Karl Box

pH-metric logP 10. Determination of liposomal membrane-water partition coefficients of ionizable drugs

AbstractPurpose. To investigate a novel approach for the determination of liposomal membrane-water partition coefficients and lipophilicity profiles of ionizable drugs. Methods. The measurements were performed by using a pH-metric technique in a system consisting of dioleylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) unilamellar vesicles in 0.15 M KC1 at 25°C. The DOPC unilamellar vesicle suspension was prepared via an extrusion process. Results. The liposomal membrane-water partition coefficients of eight ionizable drugs: ibuprofen, diclofenac, 5-phenylvaleric acid, warfarin, propranolol, lidocaine, tetracaine and procaine were determined and the values for neutral and ionized species were found to be in the ranges of approximately 4.5 to 2.4 and 2.6 to 0.8 logarithmic units, respectively. Conclusions. It has been shown that the liposomal membrane-water partition coefficients as derived from the pH-metric technique are consistent with those obtained from alternative methods such as ultrafiltration and dialysis. It was found that in liposome system, partitioning of the ionized species is significant and is influenced by electrostatic interaction with the membranes. We have demonstrated that the pH-metric technique is an efficient and accurate way to determine the liposomal membrane-water partition coefficients of ionizable substances.

PH-metric log p 11. pKa determination of water-insoluble drugs in organic solvent-water mixtures

The apparent acid dissociation constants (p(s)Ka) of two water-insoluble drugs, ibuprofen and quinine, were determined pH-metrically in acetonitrile water, dimethylformamide water, dimethylsulfoxide water, 1,4-dioxane-water, ethanol water, ethylene glycol-water, methanol water and tetrahydrofuran water mixtures. A glass electrode calibration procedure based on a four-parameter equation (pH = alpha + SpcH + jH[H+]+jOH[OH-]) was used to obtain pH readings based on the concentration scale (pcH). We have called this four-parameter method the Four-Plus technique. The Yasuda Shedlovsky extrapolation (p(s)Ka + log [H2O] = A/epsilon + B) was used to derive acid dissociation constants in aqueous solution (pKa). It has been demonstrated that the pKa values extrapolated from such solvent water mixtures are consistent with each other and with previously reported measurements. The suggested method has also been applied with success to determine the pKa values of two pyridine derivatives of pharmaceutical interest.

Potentiometric pKa determination of water-insoluble compounds: validation study in methanol/water mixtures

Abstract The apparent ionization constants (psKa) of 25 molecules, based on 431 separate potentiometric titrations, were determined in methanol/water mixtures of 15–65 wt% methanol content. The Yasuda-Shedlovsky extrapolation (psKa+log[H2O]=a/ϵ+b) was used to obtain the pKa values in zero methanol%. In the case of water-soluble drugs the extrapolated data were in very good agreement with pKa values measured in aqueous solutions under the same experimental conditions (average deviation=0.05). The water-insoluble molecules showed acceptable accordance with spectroscopically measured or with literature pKa values. Concentration dependence between 1–5 mM was not observed while the range of extrapolation (water-rich: R=15–35 wt%, or methanol-rich: R=40–65 wt%) significantly influenced the accuracy of pKa values. Remarkable changes in the solvation structure of weak acids in methanol-rich mixtures (>35 wt%) were suggested from analyzing the slopes of Yasuda-Shedlovsky equations. Recommendations for the proper application of a mixed-solvent procedure in order to gain the most reliable aqueous pKa values are suggested.

Early pharmaceutical profiling to predict oral drug absorption: current status and unmet needs.

Preformulation measurements are used to estimate the fraction absorbed in vivo for orally administered compounds and thereby allow an early evaluation of the need for enabling formulations. As part of the Oral Biopharmaceutical Tools (OrBiTo) project, this review provides a summary of the pharmaceutical profiling methods available, with focus on in silico and in vitro models typically used to forecast active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in vivo performance after oral administration. An overview of the composition of human, animal and simulated gastrointestinal (GI) fluids is provided and state-of-the art methodologies to study API properties impacting on oral absorption are reviewed. Assays performed during early development, i.e. physicochemical characterization, dissolution profiles under physiological conditions, permeability assays and the impact of excipients on these properties are discussed in detail and future demands on pharmaceutical profiling are identified. It is expected that innovative computational and experimental methods that better describe molecular processes involved in vivo during dissolution and absorption of APIs will be developed in the OrBiTo. These methods will provide early insights into successful pathways (medicinal chemistry or formulation strategy) and are anticipated to increase the number of new APIs with good oral absorption being discovered.

Multiwavelength spectrophotometric determination of acid dissociation constants of ionizable drugs

A multiwavelength spectrophotometric approach has been developed to determine acid dissociation constants (pKa values) of sparingly soluble drug compounds. UV absorption spectra of the drug solution are acquired using a versatile device based on a fiber optics dip probe, a light source and a photodiode array (PDA) detector while the PH and the ionic strength of the chemical system is manipulated precisely by means of a commercially available titrator. Target factor analysis (TFA) has been applied to deduce the pKa values from the multiwavelength UV absorption data recorded at different pH values. We have called this multiwavelength approach the WApH technique because the pKa results are determined from changes in Wavelength and Absorbance as a function of pH (WApH). The WApH technique is exemplified by using several pure drugs, namely, niflumic acid, nitrazepam, pyridoxine, quinine and terbutaline. The pKa values obtained agree well with those derived from pH-metric titrations. It has been demonstrated that the WApH technique is able to deduce pKa values with high accuracy even if the absorption spectra of the reacting species are very similar.

Structure-Lipophilicity Relationships of Neutral and Protonated β-Blockers, Part I, Intra- and Intermolecular Effects in Isotropic Solvent Systems

The objectives of this study were to validate new experimental techniques used to measure the log P of protonated drugs, and to investigate the inter- and intramolecular forces influencing the partitioning behavior of β-blockers in isotropic biphasic solvent systems. The lipophilicity parameters of a number of β-blockers were measured by two-phase titration, centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC), and cyclic voltammetry (CV) in one or more of the following solvent systems: octanol/water, 1,2-dichloroethane/water, and dibutyl ether/water. CV proved to be a promising technique for measuring the lipophilicity of protonated β-blockers. Derived parameters such as Δlog P (difference between log P in two different solvent systems, a parameter valid for a given solute in a given electrical form) and diff (difference between log P of two different electrical forms of a given solute, in the same system) yielded insights into inter- and intramolecular interactions characteristic of β-blockers. The relevance of these parameters in structure-permeation relationships is explored.

pH-Induced Precipitation Behavior of Weakly Basic Compounds: Determination of Extent and Duration of Supersaturation Using Potentiometric Titration and Correlation to Solid State Properties

ABSTRACTPurposeTo examine the precipitation and supersaturation behavior of ten weak bases in terms of the relationship between pH-concentration-time profiles and the solid state properties of the precipitated material.MethodsInitially the compound was dissolved at low pH, followed by titration with base to induce precipitation. Upon precipitation, small aliquots of acid or base were added to induce slight subsaturation and supersaturation respectively and the resultant pH gradient was determined. The concentration of the unionized species was calculated as a function of time and pH using mass and charge balance equations.ResultsTwo patterns of behavior were observed in terms of the extent and duration of supersaturation arising following an increase in pH and this behavior could be rationalized based on the crystallization tendency of the compound. For compounds that did not readily crystallize, an amorphous precipitate was formed and a prolonged duration of supersaturation was observed. For compounds that precipitated to crystalline forms, the observed supersaturation was short-lived.ConclusionThis study showed that supersaturation behavior has significant correlation with the solid-state properties of the precipitate and that pH-metric titration methods can be utilized to evaluate the supersaturation behavior.

Determination of protonation macro- and microconstants and octanol/water partition coefficient of the antiinflammatory drug niflumic acid

The drug niflumic acid is an amphoteric substance with overlapping pKa values. The acid-base chemistry of the molecule has been characterized in terms of protonation macroconstants (with reference to stoichiometric ionizations) and microconstants (with reference to ionizations of individual species). The proton-binding sites were assigned using 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. Due to the very poor water solubility of niflumic acid, the aqueous pKa values were determined from the apparent ionization constants in methanol-water solutions of various proportions by extrapolation to zero co-solvent using the Yasuda-Shedlovsky procedure. The kz tautomerization microconstant of the equilibrium unionized form<-->zwitterionic form was determined from mixtures of organic solvent (dioxane or methanol) with aqueous buffer (at the pH of isoelectric point) by UV spectroscopy, and used for calculation of the other protonation microconstants. The zwitterionic form of the molecule predominates over the uncharged form, the concentration being maximal at the isoelectric pH. The apparent partition coefficients (Papp) of niflumic acid were measured in octanol/water solution by the shake-flask method over a wide pH range. The lipophilicity profile (logPapp vs pH) shows a parabolic shape near its maximum at the isoelectric point. A relationship derived between Papp, PXH0(micropartition coefficient of the uncharged microspecies) and PX-(partition coefficient of the anion) is valid for amphoteric drugs, in cases where the partition of the unionized form and the ion-pair partition of anion can be confirmed. The logP values of microspecies indicate the high lipophilicity of niflumic acid, which is consistent with its good skin penetration and absorption.

Oral biopharmaceutics tools – Time for a new initiative – An introduction to the IMI project OrBiTo

OrBiTo is a new European project within the IMI programme in the area of oral biopharmaceutics tools that includes world leading scientists from nine European universities, one regulatory agency, one non-profit research organization, four SMEs together with scientists from twelve pharmaceutical companies. The OrBiTo project will address key gaps in our knowledge of gastrointestinal (GI) drug absorption and deliver a framework for rational application of predictive biopharmaceutics tools for oral drug delivery. This will be achieved through novel prospective investigations to define new methodologies as well as refinement of existing tools. Extensive validation of novel and existing biopharmaceutics tools will be performed using active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), formulations and supporting datasets from industry partners. A combination of high quality in vitro or in silico characterizations of API and formulations will be integrated into physiologically based in silico biopharmaceutics models capturing the full complexity of GI drug absorption. This approach gives an unparalleled opportunity to initiate a transformational change in industrial research and development to achieve model-based pharmaceutical product development in accordance with the Quality by Design concept. Benefits include an accelerated and more efficient drug candidate selection, formulation development process, particularly for challenging projects such as low solubility molecules (BCS II and IV), enhanced and modified-release formulations, as well as allowing optimization of clinical product performance for patient benefit. In addition, the tools emerging from OrBiTo are expected to significantly reduce demand for animal experiments in the future as well as reducing the number of human bioequivalence studies required to bridge formulations after manufacturing or composition changes.

Study of pH-dependent solubility of organic bases. Revisit of Henderson-Hasselbalch relationship

In this paper the pH-equilibrium solubility profiles of six organic drugs are presented. The equilibrium solubility values were determined using the saturation shake-flask and the Chasing Equilibrium Solubility (CheqSol) methods. Results obtained by the two methods are in good agreement. The aim of the present work was to study the validity of the Henderson-Hasselbalch (HH) relationship in the case of structurally diverse weak bases. The significance of pH control and the effect of the salt form (e.g., fumarate) was also investigated. In the case of monoprotic bases, namely papaverine, promethazine, propafenone and ticlopidine the experimental solubility data precisely follow the HH equation until the limit of salt solubility. The common ion effect on salt solubility was found to be significant at low pHs. Deviation from the HH equation in the case of dibasic quetiapine hydrogen fumarate and the ampholyte desvenlafaxine hydrogen fumarate can be easily interpreted with the formation of different salt compositions. It was concluded that precise pH control is essential in shake-flask solubility measurements. It is also critical that the pK(a) value and the intrinsic solubility are accurately determined when the HH relationship is used to predict the pH-dependent aqueous solubility of drugs.