Accumulation of pristanic acid (2, 6, 10, 14 tetramethylpentadecanoic acid) in the plasma of patients with generalised peroxisomal dysfunction
✍ Scribed by A. Poulos; P. Sharp; A. J. Fellenberg; D. W. Johnson
- Publisher
- Springer
- Year
- 1988
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 485 KB
- Volume
- 147
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0340-6997
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✦ Synopsis
The plasma of some patients with biochemical evidence of a generalised peroxisomal dysfunction (GPD) show greatly increased levels of phytanic acid as well as its a-oxidation product, pristanic acid (2, 6, 10, 14-tetramethylpentadecanoic acid). Increased amounts of 14-and 16-carbon branched chain fatty acids are also found in some of these patients. As pristanic acid is present in normal or near-normal amounts in classical Refsum disease and rhizomelic chondrodysplasia, two disorders characterised by deficiencies in phytanic acid oxidation, we speculate that its accumulation is not secondary to a defect in the a-oxidation of phytanic acid, but is indicative of a block in the peroxisomal p-oxidation of pristanic acid. The finding of phytanic acid, as well as a number of its metabolites in patients with inherited defects in peroxisomal biogenesis indicates that a number of the steps in phytanic acid degradation may be confined to peroxisomes.