4alpha-Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate is a non-tumor promoting phorbol ester derivative that has been used as a negative control for PMA, a tumor promoter and activator of PKC. However, 4α-PMA has also been shown to be a reasonably potent activator of TRPV4 channels, making it a useful tool for structure-activity investigations via comparison to the very similar compound, 4α-PDD, which demonstrates 50 times more affinity for TRPV4. Furthermore, this compound has also been shown to increase PGHS-2 mRNA significantly in murine keratinocytes.
