Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) 4000, High Purity Laboratory Grade
About PEG 4000
PEG 4000 (polyethylene glycol 400) is a high-molecular-weight grade of polyethylene glycol. PEG 4000 is a water soluble, waxy solid.
PEG 4000 gets it's name because 4000 is the molecular weight. It is a semi-opaque, glossy solid. Due in part to its low toxicity, PEG 4000 is widely used in a variety of pharmaceutical formulations.
Polyethylene glycol aqueous solution (PEGs), an environmentally friendly solvent was used, for the first time, to develop an extraction method for crude polysaccharides from pericarpium granati with ultrasonic-microwave-assisted extraction (UMAE). Compared with other extraction solvents, PEGs, especially PEG400, displayed a higher extraction yield.
About Polyethylene Glycol
Polyethylene glycol is a polyether compound with many applications, from industrial manufacturing to medicine. PEG is also known as polyethylene oxide (PEO) or polyoxyethylene (POE), depending on its molecular weight. For Polyethylene uses, click here.
Commercial Uses Of Polyethylene Glycol
PEG is the basis of many skin creams (as cetomacrogol) and personal lubricants (frequently combined with glycerin). PEG is used in a number of toothpastes as a dispersant. In this application, it binds water and helps keep xanthan gum uniformly distributed throughout the toothpaste. PEG is also under investigation for use in body armor, and in tattoos to monitor diabetes. In low-molecular-weight formulations (e.g. PEG 400), it is used in Hewlett-Packard designjet printers as an ink solvent and lubricant for the print heads. PEG is also used as an anti-foaming agent in food and drinks – its INS number is 1521 or E1521 in the EU.
Medical Uses Of Polyethylene Glycol
PEG is the basis of a number of laxatives. Whole bowel irrigation with polyethylene glycol and added electrolytes is used for bowel preparation before surgery or colonoscopy. A study found PEG 4000 to be a safer laxative than lactulose in terms of side effects and abdominal pain. PEG is also used as an excipient in many pharmaceutical products. When attached to various protein medications, polyethylene glycol allows a slowed clearance of the carried protein from the blood.
Integration of PEG 400 into a self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system improves drug loading capacity and nasal mucosa permeability and prolongs the survival of rats with malignant brain tumors.
Health Effects Of Polyethylene Glycol
When PEG is chemically attached to therapeutic molecules (such as protein drugs or nanoparticles), it can sometimes be antigenic, stimulating an anti-PEG antibody response in some patients. This effect has only been shown for a few of the many available PEGylated therapeutics, but it has significant effects on clinical outcomes of affected patients. Other than these few instances where patients have anti-PEG immune responses, it is generally considered to be a safe component of drug formulations.
What is NF Grade Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) 400?
NF Grade means that a product meets all of the requirements as contained in the NF monograph for that product and is produced in a cGMP compliant facility. If there is no NF monograph, a material cannot be labeled as NF Grade.
Warnings, Safety And Hazards: Inhalation of vapor is not hazardous. Ingestion causes stupor or coma, sometimes leading to fatal kidney injury. This chemical is combustible.
PEG 4000 NF Features:
| CAS Number | 25322-68-3 |