DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide)
DMSO (CAS# 67-68-5) is a colorless, odorless liquid, and, more technically – a polar, aprotic solvent. DMSO has some rather unusual properties that make it highly versatile and useful in myriad applications in pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical drug manufacturing and formulations.
An example of DMSO versatility is its ability as a universal solvent: it can dissolve both polar and non-polar drugs. Thus, DMSO is useful in in-vitro drug discovery and drug design high-throughput screening. It is miscible with water and many organic solvents. It is liquid at room temperature and has a rather high boiling point – 189 ℃. The high freezing point of ~18 ℃, however, makes it less ideal for purification processes such as crystallization. Also, it has a moderate viscosity and tendency to absorb water (hygroscopic).
When and why is DMSO used?
DMSO has low toxicity (less toxic than ethanol, for example) and it has the unusual ability to penetrate the skin and other membranes without damaging them. Couple this trans-membrane crossing ability with its API solubilizing ability and one finds that DMSO is a versatile drug delivery vehicle. DMSO has been chosen for topical application of pharmaceuticals in transdermal drug delivery applications. DMSO’s high boiling point make its liquid medicine formulations stable due to very slow evaporation and without the skin cooling effect of other topical liquid formulations where alcohols are employed.
DMSO’s applications include:
· Cryo-preservation mediums due to its ability to stabilize biological tissues
· Parenteral applications as an excipient and a drug delivery system component
· Processing aid in lyophilization and protein purification
· Excipient in approved drugs
· Versatile solubility enhancer for APIs
A&C’s DMSO
A&C’s high purity DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) Multi-Compendial meets the requirement of the USP/NF, Ph. Eur. and BP monographs. Our DMSO is GMP manufactured and distributed in accordance with EXCiPACT standards for pharmaceutical excipients. A&C’s DMSO excipient is marketed in tight light-resistant containers and packed under nitrogen for pristine quality suitable for pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical applications. A&C’s DMSO is a cost-effective alternative to API grade DMSO.
