Avanti™ POPG

1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-(1'-rac-glycerol) (sodium salt)

1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-(1’-rac-glycerol) (sodium salt), also known as 16:0-18:1 PG (POPG), is an anionic phospholipid commonly used in model membrane systems and lipid nanoparticle (LNP) research. The molecule contains two different fatty acid chains: a saturated palmitoyl (16:0) chain at the sn-1 position and an unsaturated oleoyl [18:1 (Δ9-cis)] chain at sn-2.

This mixed acyl chain composition influences bilayer behavior. POPG has a gel-to-liquid crystalline phase transition (Tₘ) near −2 °C, meaning membranes containing this lipid remain fluid at typical laboratory and physiological temperatures. This fluidity, combined with the negatively charged phosphatidylglycerol headgroup, makes POPG useful in membrane systems where both stability and electrostatic interactions are important.

POPG is used across a broad range of experimental systems, including liposomal drug delivery platforms, LNP development, bacterial membrane mimetics, and pulmonary surfactant models.

Applications

•  Liposomal and LNP formulations: Used as an anionic helper lipid to improve colloidal stability, reduce vesicle aggregation, and enhance encapsulation efficiency. Pairing POPG with zwitterionic lipids like POPC promotes the formation of small, uniform unilamellar vesicles for controlled-release delivery.
• Bacterial membrane models: POPE/POPG mixtures are widely used to mimic the inner membranes of Gram-negative bacteria. These bilayers support studies of cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), including LL-37, magainin 2, and protegrin-1.
• Pulmonary surfactant research: DPPC/POPG at 7:3 (w/w) recreates alveolar surfactant lipid composition, which is useful for probing surface tension dynamics, surfactant protein interactions, and inhaled nanoparticle behavior at the air–liquid interface.