Phospholipid for Liposome
Formulation

･Soybean Phospholipids
･Egg yolk Phospholipids
･Sphingomyelin

NOF manufactures high-purity lecithin containing higher contents of phosphatidylcholine, by using strictly selected natural soybeans not contaminated with genetically modified soybeans. The high-purity product is useful to obtain favorable color and odor of the final product. What is more, the less unsaturated double-bonds in the acyl chains due to hydrogenation are responsible for excellent stability, together with easier handling of this lecithin because of its powder form.

Egg yolk phospholipids are manufactured using virusfree yolk as the starting material, followed by removal of impurities through strict purification procedures. The special advantages can be characterized by the major phospholipids containing two different acyl groups (saturated and unsaturated fatty acids) in the same molecules. These unique chemical structures provide excellent dispersing ability in aqueous solution and favorable surfactant effects. Egg yolk phospholipids are also employed as carriers for lipophilic drugs as one of the major ingredients of lipid microspheres.

Phospholipids are known to be the primary constituents of biological membranes. Recently, however, it has been clarified that phospholipids are not only constituents of the cell membrane, but also play important direct roles in the cell membrane functions. Among the phospholipids, sphingomyelin has been revealed to be significantly important in both the formation and maintenance of lipid rafts. Considering that the lipid rafts have been shown to be involved in various signalings, including immunological responses and transportation of specific materials, sphingomyelin has drawn much attention as a substance with important roles in the expression of specific cellular functions, such as intracellular information transmission and maintenance of the membrane structure. Despite containing long fatty acid chains, sphingomyelin exhibits some advantageous characteristics such as a low phase -transition temperatures (Tc), that render it uniquely suitable for the formation of liposomes. NOF supplies high-purity sphingomyelin derived from milk and egg yolk.
Concerning yolk-derived sphingomyelin, palmitic acid accounts for about 80% of the fatty acid chains bound by amide bonds; in sharp contrast, however, milk-derived sphingomyelin contains a broader range of long-chain fatty acids, including palmitic acid or longer-chain fatty acids. Because of these differences in the physical properties, customers can select between the two depending on their needs.