Deulinoleate ethyl is recognized by cells as identical to the natural linoleic acid. But when taken up, it is converted into 13,13-d-arachidonic acid, a heavy isotope version of arachidonic acid, that gets incorporated into lipid membranes. The deuterated compound resists the non-enzymatic lipid peroxidation (LPO) through isotope effect — a non-antioxidant based mechanism that protects mitochondrial, neuronal and other lipid membranes, thereby greatly reducing the levels of numerous LPO-derived toxic products such as reactive carbonyls.
Deulinoleate ethyl inhibits ferroptosis by stopping the autoxidation process through the kinetic isotope effect. The protective effect of D-PUFAs was verified in erastin- and RSL3-induced ferroptosis models, with demonstrated efficacy in various disease models, particularly neurodegenerative disorders and clinical trials of deulinoleate ethyl begun in 2018.