Glycocholic Acid

Overview

Glycocholic Acid (GCA) is the glycine conjugate of cholic acid and one of the primary bile acid components in human bile. The amphiphilic nature of Glycocholic acid – meaning it has both hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions – making it ideal for micelle formation, fats and vitamins solubilisation and enhancing the bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs. Glycocholic acid can also regulate the microbiological activity by limiting bacterial growth

ICE Pharma produces Glycocholic Acid via chemical synthesis from high-purity cholic acid, ensuring consistency, traceability, and GMP-compatible quality. The final product is chemically identical to its natural counterpart and demonstrates excellent safety and biocompatibility in pharmaceutical applications.

Applications

• Injectable Drug Formulations: GCA is widely used in parenteral formulations due to its ability to form mixed micelles, improving solubility and stability of hydrophobic active ingredients and vitamins
• Oral and Nasal Drug Delivery: As a bile acid excipient, GCA supports enhanced solubilization of poor soluble drugs, absorption and permeability across mucosal membranes, making it suitable for oral suspensions and nasal spray applications.

End Uses

Glycocholic Acid has several uses, primarily as an excipient in injectable drug formulations in human and veterinary application It is selected for these formulations because of its ability to form mixed micelles and due to its endogenous and biocompatible nature. These properties can significantly improve drug solubility and, as a result, bioavailability. GCA be used in drug delivery and nanotechnology applications due to its self-assembly properties to create innovative drug carries for several routes of administration.

The amphiphilic nature of GCA confers antimicrobial activity allowing to disrupt bacterial membranes, inhibiting Gram-negative bacteria.

Manufacturing and Quality Assurance

Our high-purity Glycocholic Acid is manufactured at ICE Pharma’s state-of-the-art facility in Italy, operating under stringent GMP standards. Each batch undergoes rigorous quality control to ensure high purity, consistency, and safety.

Regulatory Compliance

Our commitment to quality, compliance, and safety ensures that our Glycocholic Acid meets global pharmaceutical industry standards, making it a reliable choice for pharmaceutical applications worldwide.

• GMP Compliance: Yes
• DMF Available: US DMF, cDMF
• BSE/TSE CEP: Yes, for the starting material