decanoic acid

Decanoic acid (also known as capric acid or decylic acid) is a saturated medium-chain fatty acid with a 10-carbon backbone. It occurs naturally in various animal fats and plant oils such as coconut oil. Decanoic acid is used industrially in the manufacture of perfumes, lubricants, greases, rubber, dyes, plastics, food additives and pharmaceuticals[1][3][5][8]. In pharmaceuticals, it serves primarily as an excipient or chemical intermediate; its esters (caprate forms) are used to create long-acting injectable prodrugs for certain medications[8]. Mechanistically, decanoic acid acts as a non-competitive antagonist of the AMPA receptor at therapeutically relevant concentrations—an effect that contributes to its antiseizure properties and may underlie some benefits of the ketogenic diet for epilepsy[8]. It also functions as an agonist at Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) receptors involved in mitochondrial biogenesis and can elevate complex I activity in the electron transport chain[8]. Additionally, it has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties[1][5].

Other names

capric aciddecylic acid