Figure 2From: Multiple roles of dihomo-γ-linolenic acid against proliferation diseasesMetabolism of dihomo-γ-linolenic acid. In mammal tissues and cells, LA is converted to AA by an alternating sequence of Δ6 desaturation, chain elongation and Δ5 desaturation. Dietary GLA bypasses the rate-limited Δ6 desaturation step and is quickly elongated to DGLA by elongase, with only a very limited amount being desaturated to AA by Δ5 desaturase. DGLA can be converted to PGE1 via the cyclooxygenase pathway and/or converted to 15-HETrE via the 15-lipoxygenase pathway.Back to article page