Heneicosane 

Heneicosane is a royal-specific pheromone of insects (such as subterranean termites) and is an identification signal for queens and kings in termites. Heneicosane mediates royal recognition and the maintenance of social division of labor by being sensed by worker ants and triggering vibrations and antennal behaviors. Heneicosane can exert anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activities by inhibiting the release of inflammatory mediators (such as prostaglandins and cytokines). At the same time, Heneicosane can also inhibit the mycelial growth of aflatoxin-producing fungi and inhibit the production of aflatoxin. Heneicosane can be used in insect chemical ecology research to analyze the regulatory mechanism of termite social behavior, and is also a potential target for new anti-inflammatory drugs^[1][2][3][4].

Heneicosane is a hydrocarbon specific to the royal family (queens and kings) of the subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes. Its content in the royal family is significantly higher than that in the worker termites. Heneicosane is the first confirmed pheromone for the royal family recognition of termites^[1].

MedChemExpress (MCE) has not independently confirmed the accuracy of these methods. They are for reference only.

Heneicosane (0.1-10 μg/glass dummy) alone or in combination with worker ant cuticle extracts, dose-dependently induces shaking and antennal behavior in worker ants, the effects of which are consistent with those of natural royal individuals, confirming its biological activity as a royal recognition signal^[1].
Heneicosane (1000 mg/kg; oral; once daily; for 14 consecutive days) does not cause death, behavioral abnormalities or changes in visceral morphology in the Sprague-Dawley rat acute toxicity model, confirming that it had no significant toxicity to rats at a dose of 1000 mg/kg^[2].
Heneicosane (5-10 mg/kg; oral; single dose) significantly inhibits acetic acid-induced writhing reaction and formaldehyde-induced paw licking behavior (late stage) in rat models of acetic acid/formaldehyde-induced pain, carrageenan-induced inflammation, and yeast-induced fever, without significant inhibitory effect on carrageenan-induced paw edema and yeast-induced temperature increase^[2].

MedChemExpress (MCE) has not independently confirmed the accuracy of these methods. They are for reference only.

296.57

C₂₁H₄₄

629-94-7

Solid

White to off-white

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

Room temperature in continental US; may vary elsewhere.

* Please refer to the solubility information to select the appropriate solvent. Once prepared, please aliquot and store the solution to prevent product inactivation from repeated freeze-thaw cycles.
Storage method and period of stock solution: -80°C, 6 months; -20°C, 1 month. When stored at -80°C, please use it within 6 months. When stored at -20°C, please use it within 1 month.

• [1]. Colin F Funaro, et al. Identification of a queen and king recognition pheromone in the subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018 Apr 10;115(15):3888-3893.  [Content Brief]

  [2]. Okechukwu P N. Evaluation of anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic effect of eicosane, pentadecane, octacosane, and heneicosane. Asian J. Pharamath. Clin. Res, 2020, 13.

  [3]. Boukaew S, et al. Efficacy of volatile compounds from Streptomyces philanthi RL-1-178 as a biofumigant for controlling growth and aflatoxin production of the two aflatoxin-producing fungi on stored soybean seeds. J Appl Microbiol. 2020 Sep;129(3):652-664.  [Content Brief]

  [4]. Prathipkumar S, et al. Biogenic-mediated silver nanoparticles using heneicosane and their enhanced antimicrobial, antiproliferative, sensing capability and photocatalytic potential. Applied Nanoscience, 2023, 13(9): 5839-5849.