Cationic/Ionizable Lipids

In the past five years, DC Chemicals has focused on research and development in the RNA delivery field, successfully developing over 500 cationic lipid structures and maintaining an inventory of over 200 cationic lipids. We collaborate with leading gene delivery companies and research institutions worldwide, and our products and services have received widespread acclaim.
DC Chemicals has accumulated substantial experience in the synthesis of lipids, particularly for highly complex lipid molecules. Our unique chemical synthesis and purification processes often circumvent patented and literature-reported routes, allowing us to design new synthetic routes that yield lipid molecules with higher purity than those reported in literature and patents. Our representative molecules, such as LP-01, SM-102, ALC-0315, and DLIN-MC3-DMA, have purities exceeding 98% as tested by CAD-HPLC, placing them among the top purity products available.We have the capability to scale production from grams to kilograms.

Cationic ionizable lipids play a major role in the LNP formulation and its ability to transfect target cells with its cargo. The ionizable lipids are used to complex negatively charged nucleic acid cargo. The mRNA-cationic lipid complex fuses with the cell membrane and is then delivered into the cytosol. To be able to play these roles efficiently, a cationic ionizable lipid must be engineered with a suitable apparent acid dissociation constant (pKa). The apparent pKa of a cationic ionizable lipid is the likely pKa at the LNP surface. Currently, the cationic ionizable lipids in FDA-approved therapeutics all have an apparent pKa between 6-7. This is crucial for the cationic ionizable lipid to maintain a neutral charge while in systemic circulation (pH above the pKa of the lipid, pH ~7.5), as well as its ability to become positively charged in the endosome (pH ~6.5) and facilitate membrane fusion and subsequent cytosolic release.

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Cat. No.	Product Name	Field of Application
DC66655	YHS-12	YHS-12 is an ionizable cationic lipid (pKa = 6.506) that has been used in the generation of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for the delivery of siRNA and mRNA in vitro and in vivo.1 LNPs containing YHS-12 and the macrophage targeting peptide CRVLRSGSC and encapsulating mRNA encoding chimeric antigen receptor targeting methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and siRNA targeting caspase-11 increase the phagocytosis rate of MRSA in RAW 264.7 macrophages and primary mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs). Intravenous administration of these LNPs decreases blood bacterial burden and increases survival in a model of sepsis using cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressed mice. More description
DC60872	Lipid A33-D268	A33-D268 is an ionizable lipid derived from a 2-aminoimidazole (AM) core, featuring an asymmetric hydrophobic tail structure designed to optimize mRNA interactions. Selected as the top candidate from a 21-lipid library through molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, it demonstrated superior performance: low root mean square deviation (RMSD) and the smallest radius of gyration (Rg), indicating tight mRNA compaction, alongside moderate electrostatic energy and above-average hydrogen bonding for stable encapsulation. Formulated into LNPs, it achieves efficient muscle-specific transfection post-intramuscular injection, rivaling commercial ALC-0315 LNPs. Crucially, it exhibits 29-fold lower hepatic off-target expression, attributed to its inability to leverage serum protein coronas for liver tropism. More description
DC67658	Lipid 4A2-B8-PH Featured	4A2-B8-PH is an optimally designed thioketal-incorporated biodegradable ionizable lipid (TBIL) for mRNA delivery to pancreatic ductal epithelial cells. It features a 4A2 headgroup with three tertiary amines, a biodegradable thioketal-based B8 linker, and a branched PH tail. The thioketal linker enables ROS-responsive degradation in the tumor microenvironment, enhancing endosomal escape and mRNA release. In vivo, 4A2-B8-PH LNPs achieve 98.3% pancreas-specific targeting after intraperitoneal administration, with a 218-fold improvement in delivery efficiency compared to previous benchmarks. It successfully transfects 30.5% of pancreatic ductal epithelial cells and induces complete tumor regression in orthotopic PDAC models via IL-12 mRNA therapy, demonstrating high efficacy and safety. More description
DC67564	C-a16 Featured	C-a16 is an ionizable lipid engineered through Mannich reaction chemistry, designed to revolutionize mRNA delivery by synergizing high efficiency with minimized immune activation. Synthesized by reacting a phenolic tail derivative, formaldehyde, and a branched tertiary amine core under optimized ethanol conditions, this lipid integrates antioxidant phenol groups directly into its structure. These phenol moieties serve as intrinsic radical scavengers, effectively neutralizing intracellular reactive oxygen species that typically degrade mRNA and trigger inflammation.In lipid nanoparticle formulations, C-a16 constitutes the functional backbone, enabling superior mRNA encapsulation efficiency while maintaining a stable nanoparticle size of approximately 80–100 nm. Critically, it outperforms conventional lipids like DLin-MC3-DMA by achieving significantly higher target-protein expression in vivo alongside markedly reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion. The antioxidant capability is not incidental but fundamental—quenching the phenol groups drastically diminishes both ROS suppression and delivery efficacy, confirming the design's mechanistic elegance.C-a16 represents a paradigm shift: its biomimetic antioxidant architecture addresses the chronic trade-off between delivery potency and immunogenicity, unlocking safer therapeutic applications for vaccines and gene therapies. More description
DC67283	C14-490	C14-490 is an ionizable cationic lipid (pKa = 5.94).1 It has been used in the generation of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for the delivery of mRNA in vivo.C14-490-containing LNPs accumulate primarily in the fetal mouse liver and, to a lesser extent, in the lungs, intestine, and brain after vitelline vein injection on gestational day 16 (E16).1 CD45-functionalized LNPs containing C14-490 and encapsulating mRNA encoding GFP transfect Jurkat cells, which constitutively express the CD45 receptor (CD45R).C14-490-containing CD45-functionalized LNPs encapsulating Cre mRNA mediate genome modulation in bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) for at least four months after in utero injection in R26mT/mG mice at E13.5. More description
DC67652	CICL-242 Featured	CICL-242 is a constrained ionizable cationic lipid highlighted in patent US 20250127728A1 developed by Capstan as a promising candidate for advanced therapeutic delivery, particularly in stem cell and gene editing applications. Its structure features a rigid amine headgroup similar to CICL-207, which likely facilitates efficient endosomal escape and reduces non-specific uptake, enhancing targeted nucleic acid delivery. Although detailed performance data is not fully disclosed in the patent, CICL-242 is explicitly synthesized and included in gene editing experimental systems (e.g., CRISPR-Cas9 workflows), suggesting its potential for high-efficiency transfection in hard-to-transfect cells like hematopoietic stem cells (CD34⁺). This makes it a strong candidate for ex vivo cell engineering and regenerative medicine, where precision and low off-target effects are critical. While further validation is needed to quantify its efficacy and safety profile, CICL-242 represents a strategic innovation in the lipid library for next-generation genetic therapies. More description
DC65850	VL422 Featured	VL-422 is an ionizable cationic lipid. VL-422 delivers CRISPR complementary single-guide RNA (sgRNA) and Cas9 mRNA to enable in vitro and in vivo gene editing. LNPs containing VL-422 loaded with Cas9 mRNA and sgRNA targeting the ANGPTL3 gene induce the deletion of premature stop codons within the ANGPTL3 gene in the liver of cynomolgus monkeys. Loss-of-function of ANGPTL3 leads to decreased levels of LDL, HDL and cholesterol in plasma. The VL-422 delivery system can be used for the research of gene editing strategies targeting lipid metabolism diseases. More description
DC68149	Liberate lipid 11 Featured	Lipid 11 is the optimal ionizable lipid disclosed by Liberate Bio, Inc. in patent WO2025/250730 A1, which can significantly improve the delivery efficiency of nucleic acid drugs to extrahepatic tissues including bone marrow, spleen and muscle, with excellent in vivo stability and safety. More description
DC68148	DEA‑14‑DAP Featured	DEA‑14‑DAP is a novel ionizable cationic SORT lipid. As a key component for central nervous system targeting, it enables lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to specifically target microglia, significantly improving the delivery efficiency and cellular selectivity of nucleic acid drugs in the brain. More description
DC60683	Lipid-168 Featured	LIPID168(pKa ~6.5) is an optimized ionizable lipid engineered for in vivo mRNA delivery to hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in bone marrow. Developed by Yoltech Therapeutics through high-throughput screening of lipid libraries, it features a diethylamino head group and a tailored hydrophobic tail structure that enables antibody-free targeting. When Lipid 168 was formulated into lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), it achieved 48.5% base editing efficiency in bone marrow cells —surpassing benchmarks like LIPID-028 (19.7%)—and reduced off-target liver editing from 71% to 19% by incorporating miR-122 target sequences. In humanized β-thalassemia models, LNP 168 delivered ABE8e mRNA/sgRNA to patient-derived HSCs, yielding 42.6% editing at the HBG promoter, reactivating fetal hemoglobin (γ-globin) and rescuing erythroid defects . Its bone marrow specificity is driven by a unique protein corona enriched in albumin, fibronectin, and fibrinogen . Safety studies confirmed transient immune responses and no cumulative toxicity . LIPID-168 represents a promising non-viral platform for curative gene therapies in blood disorders. More description
DC60924	AA76-lipid Featured	AA76-lipid is a dipeptide-modified ionizable lipid, engineered with an arginine-histidine motif, that constitutes the core of the pancreatic-targeted AH-LNP delivery platform. Its chemical architecture, characterized by an externally positioned and C-terminally modified arginine residue, was identified through systematic screening as the optimal structure for function. Upon intraperitoneal administration, AH-LNPs formulated with this lipid interact with proteins in the peritoneal fluid, undergoing dynamic assembly into significantly larger complexes. This substantial increase in size (from ~100 nm to over 360 nm) exploits a physical targeting principle termed the Capsule-filter-mediated pancreatic targeting (CAMP) mechanism. Large particles are selectively filtered out by the dense capsules of other abdominal organs, leading to preferential enrichment in the capsule-deficient pancreas. Concurrently, the arginine-histidine motif directs the formation of a distinct protein corona enriched with apolipoproteins (e.g., APOE, APOB-100), which mimics very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). This corona enables efficient cellular internalization primarily into pancreatic stromal cells via VLDL receptor (VLDLR)-mediated endocytosis, known as the VMP pathway. The synergistic integration of the physical CAMP targeting and the biological VMP uptake mechanisms empowers AA76-lipid-based AH-LNPs to achieve highly specific, potent, and sustained mRNA delivery and gene editing within the pancreas across multiple species, demonstrating exceptional therapeutic efficacy in models of both autoimmune pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. More description
DC68147	SAINT-2 Featured	SAINT-2 is a cationic lipid with gene transfection activity and is a pyridyl lipid analog. Molecular membranes prepared by SAINT-2 can interact with plasmids to form lipid complexes. After the complex is taken up by cells, the plasmid dissociates from the lipid complex under the action of DOPE and the plasmid translocates across the endosome and/or nuclear membrane. Thus, SAINT-2 effectively transfers small oligonucleotides into cells。 More description
DC67458	DMT7 Featured	DMT7 (pKa 6.5) is an ionizable cationic lipid engineered for co-delivery of mRNA and immunomodulators via LNPs. In 4T1 breast cancer metastasis models, DMT7 LNPs carrying IL-12 mRNA and STING agonist MSA-2 significantly reduce tumor burden and pulmonary metastases while modulating T cell populations. The formulation demonstrates broad immunotherapeutic effects in melanoma models, shifting tumor macrophages toward the M1 phenotype, reducing Tregs, and elevating pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-12, IL-2, TNF-α, IFN-γ). More description
DC67465	Lipid 7-1 Featured	7-1 lipid represents a novel ionizable cationic compound designed for nucleic acid delivery applications. More description
DC71699	DOIC Featured	DOIC is a cationic lipid that can be used for RNA vaccines. More description
DC68146	DMDHP Featured	DMDHP ((±)-Dimyristoyl-2,3-dimethylhydroxypropylamine) is a cationic lipid with a polar head group containing a dihydroxy group. DMDHP exhibits superior transfection efficiency and lower toxicity at high DNA doses in mouse intrapulmonary transfection model. DMDHP is commonly used for gene delivery. More description
DC68145	APL-719 Featured	APL-719 is a cationic lipid that can be used to synthesize lipid nanoparticles for drug delivery. More description
DC60556	Lipid 29d Featured	Lipid 29d is an ionizable lipid containing a thiophene moiety (Thio-lipid) for mRNA delivery. Lipid 29d enables LNPs to transfect the lung and spleen. More description
DC60462	MIC1 Featured	MIC1 is a set of multi-charged lipids with four tertiary amino nitrogen atoms (4N4T) which could be constructed and applied to form novel lipid nanoparticles. 4N4T-LNPs based on MIC1 exhibit much higher mRNA translation efficiency than the approved SM-102-LNPs. 4N4T-LNPs are successfully applied to DS mRNA vaccine and the vaccines worked well against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, including Delta and Omicron. More description
DC66654	Lipid N2-3L Featured	More description
DC67457	Lipid 1 HG3 Featured	Lipid 1 HG3 serves as a key component in LNPs specifically engineered for in vivo delivery of closed-end DNA (ceDNA), demonstrating efficient nucleic acid encapsulation and targeted release capabilities. More description
DC67119	VC1052 Featured	VC1052 is the component of Vaxfectin. Vaxfectin is a cationic lipid-based adjuvant that can be used for plasmid DNA- and protein-based vaccines. More description
DC36459	DMHAPC-Chol Featured	DMHAPC-Chol is a cationic cholesterol. Liposomes containing DMHAPC-chol have been used for DNA plasmid delivery in vitro and in vivo in a B16-F10 mouse xenograft model. Liposomes containing DMHAPC-chol are cytotoxic to B16-F10 cells. DMHAPC-Chol, as part of a lipoplex with DOPE, has also been used to deliver DNA into mouse lung via intratracheal injection, resulting in a heterogeneous distribution in the bronchi and bronchioles, and to deliver VEGF siRNA into A431 and MDA-MB-231 cells, which secrete VEGF. More description
DC71656	Vaxfectin Featured	Vaxfectin is a cationic lipid-based adjuvant that can be used for plasmid DNA- and protein-based vaccines. More description
DC67134	IM21.7c Featured	More description
DC67116	80-O14B Featured	More description
DC67490	G0-C14 analog Featured	G0-C14 analog is a derivative of the ionizable cationic lipid G0-C14. More description
DC60554	Lipid 20b Featured	Lipid 20b is a thiophene-based ionizable lipid synthesized via the Gewald reaction. It features dual unsaturated linoleic tails (C18:2) attached to the same side of the thiophene core and a tertiary amine headgroup. Formulated into LNPs (~100 nm, PDI ~0.2) with DSPC/cholesterol/DMG-PEG, it exhibits high mRNA encapsulation (>90%). Unlike traditional lipids, 20b lacks a pH-dependent ionization profile, likely due to electron delocalization in the thiophene ring. Intravenously, 20b LNPs transfect the liver and spleen in mice. Notably, subretinal delivery in mice and non-human primates (NHPs) achieved robust mRNA expression in photoreceptors (35% rods, 45% cones at high dose) and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) with minimal acute toxicity. Immunosuppression enhanced rod transfection efficiency. High-dose administration in NHPs caused subretinal debris, but low doses (2.5 µg mRNA) maintained retinal health. This lipid demonstrates potential for liver and retinal gene therapy. More description
DC67133	C10-200 Featured	C10-200-based LNPs show enhanced liver tropism for mRNA delivery, outperforming branched-chain lipidoids (e.g., C12-200) in hepatic reporter gene expression. The system's therapeutic potential is confirmed through successful EPO production, with measurable increases in circulating protein levels following administration. More description
DC68144	Lipid G9-1 Featured	G9-1 is a nitric oxide (NO)-inhibitory ionizable lipid designed for anti-inflammatory mRNA delivery. Derived from the potent NO inhibitor G9, it retains the ability to suppress macrophage-driven inflammation while enabling efficient mRNA encapsulation and lung-targeted delivery. In a murine acute lung injury model, G9-1 lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) loaded with IL-10 mRNA demonstrated synergistic therapeutic effects by reducing inflammatory cell infiltration, suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokines, and improving systemic tissue injury markers. With its intrinsic immunomodulatory activity and preferential targeting of lung-resident cells, G9-1 represents a promising platform for safer and more effective mRNA therapeutics in inflammatory disorders. More description

Cationic/Ionizable Lipids

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