thioglycollate

Thioglycollate (mercaptoacetate) is a sulfur-containing organic anion primarily used in the form of its salts, such as calcium, potassium, or sodium thioglycollate. In pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications, it serves as a depilatory agent by reducing the disulfide bonds in hair keratin, which weakens the hair shaft and facilitates its removal. In laboratory settings, sodium thioglycollate is a key component of anaerobic culture media (e.g., thioglycollate broth), where it acts as a reducing agent to maintain low oxygen tension. In immunological research, it is frequently used to induce sterile peritonitis in animal models to study macrophage recruitment and activation. It is important to note that in some clinical trial documentation translated from Chinese, "thioglycollate" (硫糖铝) has appeared as an erroneous translation for **sucralfate** (an aluminum sucrose sulfate complex); consequently, trials involving "thioglycollate gel" for esophageal mucosal protection are likely investigating sucralfate rather than thioglycollate.

Brand names

NairVeet

Other names

mercaptoacetatethioglycolic acid saltssodium thioglycollatecalcium thioglycollatepotassium thioglycollate