Chemistry
Mead acid, also referred to as eicosatrienoic acid, is chemically a carboxylic acid with a 20-carbon chain and three methylene-interrupted cis double bonds. The first double bond is located at the ninth carbon from the omega end. In physiological literature, it is given the name 20:3(n-9). See Fatty Acid#Nomenclature for an explanation of the naming system. In the presence of lipoxygenase, cytochrome p450 or cyclooxygenase Mead acid can form various hydroxy (HETE) and hydoperoxy (HpETE) products .
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