Sodium Cholate

Sodium cholate is a versatile, biologically relevant bile salt used widely in biochemical, pharmaceutical, and industrial applications. Its amphipathic structure enables it to emulsify lipids, making it essential for membrane protein research, drug delivery system development, and bioprocessing. It offers high solubility, reliable performance under physiological pH, and broad utility in both academic research and industrial formulation.

• Formula: C₂₄H₃₉NaO₅
• Molecular Weight: 430.56

Sodium cholate is a naturally occurring bile salt, derived from cholic acid, and functions primarily as a biological detergent. It:

• Acts as a surfactant that emulsifies lipids in aqueous environments.
• Facilitates solubilization of membrane proteins and lipids by disrupting lipid bilayers and forming micelles.
• Aids in cholesterol and fat digestion by emulsifying dietary lipids in bile.
• Assists in solubilizing hydrophobic compounds in laboratory settings.

• Membrane protein extraction: Used to extract integral membrane proteins (e.g., G-protein coupled receptors, ATPases) for structural studies (X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM).
• Cell biology: Used as a gentle detergent for isolating organelles or cytoplasmic proteins.
• Drug delivery system: Used in liposome and micelle formulation for drug delivery research.
• Other uses: Facilitates enzyme activity assays for bile salt-dependent enzymes; lipid metabolism and nutrient absorption studies.