Cremophor EL (CrEL, Kolliphor EL), a polyethoxylated surfactant, is a formulation vehicle used for various poorly-water soluble drugs, including the anticancer agent paclitaxel (Taxol). Cremophor EL is used in severe anaphylactoid hypersensitivity reactions, hyperlipidaemia, abnormal lipoprotein patterns, aggregation of erythrocytes and peripheral neuropathy.
Cremophor EL is a widely used excipient. In the first 10 h, Cremophor EL at 5 mg/mL increases the impedance, then decreases it, and after 20 h of treatment, epithelial cell death is detected. Cremophor EL in concentrations corresponding to clinical doses causes endothelial and epithelial toxicity. Both epithelial viability and monolayer integrity are seriously impaired at 10 to 50 mg/mL concentrations of Cremophor EL at 24-h treatment. Cremophor EL also enhances cell detachment.[1]
Cremophor EL reduces nociception in a dose-dependent manner. At 10.6 g/kg, Cremophor EL causes antinociception similar to that induced by dipyrone (300 mg/kg, by gavage) in the abdominal writhing test, and antinociception similar to that induced by morphine (20 mg/kg, by gavage) in the tail immersion test.
[1] Kiss L, et al. J Pharm Sci. 2013 Apr;102(4):1173-81. [3] Gelderblom H, et al. Eur J Cancer. 2001 Sep;37(13):1590-8.