Minocycline (HCl), 25mg

Supplied by STEMCELL Technologies, this small molecule is a semi-synthetic tetracycline and antibiotic broadly used to treat various bacterial infections. It inhibits bacterial protein synthesis by binding to the 30S ribosomal subunit and has been reported to chelate with Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺. Beyond its antibacterial activity, it has been described as anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and neuroprotective, with reported mechanisms including inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase, matrix metalloproteinases, phospholipase A2, caspase-1 and caspase-3, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1, as well as reduction of p38 MAPK phosphorylation.

The product is supplied as the hydrochloride salt of the molecule and appears as a crystalline solid. Its chemical formula is C₂₃H₂₇N₃O₇ • HCl, with a molecular weight of 493.9 g/mol and a purity of ≥ 98%. Alternative names include Minomycin and NSC 141993. It is stable for 12 months from the date of receipt when stored at -20°C, protected from prolonged exposure to light and, for long-term storage, kept with a desiccant. Reported solubility is ≤ 10 mM in DMSO and ≤ 20 mM in DMF; the compound has low solubility in aqueous media. When used as a cell culture supplement, the stock solution should be diluted into culture medium immediately before use, with final DMSO concentration kept below 0.1% to avoid cell toxicity.

Published applications span reprogramming, where it enables derivation of extended pluripotent stem cells from humans and mice; immunology, where it reduces interleukin-8 production in epidermal keratinocytes; and disease modeling, including neuroprotection in animal models of ischemia, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injury, as well as reduced bone and cartilage damage in rheumatoid arthritis models via inhibition of collagenase and proteinase activity.