Figure 5.

The lipid droplet as a source of AA for lipid mediator production. (i) The direct hydrolysis of the phospholipid monolayer by cPLA₂α (red) is considered the major pathway. The free AA produced could either be used for eicosanoid synthesis or reacylated into neutral core lipids such as triacylgycerol. (ii) The action of sPLA₂ (green) on the phospholipid monolayer provides an alternative route for AA mobilization. (iii) Release of AA from the inner core triacylglycerol, a process initiated by ATGL (brown), can provide additional free fatty acid for eicosanoid synthesis or to replenish the fatty acid lost in the phospholipid monolayer by the action of cPLA₂α and/or sPLA₂.