A family of polyunsaturated fatty acids that have in common a final carbon-carbon double bond in the omega-3 position, i.e., the third bond from the methyl end of the fatty acid.
| Member | Definition | Role |
|---|
| 11,14,17-eicosatrienoate | An icosatrienoic acid having three cis- double bonds at positions 11, 14 and 17. | all-cis-icosa-11,14,17-trienoic acid |
| alpha-linolenic acid | A linolenic acid with cis-double bonds at positions 9, 12 and 15. Shown to have an antithrombotic effect. | alpha-linolenic acid |
| docosahexaenoate | A docosahexaenoic acid having six cis-double bonds at positions 4, 7, 10, 13, 16 and 19. | all-cis-docosa-4,7,10,13,16,19-hexaenoic acid |
| docosapentaenoic acid | The all-cis-isomer of a C22 polyunsaturated fatty acid having five double bonds in the 7-, 10-, 13-, 16- and 19-positions. | (7Z,10Z,13Z,16Z,19Z)-docosapentaenoic acid |
| eicosapentaenoic acid | An icosapentaenoic acid having five cis-double bonds at positions 5, 8, 11, 14 and 17. | all-cis-5,8,11,14,17-icosapentaenoic acid |
| stearidonic acid | An octadecatetraenoic acid having four double bonds located at positions 6, 9, 12 and 15 (the all-cis-isomer). It has been isolated from Lithospermum officinale and fish oils. | all-cis-octadeca-6,9,12,15-tetraenoic acid |