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Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Enzymatic Synthesis of Epoxidized Metabolites of Docosahexaenoic, Eicosapentaenoic, and Arachidonic Acids
Published on: June 28, 2019
Total synthesis and bioactivity of 18(R)-hydroxyeicosapentaenoic acid
Venkata R Krishnamurthy1, Ann Dougherty, Carolyn A Haller
1Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States.
Abstract:
Resolvins are family of lipid mediators derived from omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are generated during the resolution phase of acute inflammation. Resolvin E1 is biosynthesized from eicosapentaenoic acid via 18(R)-hydroxyeicosapentaenoic acid (18R-HEPE) in the Cox-2 and lipoxygenase mediated pathway and has proven to exhibit potent anti-inflammatory activity. We report herein the first total chemical synthesis of 18R-HEPE and demonstrate that this compound displays in vivo bioactivity by blocking neutrophil infiltration in a murine model of zymosan-induced peritonitis.
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