Fatty acid beta-oxidation

Fatty acid beta-oxidation is not a single molecule or receptor but rather a metabolic pathway by which fatty acids are broken down in the mitochondria and peroxisomes of eukaryotic cells and in the cytosol of prokaryotes to generate acetyl-CoA, NADH, and FADH₂[1][4][7]. The process involves several enzymes—most notably acyl-CoA dehydrogenases, enoyl-CoA hydratase, 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase, and thiolase—that sequentially remove two-carbon units from fatty acyl-CoAs as acetyl-CoA[2][5]. This pathway is essential for energy production from fats. Defects in enzymes involved in this process can lead to metabolic diseases such as medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MCADD)[2][5]. Because "fatty acid beta-oxidation" refers to a biochemical process rather than a discrete molecular target like an enzyme or receptor, it is not considered a therapeutic target itself but may be referenced when discussing drugs that modulate this pathway indirectly. Note: The entry "Fatty acid beta-oxidation" is incorrect as a drug target because it describes an entire metabolic process rather than an individual protein or molecular entity suitable for direct pharmacological targeting. For structured data purposes, you should instead refer to specific enzymes within the pathway such as "Acyl-CoA dehydrogenase" or "Carnitine palmitoyltransferase I"[2][8].

Other names

Beta-oxidationβ-oxidationFatty acid oxidation