Application Notes:
This product is the methyl ester of the omega-5 fatty acid myristoleic acid. Myristoleic acid is a natural but uncommon fatty
acid produced from myristic acid by the delta-9-desatuase enzyme. When esterified with cetyl alcohol myristoleic acid
becomes cetyl mytistoleate, a compound with multiple biological properties including anti-infammitory, pain relief and
immune system modulation. Extracts from Serenoa repens have been used to cause cell death in prostate cancer cells and
myristoleic acid has been identified as at least one of the cytotoxic components of the extract.1 Myristoleic acid has been
shown to suppress growth of hamster flank organs by inhibiting the 5alpha-reductase enzyme and thereby preventing the
conversion of testosterone to 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone.2 Among the bioactive products in bovine whey that help to
promote health and prevent disease is myristoleic acid which inhbits the germination of the pathogenic Candida albicans.3
Myristoleic acid has shown some anticarcinogenic effects by inhibiting the nuclear density of chemically induced
transformation cells.4 A seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum extract has been shown to cause an increase of myristoleic acid
accumulation in adipose tissues.
References:
1. K. Hirano et al. “Myristoleic acid, a cytotoxic component in the extract from Serenoa repens, induces apoptosis and necrosis in human prostatic LNCaP
cells” Prostate, vol. 47 pp. 59-64, 2001
2. R. Hiipakka et al. “Growth suppression of hamster flank organs by topical application of catechins, alizarin, curcumin, and myristoleic acid” Archives of
Dermatological Research, vol. 293 pp. 200-205, 2001
3. P. Belhumeur et. al. “Whey-derived free fattyacids suppress the germination of Candida albicans invitro” FEMS Yeast Res, vol. 7 pp. 276-285, 2007
4. S. Sharma, P. Gao, and V. Steele “Quantitative Morphometry of Respiratory Tract Epithelial Cells as a Tool for Testing Chemopreventive Agent
Efficacy” Anticancer Research, vol. 3 pp. 737-742, 2010