polyethylene glycol
Meaning of polyethylene glycol: Polyethylene glycol is a synthetic polymer used in medications, ointments, and laxatives for its water holding and drug stabilizing properties.
Definition of polyethylene glycol
Polyethylene glycol is a synthetic polymer made by joining together repeating units derived from ethylene oxide and water. Depending on the length of the resulting molecular chain, polyethylene glycol can be a liquid or a waxy solid, and adjusting this chain length changes its physical properties and how it behaves in different products.
In medicine, polyethylene glycol serves several distinct roles. It is commonly used as an ingredient in ointments and topical preparations because of its smooth texture and ability to hold moisture, and it is chemically attached to certain drug molecules to help those drugs remain active in the body longer, reducing how frequently a dose needs to be given. Specific forms of polyethylene glycol are also used as laxatives, since the polymer retains water within the intestine and softens stool.
Because polyethylene glycol is used in such different ways depending on its specific formulation, the presence of this ingredient in a product does not on its own indicate what the product is intended to do.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
Polyethylene glycol powder was mixed with water as a bowel preparation before the colonoscopy.
Good to know
Polyethylene glycol used as a laxative works by holding water in the intestine, a different mechanism from its use as a coating that extends how long an attached drug remains active in the body.