A range of hydrophobic modified products (phosphoramidites and CPGs) used in the synthesis of oligonucleotides, including cholesterol (made from an entirely plant-derived source), tocopherol (vitamin E), and palmitate modifiers.
These have been shown to have potential use in the delivery of oligonucleotides into cells.
The hydrophobic nature of tocopherol has also been utilised as a means of improving the purification of ribozymes, and the purification of thiol-modified oligos with a view to improving the efficiency of a second ion-exchange purification.