Crystal engineering of nutraceutical phytosterols: new cocrystal solid solutions

Abstract

A cocrystal screening conducted with solid solutions of three phytosterols (β-sitosterol, campesterol and stigmasterol) and a set of coformers with strong hydrogen bond donors reveals that multicomponent solid solutions are preferentially formed instead of pure cocrystals and are much enriched with β-sitosterol with respect to stigmasterol, a natural product with cytotoxicity concerns.