Description
Isostearic acid is a medium-chain fatty acid that occurs naturally in various plants, fungi and bacteria. It is widely used in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries as a surfactant, emulsifier and preservative. In addition, it has antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral effects.
Uses
Isostearic acid is widely used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and chemical industries. Isostearic acid is often listed as an ingredient in skin creams and other cosmetic products and can be used in quantitative studies of isostearates in cosmetics. Isostearic acid is also the active ingredient in imiquimod formulations used to induce psoriasis in psoriasis models. Isostearic acid activates the inflammatory vesicle response, stimulates the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, up-regulates the IL-23/17 axis, and enlarges the livers of animals treated with isostearic acid (40% body weight gain). Isostearic acid is also used as an organic synthetic raw material for the preparation of bio-based polyurethane (PU) coatings
[1-3].
Application
Isostearic acid is a fatty acid that is used as an emollient in pharmaceutical preparations. Isostearic acid has been shown to have skin-moisturizing and anti-inflammatory properties, which are due to its ability to inhibit the activity of phospholipase A2. Isostearic acid also has a high degree of chemical stability and adsorption capacity. Its adsorption mechanism is not yet well understood, but it appears to be related to its hydroxyl group. This compound has been used successfully in the treatment of congestive heart failure and can prevent the accumulation of lipids on the surface of blood vessels, thereby reducing atherosclerosis. Isostearic acid also functions as a substrate for the synthesis of isovaleric acid, which can be used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetic products.
References
[1] WALTER VETTER; Irene W. Quantitative Determination of Isostearic Acid Isomers in Skin Creams by GC-MS-SIM[J]. Chromatographia, 2009. DOI:10.1365/s10337-009-1134-8.
[2] SIMON STRASS. Isostearic acid is an active component of imiquimod formulations used to induce psoriaform disease models.[J]. Inflammopharmacology, 2023. DOI:10.1007/s10787-023-01175-3.
[3] PAVAN M. PARASKAR; Ravindra D K. Synthesis of Isostearic Acid/Dimer Fatty Acid-Based Polyesteramide Polyol for the Development of Green Polyurethane Coatings[J]. Journal of Polymers and the Environment, 2020. DOI:10.1007/s10924-020-01849-x.
