Disease relevance of n-Hexacosanol

• Treatment with N-hexacosanol did not alter the diabetic status of the animals, i.e., body weight, serum glucose, and serum insulin levels, but significantly restored the thickness of intestine wall and ameliorated diabetes-induced hypercontractility of the rat ileum in a dose-dependent manner [1].
• Diabetes induced bladder smooth muscle hypertrophy, which tended to be ameliorated by treatment with n-hexacosanol in a dose-dependent manner [2].

High impact information on n-Hexacosanol

• The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of n-hexacosanol (hexa) on nerve regeneration [3].
• Enhancement of mouse sciatic nerve regeneration by the long chain fatty alcohol, N-Hexacosanol [3].
• The long-chain fatty alcohol, n-hexacosanol, has been shown to possess neurotrophic properties in vitro on rat CNS cultures (Borg et al., 1987) and to promote the survival of septal cholinergic neurons after experimental axotomy (Borg et al., 1990) [4].
• Furthermore, N-hexacosanol significantly reversed the upregulation of muscarinic M(2) and M(3) receptor messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in STZ-diabetic rats [5].
• N-hexacosanol reverses diabetic induced muscarinic hypercontractility of ileum in the rat [1].

Biological context of n-Hexacosanol

• n-Hexacosanol, a long-chain saturated fatty alcohol extracted from Hygrophyla erecta Hochr., has been recently shown to exert neurotrophic properties on central neurons and to stimulate phagocytosis in macrophages [6].
• Studies on the immunological effects of fatty alcohols--I. Effects of n-hexacosanol on murine macrophages in culture [7].

Anatomical context of n-Hexacosanol

• The maintenance of AChE-positive neurons was particularly striking in the vertical limb of the diagonal band of Broca, where 83% of the neurons survived after two weeks of n-hexacosanol treatment compared to 51% in the non-treated animals [8].
• It is concluded that n-hexacosanol at 10(-9) M and 10(-7) M exerts an inhibitory effect on insulin secretion stimulated by glucose in vivo and in vitro in the rat, suggesting a direct effect on islets of Langerhans [6].
• Peripherally administered n-hexacosanol, a long-chain fatty alcohol, strongly attenuated the degeneration of cholinergic neurons in the medial septum and the vertical limb of the diagonal band of Broca following transection of their dorsal projection to the hippocampus by unilateral fimbria-fornix aspiration [8].
• Our data indicate that N-hexacosanol could reverse diabetes-induced hypercontractility in the rat trachea [9].

Associations of n-Hexacosanol with other chemical compounds

• In this study, we investigated the effects of cyclohexenonic long-chain fatty alcohol (N-hexacosanol) on streptozotocin-diabetic hypercontractility in the rat ileum longitudinal muscles [1].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of n-Hexacosanol

• In the present study, gas chromatography and scanning electron microscopy were used to follow cuticular wax deposition along the growing leaf three of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). 1-Hexacosanol (C(26) alcohol) comprised more than 75% of extractable cuticular wax and was used as a marker for wax deposition [10].

References