Lecithin
Lecithin is the generic term describing the mixture of fatty acids, glycolipids and phospholipids mainly consisting of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and other minor fractions including phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylinositol (PI) and etc. Lecithin was first isolated from egg yolk by Gobley in 1846, and it is typically derived from egg yolk, soybean, sunflower seed or rapeseed. Lecithin and phospholipids are widely applied in various chemical industries mostly as emulsifiers and release agents.
Phosphatidylcholine
The purified phospholipid is commonly called phosphatidylcholine. The phosphatidylcholine is a vital component of the cell membrane in all living organisms and its water-like polar head and oil-like non-polar tail makes it amphipathic. Natural phosphatidylcholine can be obtained from animal (e.g. chicken egg) and plant (e.g. soybean, sunflower seed) sources, and owing to its particular chemical properties and biocompatibilities, phosphatidylcholine has been used as emulsifier, solubiliser, wetting agent and precursor of liposome.
Phosphatidylcholine in drug delivery systems
The drug delivery systems (DDS) have been researched widely. Encapsulating and delivering therapeutic compounds in liposome is one of the examples of DDS. Liposomes are vesicles mainly composed of phospholipids, and its structure is similar to cellular membrane. Liposomes have attracted attention as carriers of therapeutic drugs for more than 40 years. Phospholipids have the characteristics of exceptional biocompatibility and amphiphilicity, and these properties make phospholipids most suitable to be applied as important pharmaceutical excipients for DDS. Liposomes, intravenous lipid emulsions, micelle, drug phospholipids complexes and cochelates are the type of carriers for DDS all based on the phospholipids. The applications of phospholipids in DDS have advantages of enhancing bioavailability of drugs with low aqueous solubility, reducing toxicity and improving drug stability.
Emulsifier & drug delivery for pharmaceutical applications
Very often, phospholipids offer a more reliable approach to increasing bioavailability. They improve solubility and dissolution rate of drugs, especially those that are difficult to dissolve in water (BCS class II). Phospholipids speed up resorption of drugs before they reach the small intestine and are decomposed there.
- Oral delivery
- Transmucosal (buccal, nasal, pulmonary)
- Otologic delivery
- Dermal delivery (topical, transdermal)
- Injectables
- Ophthalmic delivery.
Our products:
| Product | Chemical name | Function | Specification | Monograph | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS-PL95E | Refined egg yolk lecithin | Pharmaceutical emulsifier | Phospholipids ≥ 95% | USP/NF, Ph. Eur. | Order sample |
| DS-PL95EN | Refined egg yolk lecithin | Pharmaceutical emulsifier |
Phospholipids ≥ 95% | USP/NF, Ph. Eur. | Order sample |
| Soya PC100-C | Soybean lecithin (phosphatidylcholine) | Pharmaceutical emulsifier Liposome precursor |
Phosphatidylcholine ≥ 95% | USP/NF | Order sample |
| Soya PC80-C | Soybean lecithin (phosphatidylcholine) | Pharmaceutical emulsifier Liposome precursor |
Phosphatidylcholine ≥ 73% | USP/NF | Order sample |