UNSATURATED FATTY-ACIDS AS ENDOGENOUS BIOREGULATORS

Most biological functions of unsaturated fatty acids are due to their ability to act as second messengers or modulators of activities of fun ctionally important proteins; these functions are not related to oxida tive metabolism of unsaturated fatty acids, These acids regulate the a ctivity of phospholipases, ion channels, ATPases, G-proteins, and prot ein kinases; they also modulate the phosphoinositide and sphingomyelin cycles, the transfer of hormonal information, and gene transcription, The great diversity of effects of unsaturated fatty acids and their p resence at the earliest stages of evolution suggest for these bioregul ators a system-forming role in the living body.