| Clinical uses
- Poly(ethylene glycol) is non-toxic and is used in a variety of products. It is the basis of a number of laxatives (e.g. macrogol-containing products such as Movicol® and poly(ethylene glycol) 3350, or MiraLax®). It is the basis of many skin creams, as cetomacrogol, and sexual lubricants, frequently combined with glycerin.
- Poly(ethylene glycol) with added electrolytes is used for bowel preparation and drug overdoses. - It is sold under the brandnames GoLYTELY and Colyte. - - When attached to various protein medications, PEG allows a slow clearance of the carried protein from the blood. This makes for a longer acting medicinal effect and/or reduces toxicity, and allows longer dosing intervals. Examples include PEG-interferon alpha (used to treat hepatitis C) and PEG-filgrastim (Neulasta®)(used to treat neutropenia). - - It has been shown that PEG can improve healing of spinal injuries in dogs [1]. - - One of the earlier findings that PEG can aid in nerve repair came from the University of Texas (Krause and Bittner) [2]. - Polyethylene Glycol is commonly used to fuse B-cells with myeloma cells in monoclonal antibody productio
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Other uses
PEG is used in a number of toothpastes as a dispersant; it binds water and helps keep gum uniform throughout the toothpaste. It is also used in liquid body armor [3] and tattoos to monitor diabetes[4]. Functional groups of PEG give polyurethane elastomers their "rubberiness", for applications such as foams (foam rubber) and fibers (spandex). Its backbone structure is analogous to that of silicone, another elastomer.
Since PEG is a flexible polymer, it can be used to create very high osmotic pressures (tens of atmospheres). It also is unlikely to have specific interactions with biological chemicals. These properties make PEG one of the most useful molecules for applying osmotic pressure in biochemistry experiments, particularly when using the osmotic stress technique. [5]
PEO (polyethylene oxide) can serve as the separator and electrolyte solvent in lithium polymer cells. Its low diffusivity often requires high temperatures of operation, but its high viscosity even near its melting point allows very thin electrolyte layers. While crystallization of the polymer can degrade performance, many of the salts used to carry charge can also serve as a kinetic barrier to the formation of crystals. Such batteries carry greater energy for their weight than other lithium ion battery technologies. Polyethylene Glycol is also commonly used as a polar stationary phase for gas chromatography, as well as a heat transfer fluid in electronic testers. |
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What is PEG?