16-hydroxy Hexadecanoic acid is a metabolite of the saturated fatty acid palmitic acid (16:0) that has been hydroxylated on its terminal (ω) carbon. It is produced by ω-hydroxylation of palmitic acid by cytochrome P450 in both plants and animals. In plants, it is commonly a component of cutin.
16-Hydroxyhexadecanoic acid was used in the synthesis of dihydroxypalmitic acids. It was also used to induce the expression of two GRP genes of Arabidopsis thaliana, AtGRP5 and AtGRP23.
ChEBI: A C16 omega-hydroxy fatty acid and key monomer of cutin in the plant cuticle.