Marine unsaturated fatty acids: structures, bioactivities, biosynthesis and benefits

Unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) are an important category of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids with nutritional properties. These secondary metabolites have been obtained from multitudinous natural resources, including marine organisms. Because of the increasing numerous biological importance of these marine derived molecules, this review covers 147 marine originated UFAs reported from 1978 to 2018. The review will focus on the structural characterizations, biological properties, proposed biosynthetic processes, and healthy benefits mediated by gut microbiota of these marine naturally originated UFAs.