[Essential fatty acids: its transformations and functions]. / Los ácidos grasos esenciales: sus transformaciones y funciones.

Essential fatty acids, in animals, pertain to two different fatty acid families: the linoleic and the linolenic. These, and the non-essential families of oleic and palmitoleic are produced by action of the enzymes proper. The lack of essential fatty acids produces typical symptoms that are accompanied by fatty acid compositions, also typical, utilized with diagnostic value. The biological effects of essential fatty acids can be specific and nonspecific. The latter manifest themselves particularly in the phospholipid composition and, therefore, in the structure and fluency of the membranes. In contrast, specific essential fatty acids act in the formation of prostaglandins, prostacyclins, tromboxans and leucotriens. Each essential fatty acid produces specific effects, depending on the prostanoids formed and the tissue in question.

[Essential fatty acids and their transformations in the animals (author's transl)]. / Acidos grasos esenciales y sus transformaciones en los animales.

The research of essential fatty acids biochemistry in Argentina was initiated approximately twenty years ago. These investigations together with the outstanding findings obtained in other countries proved the existence of different types of reactions. The essential fatty acids, linolenic and alpha linolenic, are converted by desaturation and elongation reactions in higher homologs building families of fatty acids. These reactions are regulated by dietary components, hormones, temperature and products of reaction. Retroconversion reactions transform the higher homologs, especially of 22 carbons back again to lower homologs avoiding beta oxidation. They are incorporated in the lipids to build the lipoproteic membranes increasing their fluidity. Specific acids are converted to prostaglandins that function as specific hormones.