Kolliphor EL, formerly known as Cremophor EL, is the registered trademark of
BASF Corp. for its version of polyethoxylated castor oil. It is prepared by reacting 35 moles of
ethylene oxide with each mole of
castor oil. The resulting product is a mixture (
CAS number 61791-12-6): the major component is the material in which the hydroxyl groups of the castor oil
triglyceride have
ethoxylated
Ethoxylation is a chemical reaction in which ethylene oxide adds to a substrate. It is the most widely practiced alkoxylation, which involves the addition of epoxides to substrates.
In the usual application, alcohols and phenols are converted in ...
with ethylene oxide to form
polyethylene glycol ethers. Minor components are the polyethyelene glycol
esters of
ricinoleic acid, polyethyelene glycols and polyethyelene glycol ethers of
glycerol. Kolliphor EL is a synthetic,
nonionic surfactant
Surfactants are chemical compounds that decrease the surface tension between two liquids, between a gas and a liquid, or interfacial tension between a liquid and a solid. Surfactants may act as detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming ...
used to stabilize
emulsions
An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally immiscible (unmixable or unblendable) owing to liquid-liquid phase separation. Emulsions are part of a more general class of two-phase systems of matter called colloids. Althoug ...
of nonpolar materials in
water.
Kolliphor EL is an
excipient or additive in drugs. Therapeutically, modern drugs are rarely given in a pure chemical state, so most active ingredients are combined with excipients or additives such as Kolliphor EL.
Uses
*
Miconazole, anti-fungal
*
Docetaxel, anti-cancer
* Aci-Jel (acetic acid / oxyquinoline / ricinoleic acid - vaginal)
*
Sandimmune
Ciclosporin, also spelled cyclosporine and cyclosporin, is a calcineurin inhibitor, used as an immunosuppressant medication. It is a natural product. It is taken orally or intravenously for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn's disease ...
(cyclosporine injection, USP)
*
Nelfinavir mesylate
Nelfinavir, sold under the brand name Viracept, is an antiretroviral medication used in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Nelfinavir belongs to the class of drugs known as protease inhibitors (PIs) and like other PIs is almost always used in combination ...
,
HIV protease inhibitor
*
Propofol
Propofol, marketed as Diprivan, among other names, is a short-acting medication that results in a decreased level of consciousness and a lack of memory for events. Its uses include the starting and maintenance of general anesthesia, sedation f ...
, intravenous anaesthetic agent, originally presented in Kolliphor EL for trials; now presented in a lipid emulsion
*
Diazepam injection; superseded by lipid emulsion alternative (Diazemuls)
*
Vitamin K injection
*
Ixabepilone
Ixabepilone (INN; also known as azaepothilone B, codenamed BMS-247550) is a pharmaceutical drug developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb as a chemotherapeutic medication for cancer.
History
Ixabepilone is a semi-synthetic analog of epothilone B, a natura ...
, anti-cancer
Side effects
Allergic reactions to
Taxol are most often allergic reactions to Kolliphor EL; symptoms include tightness in the chest, shortness of breath, and similar reactions consistent with severe anaphylactic reactions. Although many anti-allergens including corticosteroids and Benadryl may be administered before chemotherapy, they are not always sufficient to prevent the severe reaction to Kolliphor EL.
Note that these should not be confused with the normal side effects of
Taxol. The allergic reaction is usually immediate and is similar to severe allergic reactions of many other substances that trigger allergic reactions.
BASF offers a purified, injectable version of Kolliphor EL, known as Kolliphor ELP.
See also
*
Castor oil
References
Excipients
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