This high purity monounsaturated fatty acid is ideal as a standard and for biological systems. cis-10-Heptadecenoic acid has been claimed to be a minor component of ruminant fats but this finding has recently been disputed with cis-9-heptadecenoic acid being identified as the fatty acid in question.1 cis-10-Heptadecenoic acid has been shown to have some inhibitory activity against human cancer cells HL-60 although less than some other saturated long chain fatty acids.2 This fatty acid has a cis double bond at an even carbon (carbon 10) and therefore cannot be enzymatically degraded via the usual beta-oxidation pathway. Instead, a reductase-isomerase or an epimerase pathway must be employed in the metabolism of this fatty acid.3
