Fatty Acid Synthesis Pathway

The fatty acid synthesis pathway is an anabolic metabolic process responsible for creating fatty acids from acetyl-CoA and NADPH. This pathway primarily occurs in the cytosol of cells, especially in the liver, adipose tissue, and lactating mammary glands. The process is iterative and involves a series of enzyme-catalyzed reactions that elongate the carbon chain to produce saturated long-chain fatty acids, most commonly palmitate (16:0). Dysregulation can contribute to metabolic diseases such as obesity, type II diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or cancer. Pharmacological inhibition targets include FASN inhibitors under investigation for cancer therapy due to tumor reliance on de novo lipogenesis.

Inhibition of fatty acid synthesis