Nervonic acid

Nervonic acid (24:1, n−9) is a fatty acid. It is a monounsaturated analog of lignoceric acid (24:0). It is also known as selacholeic acid and cis-15-tetracosenoic acid. Its name derives from the Latin word nervus, meaning nerve or sinew.

It exists in nature as an elongation product of oleic acid (18:1 Δ9). Its immediate precursor is erucic acid. Nervonic acid is particularly abundant in the white matter of animal brains and in peripheral nervous tissue where nervonyl sphingolipids are enriched in the myelin sheath of nerve fibers.

This acid is among the group of cerebrosides, which are fatty acids of the glycosphingolipids group, which are components of muscles and the nervous system, accounting for approximately 40% of the total fatty acids in sphingolipids.

Structure
As it is defined as a monounsaturated fatty acid, it has one double bond in the fatty acid chain and all the remaining carbon atoms are single-bonded.

It is classified in the sub-group of very long chain fatty acids (VLCFA), which includes molecules containing more than 20 carbon atoms. It has specifically 24-carbon backbone and the sole C=C double bond originating from the methyl end is in n-9 or omega-9 (ω-9).

Functions
Nervonic acid may be involved in the growth and maintenance of nerve tissue as a regulator of Ca2+ ion channels in the cell membranes of nerve tissue.

Additional references

 * Appelqvist (1976) Lipids in Cruciferae. In: Vaughan JG, Macleod AJ (Eds), The biology and the Chemistry of Cruciferae. Academic Press, London, UK, pp. 221–277.