Nervonic acid (24:1n-9) is a very long chain fatty acid produced by elongation of oleic acid (18:1n-9) and derived from erucic acid (22:1n-9) . It is enriched in nervous tissue and is particularly abundant in sphingolipids, such as sphingomyelin in the myelin sheath of nerve fibers. Nervonic acid is poorly produced in demyelinating disorders, including multiple sclerosis and adrenoleukodystrophy, suggesting that dietary supplementation may be beneficial. In addition, it is deficient in mice which are homozygous for the quaking mutation, a model of Parkinson’s disease. Nervonic acid also binds and inhibits DNA polymerase β (Ki = 4.0 uM) and HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (Ki = 1.2 uM).
