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"Bioactive lipids: an overview of their structure and functions."
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Simon Dyall  (Link to Bio)
Senior Lecturer, Department of Life Sciences | University of Roehampton | United Kingdom

Abstract: Lipids are a large and structurally diverse group of organic compounds for which there is no internationally accepted definition, and so are often grouped based on different criteria, including their solubility in organic solvents, their structure and functions, or their chemical structures, for example, fatty acyls, glycerolipids, glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, sterol lipids, prenol lipids, saccharolipids, and polyketides. This presentation will provide an overview of the structure and functions of bioactive and physiologically important lipids.

The focus of the talk will be on fatty acyls of physiological relevance, including omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), branched chain fatty acids, odd chain fatty acids, conjugated fatty acids, trans fatty acids, fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids, and fatty acid derivatives, such as specialised pro-resolving mediators, oxylipins, and electrophilic fatty acid oxo-derivatives. Since many bioactive lipids are derivatives of fatty acids, and their metabolism is a fundamental part of lipid biochemistry, recent advances in fatty acid metabolism, including omega-3 and -6 PUFA pathways and alternative desaturation routes will also be discussed. There will also be an overview of recent evidence suggesting a complex interplay between lipids, for example, omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs and endocannabinoids.