Skip to Content
Merck
All Photos(1)

Key Documents

57668

Sigma-Aldrich

D-α-Tocopherol polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate

BioXtra, water soluble vitamin E conjugate

Synonym(s):

D-α-Tocopherol polyethylene glycol succinate, TPGS, Vitamin E polyethylene glycol succinate, Vitamin E-TPGS

Sign Into View Organizational & Contract Pricing


About This Item

CAS Number:
MDL number:
UNSPSC Code:
12352205
eCl@ss:
34058007
NACRES:
NA.79

biological source

synthetic

Quality Level

product line

BioXtra

form

powder, crystals or chunks

composition

α-tocopherol, ≥25%

concentration

≥25% (ALPHA TOCOPHEROL)

color

white to light brown

mp

>36 °C

solubility

H2O: 1 g/10 mL, clear to faintly turbid, colorless to faintly yellow

cation traces

Al: ≤5 mg/kg
Ba: ≤5 mg/kg
Bi: ≤5 mg/kg
Ca: ≤5 mg/kg
Cd: ≤5 mg/kg
Co: ≤5 mg/kg
Cr: ≤5 mg/kg
Cu: ≤5 mg/kg
Fe: ≤5 mg/kg
K: ≤50 mg/kg
Li: ≤5 mg/kg
Mg: ≤5 mg/kg
Mn: ≤5 mg/kg
Mo: ≤5 mg/kg
Na: ≤50 mg/kg
Ni: ≤5 mg/kg
Pb: ≤5 mg/kg
Sr: ≤5 mg/kg
Zn: ≤5 mg/kg

storage temp.

2-8°C

SMILES string

CC1=C(C(=C(C2=C1OC(CC2)(C)CCCC(C)CCCC(C)CCCC(C)C)C)OC(=O)CCC(=O)OCCO)C

InChI

1S/C35H58O6/c1-24(2)12-9-13-25(3)14-10-15-26(4)16-11-20-35(8)21-19-30-29(7)33(27(5)28(6)34(30)41-35)40-32(38)18-17-31(37)39-23-22-36/h24-26,36H,9-23H2,1-8H3

InChI key

AOBORMOPSGHCAX-UHFFFAOYSA-N

Looking for similar products? Visit Product Comparison Guide

General description

Tocofersolan, also known as Vitamin E-TPGS, is a nonionic surfactant and a synthetic polyethylene glycol derivative of α-tocopherol, commonly known as vitamin E. This water-soluble amphipathic formulation consists of d-alpha-tocopherol succinate coupled to polyethylene glycol (PEG) 1000 through a succinate linker. Its amphipathic nature enables the formation of micelles, facilitating uptake into enterocytes, even in the absence of bile salts. Upon hydrolysis, fat-soluble d-alpha-tocopherol is released. Tocofersolan significantly improves the absorption of d-alpha-tocopherol compared to free administration.

Moreover, Tocofersolan acts as an inhibitor of P-glycoprotein (P-gp or MDR1) substrate-induced ATPase activity in cell-free assays. It has demonstrated efficacy against resistant K562 cells by binding to urokinase-type plasminogen activator, a crucial enzyme for cancer cell migration and invasion. Additionally, Tocofersolan inhibits tyrosine kinase, a key player in cancer cell development, offering potential applications in metabolomics and biochemical research. Its ability to enhance the absorption of water-insoluble agents and other fat-soluble vitamins positions it as a promising compound for formulation and drug delivery research.

Application

D-α-Tocopherol polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate has been used as an emulsifier in the preparation of Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) particle as synthetic DNA carriers by double emulsion (w1/o/w2) and nanoprecipitation method.
D-α-Tocopherol polyethylene glycol 1000 is a versatile compound that finds application in cell biology, metabolomics, biochemical and drug delivery research.

Biochem/physiol Actions

D-α-Tocopherol polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) also known as vitamin E TPGS, is a therapeutic agent for vitamin E deficiency in children, administered during chronic childhood cholestasis. TPGS exerts anti-tumor activity in MCF-7 and breast cancer cells by downregulating anti-apoptotic proteins. TPGS finds its application as an emulsifier in the preparation of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) particles for DNA labelling, produces particles of uniform size, high encapsulation efficiency, increases hydrophilicity and prevents aggregation of particles.
Tocopherols (TCP) (vitamin E) are a series (α, α, α and α) of chiral organic molecules that vary in their degree of methylation of the phenol moiety of the chromanol ring. Tocopherols are lipid soluble anti-oxidants that protect cell membranes from oxidative damage. α-Tocopherol is the form of tocopherol preferentially absorbed by homo sapiens.

Tocopherol polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) may be used to create biodegradable polymers and antioxidant surfactants.
TPGS exerts anti-tumor activity in MCF-7 and breast cancer cells by downregulating anti-apoptotic proteins.
TPGS finds its application as an emulsifier in the preparation of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) particles for DNA labelling, produces particles of uniform size, high encapsulation efficiency, increases hydrophilicity and prevents aggregation of particles.

Features and Benefits

  • Can be used in Metabolomics and Biochemical research
  • High-quality compound suitable for multiple research applications

Other Notes

For additional information on our range of Biochemicals, please complete this form.

Storage Class Code

11 - Combustible Solids

WGK

WGK 2

Flash Point(F)

>392.0 °F

Flash Point(C)

> 200 °C

Personal Protective Equipment

dust mask type N95 (US), Eyeshields, Gloves

Certificates of Analysis (COA)

Search for Certificates of Analysis (COA) by entering the products Lot/Batch Number. Lot and Batch Numbers can be found on a product’s label following the words ‘Lot’ or ‘Batch’.

Already Own This Product?

Find documentation for the products that you have recently purchased in the Document Library.

Visit the Document Library

Heni Rachmawati et al.
Journal of pharmaceutical sciences, 102(1), 204-214 (2012-10-11)
Curcumin, a naturally occuring polyphenolic phytoconstituent, is isolated from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa Linn. (Zingiberaceae). It is water insoluble under acidic or neutral conditions but dissolves in alkaline environment. In neutral or alkaline conditions, curcumin is highly unstable undergoing
Yu Mi et al.
International journal of pharmaceutics, 438(1-2), 98-106 (2012-09-08)
Double emulsion has been used most often in formulation of hydrophilic drugs by nanoparticles of biodegradable polymers, which has disadvantages such as low drug loading and low drug encapsulation efficiency due to the drug loss in the process. The drug
Chandrasekharan Prashant et al.
Biomaterials, 31(21), 5588-5597 (2010-05-04)
We developed a strategy to formulate supraparamagnetic iron oxides (SPIOs) in nanoparticles (NPs) of biodegradable copolymer made up of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and d-alpha-tocopherol polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) for medical imaging by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of high contrast
Fady Ibrahim et al.
Drug development and industrial pharmacy, 39(9), 1277-1283 (2012-09-20)
The objective of this study was to assess the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of amphotericin B (AmB) in rats following oral administration of three lipid-based formulations (iCo-009, iCo-010 and iCo-011). The lipid-based formulations were administered to rats at a dose
Synthesis, characterization, and in-vitro antitumor activity of the polyethylene glycol (350 and 1000) succinate derivatives of the tocopherol and tocotrienol isomers of Vitamin E
Abu-Fayyad A and Nazzal S
International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 519(1-2), 145-156 (2017)

Our team of scientists has experience in all areas of research including Life Science, Material Science, Chemical Synthesis, Chromatography, Analytical and many others.

Contact Technical Service