Punicic acid
Chemical compound / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Punicic acid (also called trichosanic acid) is a polyunsaturated fatty acid, 18:3 cis-9, trans-11, cis-13. It is named for the pomegranate, (Punica granatum), and is obtained from pomegranate seed oil. It has also been found in the seed oils of snake gourd.[1]
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Preferred IUPAC name
(9Z,11E,13Z)-Octadeca-9,11,13-trienoic acid | |
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ChEBI | |
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CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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Properties | |
C18H30O2 | |
Molar mass | 278.43 g/mol |
Melting point | 44 to 45 °C (111 to 113 °F; 317 to 318 K) |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Punicic acid is a conjugated linolenic acid or CLnA; i.e. it has three conjugated double bonds. It is chemically similar to the conjugated linoleic acids, or CLA, which have two. It has also been classified as an "n-5" or "omega-5" polyunsaturated fatty acid. In lab rats, punicic acid was converted to the CLA rumenic acid (9Z11E-CLA).[2] In vitro, it shows anti-invasive activity against prostate cancer cells.[3] OLETF rats—a strain which becomes obese—remained relatively lean when punicic acid was added to their feed.[4]