fattyacidlike
Fattyacidlike refers to molecules that resemble fatty acids in possessing a long hydrophobic carbon chain and a polar functional group at one end, typically akin to a carboxyl group, but that are not classic fatty acids in all respects. The term is generically used in chemistry and lipid biology to describe lipid-like compounds that share key structural features with fatty acids without necessarily following standard fatty acid metabolism.
Structural features commonly seen in fattyacidlike compounds include a long aliphatic tail (often ranging from about
In biological and biochemical contexts, fattyacidlike molecules may function as intermediates or probes rather than as
Examples include hydroxy fatty acids, dicarboxylic acids, and various synthetic fatty acid–like compounds used as detergents,
See also: fatty acids, lipid mimetics, lipidomics, acyl-CoA metabolism.