Emerging Applications of Vitamin E TPGS in Drug Delivery

Vitamin E TPGS, or d-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate, was first developed more than 60 years ago as a water-soluble form of naturally occurring vitamin E. Originally used to treat vitamin E deficiency in cholestatic patients, TPGS quickly attracted attention as a versatile solubilizer due to its amphiphilic nature and surfactant properties. Further application of this molecule emerged in the 1990s, when TPGS was shown to improve epithelial absorption by modulating cellular efflux. Researchers have continued to find a variety of new and exciting applications of this molecule, and TPGS has become an important tool for drug delivery formulators. This report serves to summarize some of recent innovations using TPGS for improved delivery of bioactive materials.

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About the author

Greg Paddon-Jones, PhD, is director of Product Development at Antares Health Products.

Article details

Pharmaceutical Technology
eBook: Trends in Formulation
October 2022
Pages: 20–28

Citation

When referring to this article, please cite it as G. Paddon-Jones, "Emerging Applications of Vitamin E TPGS in Drug Delivery," Pharmaceutical Technology's Trends in Formulation eBook (October 2022).