Gamma-Linolenic Acid

lipid · nervous · immune-hematologic · Oral

Gamma-Linolenic Acid, a lipid. 18:3 ω-6 PUFA that bypasses the rate-limiting Δ6-desaturase step (same enzyme consumes linoleic acid). Elongated… Oral half-life 24 h.

18:3 ω-6 PUFA that bypasses the rate-limiting Δ6-desaturase step (same enzyme consumes linoleic acid). Elongated to dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (DGLA, 20:3n-6), which is the substrate for anti-inflammatory PGE1 and 15-HETrE series — rather than for pro-inflammatory arachidonic-acid-derived eicosanoids, because Δ5-desaturase activity is a bottleneck under typical Western-diet conditions. Net effect: shift toward DGLA-dominant eicosanoid output without appreciable rise in AA-derived prostaglandins.

F 0.9 REMOVED as an R6 stored default. PMID:9707349 reports serum time courses and a morning/evening tmax difference only, with no bioavailability and no volume; the study is oral-only. Numerically a no-op against the 0.9 default.

Pharmacokinetics

• Oral — t½ 24 h · ka 1.49 h⁻¹

Sources: PMID:9707349