Keith C. Gordon

Investigation of properties and recrystallisation behaviour of amorphous indomethacin samples prepared by different methods

The aim of this study was to investigate if amorphous indomethacin samples, prepared using different preparation methods, exhibit different structural and kinetic characteristics and if these differences can be correlated to their physical stability (time to crystallisation). Samples were prepared by melt quenching, spray drying, ball milling, and cryo-milling. The resulting amorphous materials were characterised using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. All freshly prepared samples were completely X-ray amorphous (with a halo being the only feature in the diffractograms). The shape of the halos in the diffractograms, however, varied depending on the preparation method, suggesting structural variations in the near order of the molecules between the differently prepared amorphous forms. Principal component analysis of the Raman spectra of the various amorphous forms revealed that the samples clustered in the scores plot according to preparation method, again suggesting structural differences due to preparation method. The range of vibrations associated with the largest spectral differences in the loadings plot showed that these differences were due to a range of molecular conformations and intermolecular interactions. The ranking of the samples with respect to stability was: quench cooled amorphous samples>cryo-milled (α-form)>spray dried>ball milled (α-form)>ball milled (γ-form)=cryo-milled (γ-form). This ranking was not correlated with the diffractogram shapes or sample distribution in the scores plot of the Raman spectra, suggesting that physical stability was not directly affected by structural variation in the samples. However, ranking of stability of the differently prepared amorphous forms of the drug could be predicted by determining the relaxation time values, for all amorphous samples. The relaxation times, calculated by using the Adam Gibbs and Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts equations, were in accordance with the experimentally determined stability order. This study showed that correlation of physical stability with calculated relaxation time is possible for the same amorphous systems prepared by different methods. This could aid in selecting the most appropriate preparation techniques in situations where there are a variety of suitable methods.

Raman mapping of pharmaceuticals

Raman spectroscopy may be implemented through a microscope to provide fine scale axial and lateral chemical maps. The molecular structure of many drugs makes Raman spectroscopy particularly well suited to the investigation of pharmaceutical systems. Chemometric methods currently used to assess bulk Raman spectroscopic data are typically applied to Raman mapping data from pharmaceuticals; few reports exist where the spatial information inherent to a mapped dataset is used for the calculation of chemical maps. Both univariate and multivariate methods have been applied to Raman mapping data to determine the distribution of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in tablets, solid dispersions for increased solubility and controlled release devices. The ability to axially (depth) profile using Raman mapping has been used in studies of API penetration through membranes, cellular uptake of drug delivery liposomes, and initial API distribution and subsequent elution from coatings of medical devices. New instrumental developments will increase the efficiency of Raman mapping and lead to greater utilisation of Raman mapping for analyses of pharmaceutical systems.

Recent pharmaceutical applications of raman and terahertz spectroscopies

This review outlines recent applications of Raman and terahertz spectroscopies within the field of pharmaceutical research. Of the two approaches, Raman is better established and more accessible, and is responsible for the majority of reviewed studies. Both techniques feature limitations, however, which are discussed in the context of methods used to circumvent apparent restrictions. Regardless, the diverse range of applications illustrates the flexibility of Raman and terahertz spectroscopies when characterizing pharmaceutical systems.

Applications of terahertz pulsed imaging to sustained-release tablet film coating quality assessment and dissolution performance

The potential of terahertz pulsed imaging (TPI) to predict the dissolution performance in sustained-release tablets was investigated in this study. Batches of coated tablets with similar weight gain during the coating process at the lab and pilot scales were subjected to non-destructive imaging by TPI and subsequently analysed by dissolution testing. The results from the dissolution tests revealed significant differences in the product performance between the lab and pilot scales (Student t-test, P<0.05). The model-independent dissolution parameters in the pilot scale showed a prolonged mean dissolution time. This indicated that the pharmaceutical active ingredient was released at a slower rate in the pilot compared to the lab scale. While weight gain measurements (the traditional coating quality parameter), failed to provide an early indication of the product functional performance; terahertz parameters (terahertz electric field peak strength and coating layer thickness) provided insight into the subsequent dissolution behaviour. Correlations between terahertz parameters and dissolution were much stronger than correlations between weight gain and dissolution; with the R(2) value for terahertz correlations typically around 0.84 as opposed to 0.07 for weight gain correlations. This study presents the initial finding of correlations between terahertz parameters for assessing the coating quality to the dissolution performance of the coated tablet. The contributing factors for these particular correlations are also discussed.

A theoretical and spectroscopic study of co-amorphous naproxen and indomethacin

Co-amorphous drug systems were recently introduced as potential drug delivery systems for poorly water soluble drugs in order to overcome problems associated with amorphous materials. The improved physical stability and dissolution of these systems was attributed to molecular interactions between the co-amorphous partners, such as hydrogen bonds. However, molecular level characterization with vibrational spectroscopy of even the amorphous drugs alone presents a significant challenge. This becomes even more complicated when more than one compound is present in the material under investigation. In this study, the co-amorphous drug mixture containing naproxen (NAP) and indomethacin (IND) was investigated using infrared spectroscopy (IR) and quantum mechanical calculations. The structures of both drugs were optimized as monomer, homodimer and heterodimer using density functional theory and used for the calculation of IR spectra. Conformational analysis confirmed that the optimized structures were suitable for the theoretical prediction of the spectra. Vibrational modes from the calculation could be matched with experimentally observed spectra for crystalline and amorphous NAP and IND, and it could be shown that both drugs exist as homodimers in their respective individual amorphous form. With the results from the experimental single amorphous drugs and theoretical homodimers, a detailed analysis of the experimental co-amorphous and theoretical heterodimer spectra was performed and evaluated. It is suggested that NAP and IND exist as heterodimers in the co-amorphous mixture when quench cooled together from the melt in a 1:1 molar ratio.

A spectroscopic and DFT study of thiophene-substituted metalloporphyrins as dye-sensitized solar cell dyes

A combination of density functional theory calculations, electronic absorption and resonance Raman spectroscopy has been applied to a series of beta-substituted zinc porphyrins to elucidate how the substituent affects the electronic structure of the metalloporphyrin and assign the nature of electronic transitions in the visible region. The use of conjugated beta substituents invokes a large perturbation to both the nature and energy of the frontier molecular orbitals and results in the generation of additional molecular orbitals from the parent metalloporphyrin species. A complicated electronic absorption spectra is observed which can be rationalised by an extension of Goutermans four-orbital model. The excitations involved in the visible transitions have been determined using resonance Raman spectroscopy. This has revealed that the B band retains much of its original nature and is centred largely on the porphyrin core. Additional electronic transitions invoke population of orbitals localised on the substituent chain. The nature of the electronic transitions depends heavily on the type of beta substituent. The results of this investigation question some previously held beliefs for the rational design of metalloporphyrins for dye-sensitized solar cell applications.

Effects of film coating thickness and drug layer uniformity on in vitro drug release from sustained-release coated pellets: A case study using terahertz pulsed imaging

Film coating thickness and terahertz electric field peak strength (TEFPS) were determined using terahertz pulsed imaging (TPI) and employed for the analysis of sustained-release coated pellets (theophylline layered sugar cores coated with Kollicoat SR:Kollicoat IR polymer blends). The effects of coating thickness, drug layer uniformity and optional curing were investigated using eight batches of pellets. Ten pellets from each batch were imaged with TPI to analyse the coating morphology (depicted in TEFPS) and thickness prior to release measurements. The results showed TEFPS values of 15.8% and 14.5% for pellets with a smooth drug layer coated at 8.2 and 12.5% (w/w) polymer weight-gain, respectively. Whereas 6.7% was derived for pellets with a coarse drug layer coated at both weight-gains. Although there were major differences in TEFPS, the resulting drug release kinetics were very similar. It was also shown that a 36 microm coating thickness difference was not drug release rate determining. These results suggested that drug release for the pellets studied was not predominately governed by drug diffusion through the polymeric film coating but probably to a large extent limited by drug solubility. TPI proved to be highly suitable to detect non-homogeneities in the drug layer and polymeric film coating.

Monitoring the Film Coating Unit Operation and Predicting Drug Dissolution Using Terahertz Pulsed Imaging

Understanding the coating unit operation is imperative to improve product quality and reduce output risks for coated solid dosage forms. Three batches of sustained-release tablets coated with the same process parameters (pan speed, spray rate, etc.) were subjected to terahertz pulsed imaging (TPI) analysis followed by dissolution testing. Mean dissolution times (MDT) from conventional dissolution testing were correlated with terahertz waveforms, which yielded a multivariate, partial least squares regression (PLS) model with an R(2) of 0.92 for the calibration set and 0.91 for the validation set. This two-component, PLS model was built from batch I that was coated in the same environmental conditions (air temperature, humidity, etc.) to that of batch II but at different environmental conditions from batch III. The MDTs of batch II was predicted in a nondestructive manner with the developed PLS model and the accuracy of the predicted values were subsequently validated with conventional dissolution testing and found to be in good agreement. The terahertz PLS model was also shown to be sensitive to changes in the coating conditions, successfully identifying the larger coating variability in batch III. In this study, we demonstrated that TPI in conjunction with PLS analysis could be employed to assist with film coating process understanding and provide predictions on drug dissolution.

Linker conjugation effects in rhenium(I) bifunctional hole transport/emitter molecules

Spectroscopic, electrochemical and density functional theory (DFT) methods have been employed to investigate a group of [Re(CO)(3)(HT)(phen)](+) complexes (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline), and in particular the level of electronic communication between various hole-transporting (HT) ligands and the rhenium centre. Here, the HT ligand consists of a coordinating pyridine connected to dimethylaniline group through a single-, double- or triple-bond-connecting system. Electronic absorption, resonance Raman, and steady-state emission spectroscopy combined with lifetime studies and DFT calculations suggest that multiple dpi(Re)-->pi*(phen) metal-to-ligand charge transfers (MLCTs) exist for each complex, two of which significantly absorb at about 340 and 385 nm, and one that emits at approximately 540 nm. In the complexes containing more-conjugated HT ligands, non-emissive intraligand transitions (IL(HT)) exist with energies between the ground and MLCT excited states. The overlap of these IL(HT) transitions and the absorbing MLCT of lowest energy deactivates emission resulting from about 385 nm excitation, and lowers the quantum yield and excited-state lifetimes of these complexes. Cyclic voltammetry experiments indicate that throughout the series investigated, the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of each complex is centred on the HT ligand, while the occupied molecular orbitals localised on the rhenium are lower in energy.

Raman imaging of drug delivery systems

This review article includes an introduction to the principals of Raman spectroscopy, an outline of the experimental systems used for Raman imaging and the associated important considerations and limitations of this method. Common spectral analysis methods are briefly described and examples of interesting published studies which utilised Raman imaging of pharmaceutical and biomedical devices are discussed, along with summary tables of the literature at this point in time.