alpha-eleostearic acid

alpha-eleostearic acid (ESA) is a conjugated polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) primarily derived from botanical sources such as bitter melon (Momordica charantia) and tung oil. In oncology research, ESA is being explored as a metabolic therapeutic to target drug-tolerant persister cells (DTPs) in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and other malignancies. The mechanism involves exploiting the downregulation of SREBF1 in DTPs, which impairs de novo lipogenesis and renders these cells vulnerable to PUFA-induced ferroptosis. By overloading the lipid pool with ESA, researchers aim to trigger iron-dependent lipid peroxidation and eliminate the slow-cycling cell populations responsible for treatment resistance and disease relapse following therapy with KRAS inhibitors or other systemic treatments.

Other names

(9Z,11E,13E)-octadeca-9,11,13-trienoic acidalpha-ESAα-eleostearic acid