Products
Poloxamers are present as excipients in many drugs, for example, in tablets, granules, creams, suspensions, and injection solutions.
Structure and properties
Poloxamers are synthetic block copolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide. Depending on the type, they have different properties:
- Poloxamer 124 exists as a colorless liquid.
- Poloxamers 188, 237, 338, 407 are white waxy powders, globules or flakes.
Poloxamers are soluble to very soluble in water depending on the type. Structurally, they have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic portions, they are amphiphilic. They are non-ionic emulsifiers (resp. surfactants).
Effects
The poloxamers have emulsifying, dispersing, stabilizing, gel-forming and solubilizing properties.
Fields of application
- As emulsifiers and solubilizers.
- As lubricants in tablet manufacturing.
