Phytanic acid

Phytanic acid
Names
IUPAC name
(7R,11R)-3,7,11,15-Tetramethylhexadecanoic acid
Other names
phytanoic acid
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.159.135 Edit this at Wikidata
MeSH Phytanic+acid
UNII
  • InChI=1S/C20H40O2/c1-16(2)9-6-10-17(3)11-7-12-18(4)13-8-14-19(5)15-20(21)22/h16-19H,6-15H2,1-5H3,(H,21,22)/t17-,18-,19?/m1/s1
    Key: RLCKHJSFHOZMDR-PWCSWUJKSA-N
  • CC(C)CCC[C@@H](C)CCC[C@@H](C)CCCC(C)CC(=O)O
Properties
C20H40O2
Molar mass 312.538 g·mol−1
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Phytanic acid (or 3,7,11,15-tetramethyl hexadecanoic acid) is a branched chain fatty acid that humans can obtain through the consumption of dairy products, ruminant animal fats, and certain fish.[1] Western diets are estimated to provide 50–100 mg of phytanic acid per day.[2] In a study conducted in Oxford, individuals who consumed meat had, on average, a 6.7-fold higher geometric mean plasma phytanic acid concentration than did vegans.[3]

  1. ^ Brown, P. J.; et al. (1993). "The determination of phytanic acid and phytol in certain foods and the application of this knowledge to the choice of suitable convenience foods for patients with Refsum's disease". Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. 6: 295–305. doi:10.1111/j.1365-277x.1993.tb00375.x.
  2. ^ Steinberg, D. Phytanic acid storage disease (Refsum's disease). In: Metabolic Basis of Inherited Disease. Edited by Stanbury JB, Wyngarden JB, Fredericksen DS, Goldstein JL, Brown MS, 5th edn. New York: McGraw Hill; 1983: 731-747.
  3. ^ Allen, N. E.; Grace, P. B.; Ginn, A.; Travis, R. C.; Roddam, A. W.; Appleby, P. N.; Key, T. (2007). "Phytanic acid: Measurement of plasma concentrations by gas–liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis and associations with diet and other plasma fatty acids". British Journal of Nutrition. 99 (3): 653–659. doi:10.1017/S000711450782407X. PMID 17868488.