Skin Lipids: Their Biochemical Uniqueness: Unlike internal organs, the skin biosynthesizes and excretes unusual fat soluble substances.
Abstract
Two key words characterize the uniqueness of skin lipids: complexity and perversity. Each suggests a function. Complexity manifests itself in the large number and variety of both saturated and unsaturated fatty chains synthesized by human skin. Functionally, this allows each individual to have a distinct odor or chemical fingerprint. Perversity manifests itself when one compares the lipids synthesized by skin with those synthesized by internal tissues. For example, skin makes odd instead of only even chains, branched instead of only straight chains, free instead of only esterified acids, places double bonds in unusual positions in the fatty chains, extends chains to extreme lengths, and accumulates intermediates in the synthesis of a biologically valuable compound such as cholesterol. Functionally, these products may pose metabolic problems to potential pathogens and thus contribute to the survival of only compatible microorganisms.
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Sapienic acid is a unique sebaceous monounsaturated fatty acid with a single double bond at the sixth position.
“Sapienic acid is a unique sebaceous monounsaturated fatty acid with a single double bond at the sixth position.12,13”
From Sebaceous-immunobiology is orchestrated by sebum lipids (2017) · cites this paper as [12]
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“monounsaturated fatty acid with a single double bond at the sixth position.(12,13) The elongation and further desaturation of sapienic acid yields another unique sebaceous gland fatty acid, sebaleic acid (18:2D5, 8).”
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“(Nicolaides, 1974).”
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- Authors
- Nicolaides, N.
- Affiliations
- University of Southern California (US)
- Corresponding author
- Nicolaides, N.
- ORCID
- Nicolaides, N.
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 1974-10-04
- Volume
- 186
- Issue
- 4158
- Pages
- 19-26
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2071692620
- Cited by
- 609
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 18 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 33 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 19 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 11
- FWCI
- 5.39
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biochemistry › Lipid metabolism and biosynthesis
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Cholesterol and Lipid Metabolism
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Dermatology › Dermatology and Skin Diseases
- Keywords
- skin lipids, fatty acid synthesis, unsaturated fatty acids, odd-chain fatty acids, branched-chain fatty acids, free fatty acids, cholesterol biosynthesis
- MeSH terms
- Chemistry, Cholesterol, Fatty Acids, Humans, Lipids, Sebaceous Glands, Sebum, Skin, Skin Physiological Phenomena, Chemical Phenomena
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