cis-Parinaric acid is a naturally occurring polyunsaturated fatty acid containing an unusual conjugated (Z,E,E,Z) tetraene. This chromophore provides natural fluorescence at 432 nm with an excitation wavelength at 320 nm. cis-Parinaric acid occurs naturally in the seeds of the Makita tree, a tropical rainforest tree indigenous to Fiji. Makita seeds are inedible, and this toxicity may be due at least in part to the unstable conjugated fatty acids, including cis-parinaric acid, contained within the seed. cis-Parinaric acid has been used for the measurement of phospholipase activity, lipase activity, and as an indicator of lipid peroxidation.1,2,3,4 cis-Parinaric acid methyl ester is a neutral, more lipophilic form of the free acid.
1.Wolf, C., Sagaert, L., and Bereziat, G.A sensitive assay of phospholipase using the fluorescent probe 2-parinaroyllecithinBiochem. Biophys. Res. Commun.99275-283(1981)
2.Beisson, F., FertÉ, N., Nari, J., et al.Use of naturally fluorescent triacylglycerols from Parinari glaberrimum to detect low lipase activities from Arabidopsis thaliana seedlingsJ. Lipid Res.402313-2321(1999)
3.McGuire, S.O., James-Kracke, M.R., Sun, G.Y., et al.An esterification protocol for cis-parinaric acid-determined lipid peroxidation in immune cellsLipids32219-226(1997)
4.de Hingh, Y.C.M., Meyer, J., Fischer, J.C., et al.Direct measurement of lipid peroxidation in submitochondrial particlesBiochemistry3412755-12760(1995)
