Octacosanol

Common Name(s): Cluytyl alcohol, Montanyl alcohol, N-octacosanol, Octacosyl alcohol

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Jan 24, 2022.

Clinical Overview

Use

Octacosanol, which has been studied mainly as a constituent of policosanol (see Policosanol monograph), may have a role to play in the management of dyslipidemia and may achieve antiplatelet effects similar to those of aspirin. Although octacosanol has been protective in rats with induced parkinsonism, clinical studies in humans have not documented these effects. Clinical trials are lacking to support claims of enhanced athletic performance due to supplemental octacosanol.

Dosing

Limited clinical trials have been conducted with octacosanol. In one pharmacokinetic study, octacosanol 30 mg daily for 4 weeks did not result in measurable serum concentration changes, whereas octacosanol 50 mg was detected in the serum within 8 hours.

Contraindications

Contraindications have not been identified.

Pregnancy/Lactation

Information regarding safety and efficacy in pregnancy and lactation is lacking.

Interactions

None well documented.

Adverse Reactions

Limited clinical trials have been conducted with octacosanol; however, one surveillance study found long-term tolerability with policosanol supplementation.

Toxicology

No data.

Source

Octacosanol is derived primarily from wheat germ oil, as well as from krill, perilla, tomato, and grape seed oils, and from sugarcane and rice bran waxes.1, 2, 3, 4, 5 The production of sugarcane wax and the further refinement of octacosanol are difficult and expensive processes,6 but more efficient methods of octacosanol synthesis have been described.7, 8

History

Early work on the potential uses of octacosanol in the form of wheat germ oil is attributed to Thomas K. Cureton (1901-1992), professor and pioneer in exercise physiology, who conducted studies among more than 1,000 schoolboys in the 1950s and among US Navy trainees in the 1960s.9, 10 The potential of octacosanol to enhance exercise performance was further investigated in the latter part of the 20th century, with equivocal findings; with attention then directed to the role of octacosanol in treating cardiovascular disease.10, 11

Chemistry

Octacosanol is a 28-carbon, straight-chain aliphatic primary fatty alcohol.1 It belongs to a group of long chain alcohols extracted from plant waxes, collectively called policosanol. Analytical methods for the identification of octacosanol have been developed, allowing for quantification in plasma samples in animal and human studies.10, 12

Uses and Pharmacology

CNS disease

Animal data

In limited studies, octacosanol was protective in rats with induced parkinsonism, as measured histologically.13, 14

Clinical data

One small study reported that octacosanol (15 mg daily as wheat germ oil) improved subjectively rated scores in 3 of 10 patients.15 In the 1980s, small studies of octacosanol in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis did not show a clin...