Cholesterol (plant, parenteral)

Cholesterol is highly biocompatible, stabilizes membranes, forms liposomes with increased rigidity, and promotes fusion processes making it a perfect component of lipid-based drug delivery systems.

In addition to these properties, cholesterol has a high drug loading efficiency and can incorporate both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs. The surface of cholesterol-based carriers can also be functionalized to fine-tune circulation time and target tissues or cells. Thanks to these advantageous properties, cholesterol-based drug carriers have been designed as nanoparticles, micelles, and liposomal formulations for delivering antivirals, antimalarials, anticancer treatments, genetic material (DNA, mRNA, siRNA), and gene therapies.

Cholesterol derived from egg or animal sources can however present certain problems when used in human pharmaceuticals. Animal sources are not ideal for human pharmaceuticals due to potential viral contamination. An increasing consumer emphasis on non-animal derived products is another reason to consider plant-based cholesterol. Part of Croda Pharma, Avanti’s plant-based cholesterol provides a high-purity alternative to traditional egg- and animal-based cholesterol and is available for research and development work as well as parental applications.

Avanti’s new parenteral grade cholesterol is USP-NF, EP (2397), and JP compliant.