Topic Overview:

Nitrated fatty acids were discovered as products of inflammatory processes and originate from reactions between nitric oxide and nitrite derived-species and unsaturated fatty acids. Nitrated fatty acids activate cytoprotective and anti-inflammatory signaling responses and have shown remarkable effects in preclinical animal models, making them attractive molecules for drug development. Nitrated oleic acid underwent pharmaceutical development as a drug to treat fibrotic and inflammatory diseases and is currently in Phase II clinical trials. These fatty acids are at the intersection of three unconventional drug candidate classes that use different scaffolds for drug development, including fatty acids, metabolic intermediates, and electrophilic molecules. In addition to their therapeutic value, these molecules provide unique opportunities to study redox and electrophilic reactions in tissue, systemic distribution mechanisms, signaling pathways, and metabolic reactions.