The CYP omega hydroxylases are often referred to as monoxygenases; however, the monooxygenases are CYP450 enzymes that add a hydroxyl group to a wide range of xenobiotic (e.g. drugs, industrial toxins) and naturally occurring endobiotic (e.g. cholesterol) substrates, most of which are not fatty acids.
[1] The omega oxygenases metabolize fatty acids (RH) by adding a hydroxyl (OH) to their terminal (i.e. furthest from the fatty acids' carboxy residue) carbons; in the reaction, the two atoms of molecular oxygen(O2[ are reduced to one hydroxyl group and one water (H2O molecule) by the concomitant oxidation of NAD(P)H (see monooxygenase).
The metabolites produced by CYP ω-hydroxylases, particularly 20-HETE, have been found to have pleiotropic effects in inflammation and many inflammation-associated diseases.
They are mainly expressed in various tissues and organs, including the liver, kidney, lung, endothelial cells, platelets, and immunocytes.
For example, 20-HETE has been shown to promote vascular inflammation by activating endothelial cells and induction of inflammatory cytokines.