Used as a bile acid salt in cell biology for membrane disruption and solubilization of membrane proteins. Commonly employed in lysis buffers to extract proteins from cells and tissues. Also serves as an emulsifying agent in pharmaceutical formulations. Widely utilized in microbiology media to select for certain bacterial strains, such as in deoxycholate agar for isolating enteric pathogens. Plays a role in cholesterol metabolism studies and is used in some drug delivery systems to enhance absorption.