Title:Poloxamer 188 (P188), A Potential Polymeric Protective Agent for Central
Nervous System Disorders: A Systematic Review
Volume: 20
Issue: 4
Author(s): Win Ning Chen, Mohd Farooq Shaikh*, Saatheeyavaane Bhuvanendran, Abhijit Date, Mohammad Tahir Ansari, Ammu Kutty Radhakrishnan and Iekhsan Othman
Affiliation:
- Neuropharmacology Research Laboratory, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University
Malaysia, Bandar Sunway 47500, Selangor, Malaysia
Keywords:
Poloxamer 188 (P188), central nervous system (CNS), neuroprotection, neurodegenerative diseases, brain, trauma.
Abstract: Poloxamer 188 (P188) is an FDA-approved biocompatible block copolymer composed of
repeating units of Poly(Ethylene Oxide) (PEO) and poly(propylene oxide) (PPO). Due to its
amphiphilic nature and high Hydrophile-Lipophile Balance (HLB) value of 29, P188 is used as a
stabilizer/emulsifier in many cosmetics and pharmaceutical preparations. While the applications of
P188 as an excipient are widely explored, the data on the pharmacological activity of P188 are
scarce. Notably, the neuroprotective potential of P188 has gained a lot of interest. Therefore, this
systematic review is aimed at summarizing evidence of neuroprotective potential of P188 in CNS
disorders. The PRISMA model was used, and five databases (Google Scholar, Scopus, Wiley
Online Library, ScienceDirect, and PubMed) were searched with relevant keywords. The search
resulted in 11 articles, which met the inclusion criteria. These articles described the protective
effects of P188 on traumatic brain injury or mechanical injury in cells, neurotoxicity, Parkinson’s
disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and ischemia/ reperfusion injury from stroke. All the
articles were original research in experimental or pre-clinical stages using animal models or in vitro
systems. The reported activities demonstrated the potential of P188 as a neuroprotective agent in
improving CNS conditions such as neurodegeneration.