Surfactants polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers

Phase diagrams of water, hydrocarbon, and nonionic surfactants (polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers) are presented, and their general features are related to the PIT value or HLB temperature. The pronounced solubilization changes in the isotropic liquid phases which have been observed in the HLB temperature range were limited to the association of the surfactant into micelles. The solubility of water in a liquid surfactant and the regions of liquid crystals obtained from water-surfactant interaction varied only slightly in the HLB temperature range. 

The behavior of a series of polyoxyethylene alkyl ether nonionic surfactants is also illustrative. According to Figure 11 the dioxyethylene (A) compound does not form liquid crystals when combined with water. Its solutions with decane dissolve water only in proportion to the amount of emulsifier. The tetraoxyethylene dodecyl ether (B) forms a lamellar liquid crystalline phase and is not soluble in water but is completely miscible with the hydrocarbon. The octaoxyethylene compound (C) is soluble in both water and in hydrocarbon and gives rise to three different liquid crystals a middle phase, an isotropic liquid crystal, and a lamellar phase containing less water. If the hydrocarbon p-xylene is replaced by hexadecane (D), a surfactant phase (L) and a lamellar phase containing higher amounts of hydrocarbon are formed in combination with the tetraoxyethylene compound (B-D). 

Occlusion is a condition that could affect drug transport from niosomes and through the stratum corneum. Such an effect was reported for saturated estradiol niosomal formulations composed of polyoxyethylene alkyl ether surfactants and sucrose ester surfactants with cholesterol and dicetyl phosphate, for which occlusion enhanced the drug human stratum corneum transport [43]. 

Skin safety of niosomes was tested in a number of studies. As an example, the toxicity of polyoxyethylene alkyl ether vesicles containing Ci2-i8 alkyl chains and 3 and 7 oxyethylene units was assessed by measuring the effect on proliferation of cultured human keratinocytes [47]. It was found that the length of either polyoxyethylene headgroup or alkyl chain had only a minor influence on keratinocyte proliferation. However, the ether surfactants were much more toxic than esters tested in this study. The concentrations of ether surfactants required to inhibit cell proliferation by 50% were 10-fold lower than for ester surfactants. Neither the HLB nor the critical micelle concentration values or cholesterol content affected keratinocyte proliferation. 

Stability The technique and results of stability experiments were described explained in an earlier paper [I ]. In brief, a series of conunercially available homologous nonionic surfactants of the polyoxyethylene alkyl ether type and two nonionic surfactants were examined for their ability to affect the CMP process with respect to enhancing slurry stability. The salient features of the stability study are incorporated in the following discussion. 

Vineland, NJ) or over-the-counter cosmetic creams promoted for improved hydration (L Oreal, Paris and Dior, Paris). More recently, parenteral liposome formulations of amphotericin B, doxorubicin, and dau-norubicin have been approved and marketed (ABELCET, Elan, the Liposome Co., Inc, Princeton, NJ AmBisome and DaunoXome, Nexstar/Fujisawa, Deerfield Park, IL Amphotec and Doxil, Sequus/ Alza, Menlo Park, CA), with others on the horizon for applications in photodynamic therapy. Although the vast majority of liposome preparations are constructed from phospholipids, other nonphospholipid materials can be used either alone or in mixtures to form bilayer arrays. One such example is Amphotec, which utilizes sodium cholesteryl sulfate as the primary lipid. Other liposome forming materials may include but are not limited to fatty-acid compositions, ionized fatty acids, or fatty acyl amino acids, longchain fatty alcohols plus surfactants, ionized lysophospholipids or combinations, non-ionic or ionic surfactants and amphiphiles, alkyl maltosides, a-tocopherol esters, cholesterol esters, polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers, sorbitan alkyl esters, and polymerized phospholipid compositions. ° ... 

Eccleston, G.M. Beattie, L. Microstructural changes during storage of systems containing cetostearyl alkohol/ polyoxyethylene alkyl ether surfactants. Drug Dev. Ind. Pharm. 1988, 14, 2499-2518. 

Eccleston GM, Beattie L. Microstructural changes during the storage of systems containing cetostearyl alcohol polyoxyethylene alkyl ether surfactants. In Rubinstein MH, ed. Pharmaceutical Technology Drug Stability. Chichester Ellis Horwood, 1989 76-87. 

Polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers are nonionic surfactants produced by the polyethoxylation of linear fatty alcohols. Products tend to be mixtures of polymers of slightly varying molecular weights and the numbers used to describe polymer lengths are average values. 

Polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers are nonionic surfactants widely used in topical pharmaceutical formulations and cosmetics, primarily as emulsifying agents for water-in-oil and oil-in-water emulsions and the stabilization of microemulsions and multiple emulsions. 

Polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers are used as nonionic surfactants in a variety of topical pharmaceutical formulations and cosmetics. The polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers form a series of materials with varying physical properties and manufacturers literature should be consulted for information on the applications and safety of specific materials. 

Animal toxicity studies suggest that polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers have a similar oral toxicity to other surfactants and can be regarded as being moderately toxic. 

Elworthy PH, Patel MS. Demonstration of maximum solubilization in a polyoxyethylene alkyl ether series of non-ionic surfactants. J Pharm Pharmacol 1982 34 543—546. 

A combination of SLS and DLS methods was used to investigate the behavior of nonionic micellar solutions in the vicinity of their cloud point. It had been known for many years that at a high temperature the micellar solutions of polyoxyethylene-alkyl ether surfactants (QEOm) separate into two isotropic phases. The solutions become opalescent with the approach of the cloud point, and several different explanations of this phenomenon were proposed. Corti and Degiorgio measured the temperature dependence of D pp and (Ig), and found that they can be described as a result of critical phase separation, connected with intermicellar attraction and long-range fluctuations in the local micellar concentration. Far from the cloud point, the micelles of nonionic surfactants with a large number of ethoxy-groups (m 30) may behave as hard spheres. ... 

Surfactants Nonionic Sorbitan esters Polysorbates Polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers Polyoxyethylene alkyl esters Polyoxyethylene aryl ethers Glycerol esters Cholesterol Anionic Sodium dodecyl sulphate Cationic Cetrimide Benzalkonium chloride... 

Zech et al. [90] reported high-temperatiue-stable microemttlsions composed of the room-temperature IL EAN as polar phase. Byrne et al. [91] reported on the solubility of HEWL in aqueous EAN as a function of water content. The structure of micelles formed by nonionic polyoxyethylene alkyl ether nonionic surfactants in the room-temperatrrre IL EAN by small-angle neutron scattering as a function of alkyl and ethoxy chain length, concentration, and temperatrrre, was reported by Araos et al. [92]. 

As there is a considerable body of data on the binding of anions and cations to proteins [45,46, 57] only non-ionic surfactant-protein interactions will be considered in detail here. Using pure alkyl glucosides rather than the heterogeneous polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers, Wasylewski and Kozik [58] studied the binding of octyl and decyl glucosides to BSA and the influence of the octyl, decyl... 

Berthod, A. Tomer, S. and Dorsey, J. G. (2001). Polyoxyethylene alkyl ether nonionic surfactants physicochemical properties and use for cholesterol determination in food. Talanta, 55,1, 69-83. 

Therefore, the hypothesis of an increasing nonionic character of alkyl ether sulfates with increasing number of oxyethylene groups is not tenable. Some time ago (30), it was suggested that a certain hydrophobic nature can be attributed to the polyoxyethylene chain of alkyl ether sulfates. At first, this appears to be in contradiction to the decidedly hydrophilic character of the polyoxyethylene chain for nonionic surfactants. However, the possibility of EO group hydration impairment by the sulfate group cannot be excluded. 

It has been recognised for some time (see for example reference 1), that surfactants can increase the rate and extent of transport of solute molecules through biological membranes by fluidisation of the membrane. It is only recently, however, that sufficient work has been carried out to allow some analysis of structure-action relationships. In this overview an attempt is made, by reference to our own work and to work in the literature, to define those structural features in polyoxyethylene alkyl and aryl ethers which give rise to biological activity, especially as it is manifested in interactions with biomembranes and subsequent increase in the transport of drug molecules. 

The most common surfactants for analytical applications are nonionic (polyoxyethylene glycol monoethers, polyoxyethylene methyl- -alkyl ethers, t-octylphenoxy polyoxyethylene ethers, and polyoxyethylene sorbitan esters... 

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