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How do essential fatty acids help the body make eicosanoids?

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A composite diagram shows the structural formulas, space-filling models, and simplified depictions of lipid molecules including stearic acid and phosphatidylcholine, and how these assemble into a micelle and lipid bilayer, with labels identifying hydrophilic heads and hydrophobic tails. — Lipid Structure and properties of two representative lipids. Both stearic acid (a fatty acid) and phosphatidylcholine (a phospholipid) are composed of chemical groups that form polar “heads” and nonpolar “tails.” The polar heads are hydrophilic, or soluble in water, whereas the nonpolar tails are hydrophobic, or insoluble in water. Lipid molecules of this composition spontaneously form aggregate structures such as micelles and lipid bilayers, with their hydrophilic ends oriented toward the watery medium and their hydrophobic ends shielded from the water.

Essential fatty acids, specifically linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid) and alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid), are critical to the body because they serve as the necessary precursors for the production of eicosanoids.

Because the human body cannot synthesize these specific fatty acids, they must be obtained through the diet. Once ingested, these essential fatty acids are converted into other necessary fatty acids, such as arachidonic acid, which is a 20-carbon polyunsaturated fatty acid.12

Arachidonic acid acts as the primary precursor for the biosynthesis of three classes of locally acting signaling molecules: prostaglandins, thromboxanes, and leukotrienes. These eicosanoids are produced by cells under specific conditions and interact with cell surface receptors to regulate vital physiological processes, including inflammatory responses, blood pressure, and blood clotting.32