Alpha-oxidation and omega-oxidation of fatty acids

Alpha oxidation

Those are minor fatty acid oxidation pathways. In ω-oxidation, reactions happen on the terminal carbon of the chain. In α-oxidation, oxidation is on the α-carbon.

Omega oxidation occurs in the enoplasmic reticulum. The terminal methyl group is hydroxylated, which is further oxidized to a carboxyl group. A dicarboxylic acid is formed, which can be degraded to dicarboxylic acid with 6-10C, which is already sufficiently soluble in water.