On the water content of the solvent/monoolein/water sponge (L3) phase

The water content of the solvent/monoolein/water sponge phase depends on the lipophilicity of the solvent used. The relatively lipophilic solvent 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol (MPD) gives a sponge phase at about 60 wt.% water compared with 30 wt.% for the sponge phase formed with polyethylene glycol (Mw≈400, PEG 400). A reasonably good correlation is found between the water content of the sponge phase and the octanol/water partition coefficient for the solvent. The water content of the PEG 400 sponge phase increases considerably (to about 50 wt.%) by adding up to 3 wt.% of ionic compounds such as SDS, CTAB and salts of amphiphilic drugs. Nonionic detergents show less effect on increasing the water content, whereas membrane lipids such as lecithins and cholesterol show unchanged or even decreasing effect on the water content of the sponge phase.