Sciadonic Acid

ID: sciadonic_acid

Aliases: all-cis-5,11,14-eicosatrienoic acid

Type: compound

Route/form: oral supplement/food component unless otherwise specified

Status: food_component_research

Evidence level: preclinical

Best data tier: non-human experimental

Support scope: non-human/mechanistic

Source types: mechanistic, preclinical

Linked sources: 2

Broad outcomes: Cardiovascular / lipids / blood pressure, Fat loss / metabolic health

Reading note: These are curation notes anchored to linked sources, not a clinical recommendation or protocol.

Targets / mechanism

• hepatic delta-9 desaturase
• triglyceride metabolism

Optimization domains

• cardiovascular health
• lipids
• triglycerides
• food component

Research basis

• Rat work suggests pine-nut-derived sciadonic acid can reduce plasma triglycerides by inhibiting hepatic delta-9 desaturase.
• Adds a mechanistically unusual fatty-acid lipid lead.

Limits, risks, and missing evidence

• The cited evidence is animal data, not a human lipid-outcome trial.
• Dietary feasibility and exact effective exposure remain unclear.

Risk flags

• preclinical only
• dietary translation unknown
• limited human data

Linked papers, labels, and reviews

1. Sciadonic acid from pine nuts reduces plasma triglycerides by inhibiting rat hepatic delta-9 desaturase
   preclinical / nature_sciadonic_acid_rat_2020
   Rat dietary fatty-acid study.
2. Production and protein kinase C activation of diacylglycerols containing polymethylene-interrupted PUFA
   mechanistic / pubmed_sciadonic_dag_pkc_2005
   Mechanistic source showing sciadonic acid can be incorporated into signaling lipid species; indirect context for its unusual lipid biology.