Application Notes:
alpha-Eleostearic acid is a conjugated linolenic acid (CLnA) that is found in high amounts in several natural oils,
including tung oil. CLnAs contain 3 or 4 double bonds (which can be any combination of cis or trans) and predominantly
9,11,13- and 8,10,12-octadecatrienoic acid positional isomers. Research indicates that CLnAs posses strong antidiabetic,
antiobesity, antiproliferative, and anticarcinogenic activities as well as a significant affect on lipid metabolism.(1) These
physiological effects make CLnAs potential candidates as therapeutic agents, although more research is needed to verify
previous findings.(2) Some studies suggest that punicic acid and other CLnAs can reduce adipose tissue in mouse models,
making it potentially useful as a weight-controlling lipid.(3) CLnAs, including punicic, jacaric, and alpha-eleostearic acids,
have been shown to suppress tumor cell growth through lipoperoxidation and apoptotic pathways and exhibit potent antiinflammatory
effects.(4,5,6) In addition alpha-eleostearic acid has been show to be significantly involved in the anti-adiposity
function of mice.(7)
References
1. P. Aruna et al. Health Benefits of Punicic Acid: A Review. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. Vol. 15 pp. 16-27, 2016
2. I. Pereira et al. Pomegranate Seed Oil (Punica Granatum L.): A Source of Punicic Acid (Conjugated α-Linolenic Acid). Journal of Human Nutrition and
Food Science. Vol. 2(1) pp. 1024, 2014
3. Koba et al. Genetically Modified Rapeseed Oil Containing cis-9, trans-11, cis-13-Octadecatrienoic Acid Affects Body Fat Mass and Lipid Metabolism in
Mice. J. Agric Food Chem. Vol. 55(9) pp. 3741-3748, 2007
4. T. Tsuzuki et al. Tumor growth suppression by α-eleostearic acid, a linolenic acid isomer with a conjugated triene system, via lipid peroxidation.
Carcinogenesis. Vol. 25(8) pp. 1417-1425, 2004
5. J. Gasmi and J. Sanderson. Jacaric acid and its octadecatrienoic acid geoisomers induce apoptosis selectively in cancerous human prostate cells: a
mechanistic and 3-D structure–activity study. Phytomedicine. Vol. 20 pp. 734-742, 2013
6. Liu, W.N., and Leung, K.N. Jacaric acid inhibits the growth of murine macrophage-like leukemia PU5-1.8 cells by inducing cell cycle arrest and
apoptosis. Cancer Cell Int. Vol. 15 pp. 90, 2015
7. G. Chen et al. The anti-adiposity effect of bitter melon seed oil is solely attributed to its fatty acid components. Lipids Health Dis. vol. 16(186) pp. 1-10,
2017