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16:0-18:1 PG 840457 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-(1'-rac-glycerol) (sodium salt)
1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-(1’-rac-glycerol) (sodium salt), also known as 16:0-18:1 PG (POPG), is an anionic phospholipid commonly used in model membrane systems and lipid nanoparticle (LNP) research. The molecule contains two different fatty acid chains: a saturated palmitoyl (16:0) chain at the sn-1 position and an unsaturated oleoyl [18:1 (Δ9-cis)] chain at sn-2.
This mixed acyl chain composition influences bilayer behavior. POPG has a gel-to-liquid crystalline phase transition (Tₘ) near −2 °C, meaning membranes containing this lipid remain fluid at typical laboratory and physiological temperatures. This fluidity, combined with the negatively charged phosphatidylglycerol headgroup, makes POPG useful in membrane systems where both stability and electrostatic interactions are important.
POPG is used across a broad range of experimental systems, including liposomal drug delivery platforms, LNP development, bacterial membrane mimetics, and pulmonary surfactant models.
Applications
- Liposomal and LNP formulations: Used as an anionic helper lipid to improve colloidal stability, reduce vesicle aggregation, and enhance encapsulation efficiency. Pairing POPG with zwitterionic lipids like POPC promotes the formation of small, uniform unilamellar vesicles for controlled-release delivery.
- Bacterial membrane models: POPE/POPG mixtures are widely used to mimic the inner membranes of Gram-negative bacteria. These bilayers support studies of cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), including LL-37, magainin 2, and protegrin-1.
- Pulmonary surfactant research: DPPC/POPG at 7:3 (w/w) recreates alveolar surfactant lipid composition, which is useful for probing surface tension dynamics, surfactant protein interactions, and inhaled nanoparticle behavior at the air–liquid interface.
Formulation & handling
POPG dissolves readily in chloroform:methanol:water (65:25:4) and can also be prepared in ethanol at concentrations up to ~5 mg/mL; it shows limited solubility in DMSO. For liposome preparation, dissolve POPG with other lipids in an organic solvent mixture, remove the solvent under nitrogen to produce a thin lipid film, then hydrate the film using an aqueous buffer above the lipid’s phase transition temperature (Tₘ ≈ −2 °C).
The material is hygroscopic; handling under inert gas is recommended. Store sealed at –20 °C. Under proper conditions, the lipid remains stable for up to one year.
Avanti Research™ manufactures 16:0-18:1 PG (POPG) to >99% purity, with rigorous quality controls to ensure batch-to-batch consistency for pharmaceutical and academic research applications.
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