Cholesteryl hemisuccinate

Cholesteryl hemisuccinate (CHEMS) is a cholesterol ester. It is formed by esterifying cholesterol with succinic acid. The chemical structure comprises a cholesterol molecule attached to a succinic acid moiety. It possesses both hydrophilic (water-attracting) and hydrophobic (water-repelling) properties, making it useful as a surfactant. CHEMS can form lyotropic liquid crystals, which are important in the formation of liposomes and other nanoparticle drug delivery systems. CHEMS acts as an ionizable anionic detergent and is commonly used to stabilize unilamellar vesicles and liposomes. CHEMS is commonly used in the formulation of liposomes and other lipid-based drug delivery systems. These systems can encapsulate drugs, enhancing their stability, bioavailability, and controlled release. It has also been used as an emulsifying agent in various vesicular drug delivery systems for anticancer drugs, antibiotics, and oligonucleotides and to solubilize various proteins including chemokine receptor 1 as well as erythrocyte ghosts. In addition is used in the study of membrane proteins and the biophysical properties of cell membranes. CHEMS has also been described to have anticancer activity.