Nervonic acid
Nervonic acid (cis-15-tetracosenoic acid) is a very-long-chain monounsaturated fatty acid (C24:1 Δ15, C₂₄H₄₆O₂). It is a core component of the myelin sheath in the mammalian brain and peripheral nervous system, with irreplaceable roles in infant brain development and adult neural repair.
Chemical structure
MW 366.62 Da · m.p. 42–43 °C · CAS 506-37-6
Nervonic acid occurs naturally in shark liver oil (~1–2%), but shark sources face resource depletion and ethical concerns. Acer truncatum seed oil is the highest-content, most sustainable known plant source of nervonic acid, enabling large-scale production.
| Source | Nervonic acid | Sustainability | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. truncatum seed oil | 5–8% | High | Plant source, scalable cultivation |
| Shark liver oil | 1–2% | Low | Scarce, ethical concerns |
| Milk | <0.1% | High | Very low content |
| Human brain white matter | ~25% (of total fatty acids) | — | Endogenous, not exogenously usable |
Economic value of Acer truncatum
Acer truncatum Bunge is native to northern China, named for its yuanbao (ingot)-shaped samaras. Beyond ornamental value, its seeds are oil-rich, making it one of the most intensively studied woody oil tree species in China and a priority new health-oil resource.
The seed-oil fatty-acid composition is mainly oleic (~30%), erucic (~25%), linoleic (~20%) and nervonic acid (5–8%), a functional oil of unique nutritional value. MapleOmics annotates all key genes of the seed fatty-acid pathway and identifies significant associations for 10 fatty-acid traits via GWAS.
Acer truncatum oil products
Acer truncatum oil softgels
High-purity nervonic-acid softgels made by cold-pressing A. truncatum seeds are commercially mass-produced in China. Each softgel contains ~15–30 mg nervonic acid, suitable for neuro-nutritional and brain-health supplementation.
Commercial products include softgels, blended oils, and skincare base oils, with standards incorporated into the recommended-standard system of China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration.
Photo courtesy of Ma Qiuyue, JAAS — Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Related MapleOmics tools
Acer truncatum multi-omics data cover the full seed fatty-acid pathway. Use the tabs above to explore the interactive pathway, fatty-acid accumulation, the gene heatmap, and the TF regulatory network.
Browse GWAS fatty-acid analysis
Genome-wide association results for 10 fatty-acid traits with candidate-gene annotation
Data citation: Data on this page are linked from the MapleOmics database; some images and phenotype data are from the Ma Qiuyue group, JAAS, previously used in related Genome Biology work; please keep academic descriptions consistent when citing.