Lauric Acid

Inquiry

Cat Number

PIE-0158

CAS Number

143-07-7

If you have any other questions, please contact our experts.

Product Detail Description Scientific Support Advanced Innovations Customer Q&A

CAS Number

143-07-7

EINECS

205-582-1

Storage

2-8℃

Synonyms

Dodecanoic Acid

Molecular Formula

C12H24O2

Molecular Weight

200.32

Smiles

CCCCCCCCCCCC(O)=O

Melting Point

44-46 ℃

Boiling Point

225 ℃

Relative Density

0.883

pKa

4.92

General Description

Lauric Acid (also known as dodecanoic acid) is a white solid saturated fatty acid with a 12 carbon backbone. Sources of lauric acid include coconut oil and palm kernel oil. In its pure state it appears as a white crystalline substance that has the faint odor of bay oil. Lauric acid is used primarily in the manufacture of surfactants, emulsifiers, and antimicrobial compounds.

Mechanism of Action

Lauric acid is biologically active due to its role in forming monolaurin. It is known to lyse cells by attacking the lipid envelope of bacteria (specifically gram positive bacteria) and lipid coated viruses. Chemically speaking, lauric acid's 12-carbon backbone makes it hydrophobic enough to attach to oils yet allows it to be soluble enough to produce a non-toxic surfactant and help suspend oil-in-water emulsions.

Application

Lauric Acid finds application in pharmaceutical research as a natural antimicrobial and excipient for topical drug delivery. Cosmetic applications include the use of lauric acid to make soaps and detergents. Due to its highly effective lathering properties, it is able to be used as a cleansing agent. In addition to its surfactant qualities, lauric acid is commonly used in laboratories to synthesize esters, plastics and lubricating compounds. In food manufacturing it is used as an additive due to its ability to help stabilize fats and increase shelf life.

Studies to define the mechanisms by which Lauric Acid (LA) inhibits ovalbumin-induced tracheal hyperresponsiveness were conducted. Using isometric organ-bath measurements, LA was shown to inhibit ovalbumin-induced enhancement of contractile response to carbachol (maximum tension = 5.5 g in asthmatic controls versus 4.1 g in LA-treated rats). Pharmacological dissection revealed that blockade of either COX or NOS abolished the benefit of LA treatment while blockade of 5-LOX or cotreatment with a SOD-mimetic retained LA's ability to blunt hyper-reactivity. These experiments demonstrate that LA specifically inhibits contractile prostanoids derived from COX, as well as reducing nitric-oxide-mediated hyper-reactivity, but does not affect leukotrienes.
Biochemical analysis revealed that LA abolished increases in lung malondialdehyde and nitrite and restored superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity while reduced glutathione levels were unaffected by LA. Histological examination revealed that LA treatment inhibited peribronchiolar inflammatory cell infiltrate and preserved airway lumen diameter.

Fig. 1 Mechanism of Lauric Acid in preventing tracheal hyperresponsiveness. (Figueiredo I A D.; et al. 2025)

References

Figueiredo I A D.; et al. Lauric acid modulates the cyclooxygenases and nitric oxide pathways and reduces oxidative stress in preventing tracheal hyperresponsiveness in asthmatic Wistar rats. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2025, 16: 1657799.

Thangavel P et al. synthesized a biomimetic biocompatible hydrogel for diabetic wound healing. Using low methoxyl pectin extracted from jelly fig achenes (JFP) crosslinked with Ca²⁺ ions to create the hydrogel backbone. This hydrogel was loaded with lauric acid (LA), a medium-chain fatty acid that functions as an antioxidant with antibacterial properties. JFP+LA had improved antioxidant and antibacterial effects compared to JFP alone.
The study found that the JFP+LA hydrogel was biocompatible, biodegradable, and promoted wound healing in diabetic rats. This wound healing effect can be attributed to the hydrogel directly scavenging ROS and fighting bacteria in the wound. These actions alleviated inflammation and protected the wound bed creating a microenvironment that recruited macrophages, increased neovascularization, and increased collagen synthesis.

Fig. 2 Lauric acid (LA)-loaded hydrogel for diabetic wound healing. (Thangavel P.; et al. 2025)

References

Thangavel P.; et al. Lauric acid-loaded biomimetic, biocompatible, and antioxidant jelly fig (Ficus awkeotsang Makino) pectin hydrogel accelerates wound healing in diabetic rats. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2025, 294: 139484.