Background: 

2,6,10,14-tetramethylpentadecane

The isoprenoid alkane Pristane (2,6,10,14-tetramethylpentadecane) has found several important applications in medical research and biotechnology including the induction of autoimmune and arthritis symptoms in rodents, the induction of rodent plasmacytomas with properties similar to those of multiple myeloma patients, and perhaps most widely as an adjuvant for preconditioning the peritoneal cavity of mice and rats to increase production of ascites fluid following injection of hybridoma cells for the isolation of monoclonal antibodies.

Until recently, the primary commercial feedstock for the purification of natural pristane has been shark liver oil from the Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus). Recently however, the availability of natural pristane has decreased sharply following protections to the Basking Shark and other shark species agreed to by international conventions. Synthetic pristane is therefore growing in importance as a commercial substitute for natural pristane. Cosmo Bio is pleased to announce the availability of synthetic pristane to support these important research and commercial applications.