fatty acid oxidation and ultimately leads to a decrease in glucose levels.

(Metformin hydrochloride, NCI Thesaurus)

Inhibition of AKT prevents the phosphorylation of AKT substrates that mediate cellular processes, such as cell division, apoptosis, and glucose and fatty acid metabolism.

(Akt inhibitor AZD5363, NCI Thesaurus)

A genetic disorder characterized by deficiency of the enzyme medium-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase that metabolizes medium-chain fatty acids.

(Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase, Medium-Chain Deficiency, NCI Thesaurus)

A genetic disorder characterized by deficiency of the enzyme short-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase that metabolizes short-chain fatty acids.

(Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase, Short-Chain Deficiency, NCI Thesaurus)