Chemical Properties
colourless liquid
Uses
Pristane has been used as an inflammation-inducing agent, leading to myeloma development in BALB/c strain mice. It has been used as a rheumatoid arthritis-inducing agent in rats.
Uses
Lubricant; transformer oil. Anti-corrosion agent. Biological marker. In experimental systems to induce plasmacytomas; in production of monoclonal antibodies.
Uses
Pristane is a hydrocarbon oil adjuvant.
Definition
ChEBI: A norterpene that is an acyclic saturated hydrocarbon derived from phytane by loss of its C-16 terminal methyl group.
General Description
Pristane is a natural saturated terpenoid alkane used in research on the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases such as arthritis and lupus.
Biochem/physiol Actions
Pristane is a hydrocarbon oil adjuvant widely used to induce tumorigenesis in mice and arthritis and lupus nephritis in rats. It works as a adjuvant for monoclonal antibody generation in mouse ascites.
Purification Methods
Purify pristane by shaking it with conc H2SO4 (care, if amount of pristane is too small then it should be diluted with pet ether not Et2O which is quite soluble H2SO4), then H2O (care, as it may heat up in contact with conc H2SO4), dry (MgSO4), evaporate and distil it over Na. [S.rensen & S.rensen Acta Chem Scand 3 939 1949, Beilstein 1 III 570.]
