nervonic acid

Nervonic acid is a monounsaturated very long chain fatty acid (VLCFA) with a 24-carbon backbone and a single double bond at the n-9 position. It is also known as selacholeic acid and is an analog of lignoceric acid. Nervonic acid is naturally abundant in the white matter of animal brains and peripheral nervous tissue where it forms part of sphingolipids—especially sphingomyelin—in the myelin sheath of nerve fibers[1][3][10]. It plays a critical role in nerve development and regeneration by supporting glial cell differentiation and myelin synthesis[4]. Nervonic acid supplementation has been studied for its potential to improve neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, adrenoleukodystrophy, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cognitive impairment, mood disorders, obesity-related complications, diabetes complications and chronic kidney disease[2][4][5][7]. Mechanistically it contributes to cellular structure integrity in neural tissues; participates in anti-inflammatory signaling; modulates lipid mobilization; inhibits DNA polymerase β activity; and may inhibit NF-κB signaling pathways[2][8][9]. Dietary sources include certain fish oils (notably shark oil), seeds like yellow mustard seed and flaxseed, macadamia nuts and Lunaria annua oil[6][10].

Other names

selacholeic acidcis-15-tetracosenoic acidcis15-tetracosenoic acidcis 15-tetracosenoic acid(Z)-tetracos-15-enoic acid(15Z)-tetracosenoic acidtetracosenic acidneuro acidneural acid