(E)-2-Dodecenal is one of the best-studied cilantro aldehydes in the public literature, appearing both as a key odor constituent and as a purified test molecule in several preclinical papers. Evidence is strongest for coriander occurrence, odor importance, potassium-channel interaction, and antimicrobial activity in vitro, with additional fragrance-safety review coverage from RIFM. That still falls short of human therapeutic proof, so the constituent should be presented as a chemically distinctive aroma marker with early-stage mechanistic and safety data rather than as a medical active.
Chemical identity and composition
PubChem resolves 2-dodecenal to CID 5283361 with formula C12H22O and IUPAC name (E)-dodec-2-enal. The synonym set includes both CAS 20407-84-5 and 4826-62-4; the archive cilantro-herb oil file uses 20407-84-5, while the 2022 RIFM safety assessment is indexed under 4826-62-4. In coriander leaf work, (E)-2-dodecenal is a recurring aldehyde minor to major component and is repeatedly described as important to cilantro's characteristic herbal-aldehydic profile.
Aroma and practical use
- Use the recorded cilantro-like, green, waxy, mandarin-like, fatty descriptors to explore a blend's scent character; perceived strength also depends on the other ingredients.
- Compare the recorded goal signals with the intended purpose, while keeping model assumptions separate from observed study outcomes.
- Review the flagged use concerns across every contributing oil and the selected dilution.
- Read the route, preparation and experimental context before using a study finding to choose an oil.
Reported benefits and effects
Findings retain their study context. An animal or laboratory result describes that experiment.
A 2004 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry paper found that (E)-2-dodecenal was the most effective tested coriander volatile against Salmonella choleraesuis, with a minimum bactericidal concentration of 6.25 microg/mL (34 microM).
A 2004 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry paper found that (E)-2-dodecenal was the most effective tested coriander volatile against Salmonella choleraesuis, with a minimum bactericidal concentration of 6.25 microg/mL (34 microM).
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A 2019 FASEB Journal study identified (E)-2-dodecenal as the cilantro metabolite driving potent KCNQ activation and reported anticonvulsant-like activity in the pentylenetetrazole mouse seizure model.
A 2019 FASEB Journal study identified (E)-2-dodecenal as the cilantro metabolite driving potent KCNQ activation and reported anticonvulsant-like activity in the pentylenetetrazole mouse seizure model.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A 2014 Planta Medica study reported in vitro antileishmanial activity for (E)-2-dodecenal from cilantro, including IC50 values of 4.35 +/- 0.15 microg/mL against promastigotes and 4.78 +/- 1.12 microg/mL against axenic amastigotes.
A 2014 Planta Medica study reported in vitro antileishmanial activity for (E)-2-dodecenal from cilantro, including IC50 values of 4.35 +/- 0.15 microg/mL against promastigotes and 4.78 +/- 1.12 microg/mL against axenic amastigotes.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
How it contributes to goal calculations
Model markers guide the formulation score. They are separate from the source findings above.
Use concerns and concentration limits
Sensitization concernFlagged
Flagged in the constituent reference; assess the source, route and finished-product concentration.
Phototoxicity concernNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
Oxidation concernNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
Penetration enhancementNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
No numeric constituent-specific use limit is available here. Missing is not an unrestricted-use clearance.
A 2022 RIFM fragrance safety assessment for 2-dodecenal reported no concern for genotoxicity in the search-accessible PDF snippet and also reported no concern for photoirritation or photoallergenicity based on low UV/Vis absorbance.
The source assessment applies to its specified exposure and preparation; this entry is not an unrestricted-use clearance.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
The same RIFM PDF snippet identifies 2-decenal as a read-across analog for the skin-sensitization endpoint, which supports caution but does not by itself provide a simple public dermal-limit number for this archive record.
The source assessment applies to its specified exposure and preparation; this entry is not an unrestricted-use clearance.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
No human clinical safety trial specific to isolated (E)-2-dodecenal in fragrance or topical wellness use was verified in this pass.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
Constituents it may interact with
No constituent-pair interaction is recorded for this identity. The report does not assume either amplification or incompatibility.
How the effects were investigated
kcnq channel activation
A 2019 FASEB Journal paper reported that (E)-2-dodecenal activates multiple KCNQ potassium channels, including neuronal KCNQ2/KCNQ3 with an EC50 of 60 +/- 20 nM, and mapped the interaction to a site between the S5 segment and S4-5 linker.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
nonionic surfactant like membrane action
An antibacterial coriander aldehyde study reported that the bactericidal action of (E)-2-dodecenal against Salmonella came in part from the ability of alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes to act as nonionic surfactants.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
What this report cannot establish
- A reported constituent percentage does not establish an effective human therapeutic dose or the amount absorbed into the body.
- The presence of a constituent does not guarantee a clinical benefit, rash treatment or sleep improvement from a custom blend.
- An unflagged concern or missing use limit does not establish safety for ingestion, inhalation, skin exposure or a particular person.
- A candidate constituent interaction does not establish that two oils amplify one another at the selected proportions.
- Constituent descriptors alone do not establish a precise top, heart or base lifetime in a finished blend.
Known data gaps (5)
- The strongest benefit-oriented literature is still in vitro or animal-model work rather than human trials.
- A public finished-product dermal maximum specific to isolated (E)-2-dodecenal was not verified.
- Occurrence evidence is strong for coriander and related herbs, but broader constituent-specific toxicokinetic data were not located in this pass.
- No constituent-specific numeric dermal reference is available here.
- Some findings do not record an explicit exposure route; consult the linked study before applying them to a use.