Peanut Oil

Synonyms: Aextreff CT; arachidis oleum raffinatum; earthnut oil; groundnut oil; katchung oil; nut oil.

Description: Peanut oil is a colorless or pale yellow-colored liquid that has a faint nutty odor and a bland, nutty taste. At about 3C it becomes cloudy, and at lower temperatures it partially solidifies.

Chemical Name: Peanut oil

Oleaginous vehicle; solvent.

• Peanut oil is used as an excipient in pharmaceutical formulations primarily as a solvent for sustained-release intramuscular injections.

• It is also used as a vehicle for topical preparations and as a solvent for vitamins and hormones.

• In addition, it has been part of sustained-release bead formulations, nasal drug delivery systems, and controlled-release injectables.

• Therapeutically, emulsions containing peanut oil have been used in nutrition regimens, in enemas as a fecal softener, and in otic drops to soften ear wax.

• It is also administered orally, usually with sorbitol, as a gall bladder evacuant prior to cholecystography.

• Peanut oil is also widely used as an edible oil.

Peanut oil may be saponified by alkali hydroxides.

Peanut oil is mildly laxative at a dosage of 15–60 mL orally or of 100–500 mL rectally as an enema. Adverse reactions to peanut oil in foods and pharmaceutical formulations have been reported extensively. These include severe allergic skin rashes and anaphylactic shock following consumption of peanut butter. Some workers have suggested that the use in infancy of preparations containing peanut oil, including infant formula and topical preparations, is associated with sensitization to peanut, with a subsequent risk of hypersensitivity reactions, and that such products should therefore be avoided or banned. However, the role of pharmaceutical preparations in later development of hypersensitivity is disputed since such preparations contain highly refined peanut oil that should not contain the proteins associated with allergic reactions in susceptible individuals. Peanut oil is harmful if administered intravenously and it should not be used in such formulations

Observe normal handling precautions appropriate to the circumstances and quantity of material handled. Spillages of peanut oil are slippery and should be covered with an inert absorbent material prior to disposal.

Almond oil; canola oil; corn oil; cottonseed oil; sesame oil; soybean oil; sunflower oil.