Squalene

squalene

[′skwā‚lēn]

(biochemistry)

C₃₀H₅₀ A liquid triterpene which is found in large quantities in shark liver oil, and which appears to play a role in the biosynthesis of sterols and polycyclic terpenes; used as a bactericide and as an intermediate in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals. Also known as spinacene.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Squalene

 

an aliphatic polyunsaturated liquid hydrocarbon with the formula C₃₀H₅₀. Squalene, which boils at 242°C and is soluble in many organic solvents, is an important intermediate in the metabolism of triterpenoids and steroids and is widely distributed in the tissues of animals and plants, as well as in microorganisms. It was first isolated from the liver of the shark. The biosynthesis of squalene is from mevalonic acid, which is converted to farnesyl pyrophosphate. The latter, under the action of squalenesynthetase (in the presence of thiamine), is di-merized to yield squalene. The enzymatic conversion of squalene to lanosterol and of lanosterol to cholesterol and other sterols commences with the aerobic oxidation of the terminal double bond of squalene.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.