9-cis Retinoic Acid, 25 mg

A retinoid pathway activator supplied by STEMCELL Technologies, this compound activates all isoforms of the retinoic acid receptor (RAR) and the retinoid X receptor (RXR). It is a natural metabolite of vitamin A, derived from the intermediate all-trans Retinoic Acid. Binding affinities reported for this compound include Ki = 0.5 – 27 nM for RAR isoforms and Ki = 3.8 – 12 nM for RXR isoforms.

The compound presents as a crystalline solid with ≥ 95% purity, a molecular formula of C₂₀H₂₈O₂, and a molecular weight of 300.4 g/mol. Reported solubility limits are ≤ 1.6 mM in absolute ethanol and ≤ 65 mM in DMSO, with low solubility in aqueous media. The product is stable at -20°C as supplied, should be protected from prolonged exposure to light, and remains stable for 12 months from date of receipt. Stock solutions should be diluted into culture medium immediately before use, with final DMSO concentration maintained below 0.1% to avoid potential cell toxicity.

Documented research applications include increasing the number of neurons derived from rat neural stem cell cultures, promoting oligodendrocyte precursor cell differentiation and myelination, inducing pancreatic duct formation in embryonic mouse pancreas grown in collagen gel, enhancing BMP-9-induced osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal progenitor cells, and inducing myogenic differentiation of C2C12 myoblast progenitor cells. Cancer research applications include inhibiting proliferation of Epstein-Barr virus-infected lymphoblastoid cell lines, inhibiting growth of cultured human gastric cancer cells, and inhibiting spontaneous proliferation and CD40-induced growth in primary mantle cell lymphoma cells.