Myristoleic acid, or 9-tetradecenoic acid, is an omega-5 fatty acid

Fatty acid

In chemistry, especially biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with a long unbranched aliphatic tail , which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have a chain of an even number of carbon atoms, from 4 to 28. Fatty acids are usually derived from...

. It is biosynthesized from myristic acid

Myristic acid

Myristic acid, also called tetradecanoic acid, is a common saturated fatty acid with the molecular formula CH312COOH. A myristate is a salt or ester of myristic acid....

 by the enzyme delta-9 desaturase, but it is uncommon in nature. One of the major sources of this fatty acid is the seed oil from plants of the genus Myristicaceae

Myristicaceae

Myristicaceae is the botanical name for a family of flowering plants. The family has been recognised by most taxonomists; it is sometimes called the "nutmeg family", after its most famous member, Nutmeg ....

, comprising up to 30 per cent of the oil in some species.

The cetyl ester

Cetyl alcohol

Cetyl alcohol, also known as 1-hexadecanol and palmityl alcohol, is a fatty alcohol with the chemical formula CH315OH. At room temperature, cetyl alcohol takes the form of a waxy white solid or flakes....

 of myristoleic acid has biological properties as an anti-inflammatory, a pain reliever, and an immune system modulator. (See cetyl myristoleate

Cetyl myristoleate

Cetyl myristoleate is the cetyl ester of myristoleic acid. It has multiple biological properties, including as an anti-inflammatory and a pain reliever, as well as being an immune system modulator. As supplied, it is a naturally derived, highly purified, and refined waxy ester prepared for oral...

)