Tributyrin

Tributyrin is a triglyceride naturally present in butter. It is an ester composed of butyric acid and glycerol.[1] Among other things, it is used as an ingredient in making margarine. It is present in butter and can be described as a liquid fat with an acrid taste.

Tributyrin
Skeletal formula of butyrin
Ball-and-stick model of the butyrin molecule
Names
Systematic IUPAC name
Propane-1,2,3-triyl tributanoate
Other names
Tributyrin
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChEBI
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard100.000.410 Edit this at Wikidata
KEGG
UNII
  • InChI=1S/C15H26O6/c1-4-7-13(16)19-10-12(21-15(18)9-6-3)11-20-14(17)8-5-2/h12H,4-11H2,1-3H3
    Key: UYXTWWCETRIEDR-UHFFFAOYSA-N
  • CCCC(=O)OCC(COC(=O)CCC)OC(=O)CCC
Properties
C15H26O6
Molar mass302.367 g·mol−1
AppearanceOily liquid with bitter taste[1]
Density1.032 g/cm3[1]
Melting point−75 °C (−103 °F; 198 K)[1]
Boiling point305 to 310 °C (581 to 590 °F; 578 to 583 K)[1]
Insoluble[1]
Hazards
Safety data sheet (SDS)Tributyrin MSDS, Fischer Scientific
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Tributyrin is also used in microbiological laboratories to identify the bacterium Moraxella catarrhalis. [2]

Tributyrin is a stable and rapidly absorbed prodrug of butyric acid which enhances antiproliferative effects of dihydroxycholecalciferol in human colon cancer cells.[3]

References