Zaltoprofen/4,4'-Bipyridine: A Case Study to Demonstrate the Potential of Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) in the Pharmaceutical Field.

The Zaltoprofen/4,4'-Bipyridine system gives rise to two co-crystals of different compositions both endowed - in water and in buffer solution at pH 4.5 - with considerably higher solubility and dissolution rate than the pure drug. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of the DSC measurements, carried out on samples made up of mixtures prepared according to different methodologies, allows us to elaborate and propose an accurate thermodynamic model that fully takes into account the qualitative aspects of the complex experimental framework and which provides quantitative predictions (reaction enthalpies and compositions of the co-crystals) in excellent agreement with the experimental results. Co-crystal formation and cocrystal compositions were confirmed by X-ray diffraction measurements as well as by FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy measurements. The quantitative processing of DSC measurements rationalizes and deepens the scientific aspects underlying the so-called Tammann's triangle and constitutes a model of general validity. The work shows that DSC has enormous potential, which however can be fully exploited only by paying adequate attention to the experimental aspects and the quantitative processing of the measurements.

The Physico-Chemical Properties of Glipizide: New Findings.

The present work is a concrete example of how physico-chemical studies, if performed in depth, are crucial to understand the behavior of pharmaceutical solids and constitute a solid basis for the control of the reproducibility of the industrial batches. In particular, a deep study of the thermal behavior of glipizide, a hypoglycemic drug, was carried out with the aim of clarifying whether the recognition of its polymorphic forms can really be done on the basis of the endothermic peak that the literature studies attribute to the melting of the compound. A number of analytical techniques were used: thermal techniques (DSC, TGA), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), FT-IR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Great attention was paid to the experimental design and to the interpretation of the combined results obtained by all these techniques. We proved that the attribution of the endothermic peak shown by glipizide to its melting was actually wrong. The DSC peak is no doubt triggered by a decomposition process that involves gas evolution (cyclohexanamine and carbon dioxide) and formation of 5-methyl-N-[2-(4-sulphamoylphenyl) ethyl] pyrazine-2-carboxamide, which remains as decomposition residue. Thermal treatments properly designed and the combined use of DSC with FT-IR and XRPD led to identifying a new polymorphic form of 5-methyl-N-[2-(4-sulphamoylphenyl) ethyl] pyrazine-2-carboxamide, which is obtained by crystallization from the melt. Hence, our results put into evidence that the check of the polymorphic form of glipizide cannot be based on the temperature values of the DSC peak, since such a peak is due to a decomposition process whose Tonset value is strongly affected by the particle size. Kinetic studies of the decomposition process show the high stability of solid glipizide at room temperature.

Enhancing the Pharmaceutical Behavior of Nateglinide by Cocrystallization: Physicochemical Assessment of Cocrystal Formation and Informed Use of Differential Scanning Calorimetry for Its Quantitative Characterization.

The aim of this study was to synthetize cocrystals of nateglinide, an antidiabetic agent of biopharmaceutics classification system Class IIa, as a strategy to improve both the solubility and the dissolution rate of the drug. Benzamide was selected by a screening procedure as a suitable coformer, and binary mixtures with different compositions were prepared and analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). An in-depth analysis of DSC data allowed obtaining both the eutectic mixture and cocrystal compositions. The rationale of such an analysis was highlighted and explained. Cocrystals were prepared by kneading and solvent evaporation. Their formation was proved by DSC and confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The functional groups involved in the interaction leading to cocrystals formation were investigated by spectroscopic techniques. The in vitro dissolution profiles show that cocrystals have definite better pharmaceutical performances than the pure drug.

Multicomponent crystals of gliclazide and tromethamine: preparation, physico-chemical, and pharmaceutical characterization.

OBJECTIVE: To improve the pharmaceutical behavior of the oral antidiabetic agent gliclazide through the synthesis of multicomponent crystals with tromethamine. METHODS: Multicomponent crystals were prepared by solvent evaporation method, kneading, and combining mechanical and thermal activation. DSC, FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, SEM-EDS, and SSNMR were used to investigate their formation. Measurements of solubility and dissolution rate were carried out for the pharmaceutical characterization. RESULTS: The formation of multicomponent crystals of gliclazide and tromethamine was confirmed by all the techniques. In particular, FT-IR and NMR measurements revealed that the interaction between drug and coformer leads to significant changes of the hydrogen bond scheme, and that almost all the functional groups of the two molecules are involved. The dissolution profile of the new phase is significantly better than that of both pure gliclazide and of the reference commercial product Diabrezide®. CONCLUSIONS: The new system shows an improved pharmaceutical behavior and could be formulated in a dosage form to obtain a rapid and complete release of the drug available for absorption.

Optimal hydrogen storage in sodium substituted lithium fullerides.

Through the substitution of Li with Na in Li6C60, we synthesized a series of mixed alkali cluster intercalated fullerides, NaxLi6-xC60. These compounds share lattices of Na6C60 and Li6C60 with a cubic parameter linearly dependent on x. H2 absorption and desorption were studied by means of charge/discharge kinetic measurements and coupled calorimetric-manometric evaluation. By varying the stoichiometry, we found the best compromise among the absorption rate, temperature and amount of hydrogen for x = 0.5 and 1. Small concentrations of Na substituted to Li significantly lower the absorption temperature of Li6C60, improving the hydrogenation capacity, the kinetics, and the dehydrogenation enthalpy, the latter being 43.8 kJ mol-1 H2 for x = 1. This study moves further toward the utilization of intercalated fullerides for hydrogen storage applications.

Electrospun fibers as potential carrier systems for enhanced drug release of perphenazine.

Solubility represents an important challenge for formulation of drugs, because the therapeutic efficacy of a drug depends on the bioavailability and ultimately on its solubility. Low aqueous solubility is one of the main issues related with formulation design and development of new molecules. Many drug molecules present bioavailability problems due to their poor solubility. For this reason there is a great interest in the development of new carrier systems able to enhance the dissolution of poorly water-soluble drugs. In this work, fibers containing an insoluble model drug and prepared by an electrospinning method, are proposed and evaluated to solve this problem. Two hydrophilic polymers, polyvinylpyrrolidone (Plasdone® K29/32) and polyvinyl caprolactam-polyvinyl acetate-polyethylene glycol graft copolymer (Soluplus®) were used to increase the water solubility of perphenazine. The physico-chemical characterization suggests that the drug loaded in the fibers is in the amorphous state. Both polymeric carriers are effective to promote the drug dissolution rate in water, where this active pharmaceutical ingredient is insoluble, due to the fine dispersion of the drug into the polymeric matrices, obtained with this production technique. In fact, the dissolution profiles of the fibers, compared to the simple physical mixture of the two components, and to the reference commercial product Trilafon® 8mg tablets, show that a strong enhancement of the drug dissolution rate can be achieved with the electrospinning technique.

Fabrication, Physico-Chemical, and Pharmaceutical Characterization of Budesonide-Loaded Electrospun Fibers for Drug Targeting to the Colon.

The objective of this study was to fabricate and characterize electrospun fibers loaded with budesonide with the aim of controlling its release in the gastrointestinal tract. Budesonide is a nonhalogenated glucocorticosteroid drug, highly effective in the treatment of some inflammatory bowel diseases with local action throughout ileum and colon. At this aim, Eudragit® S 100, a polymer soluble at pH > 7, commonly used for enteric release of drugs, has been successfully spun into ultrafine fibers loaded with Budesonide (B) at 9% and 20% (w/w) using the electrospinning process. The physico-chemical characterization by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, FTIR spectroscopy, and thermal analyses indicated the amorphous nature of budesonide in the electrospun systems. Dissolution rate measurements using a pH-change method showed negligible drug dissolved at pH 1.0 and sustained release at pH 7.2. Therefore, the pharmaceutical systems proposed, made of fibers, represent an effective method for drug targeting to terminal ileum and colon with the aim of improving the local efficacy of this drug.

Mechanochemical synthesis of bumetanide-4-aminobenzoic acid molecular cocrystals: a facile and green approach to drug optimization.

Molecular cocrystals are of growing interest in pharmaceutics for their improved physicochemical properties. Their mechanochemical synthesis is very promising, being easy, cheap, and "green". Here, for the first time, we report on cocrystallization of bumetanide, a diuretic and natriuretic active principle, and 4-aminobenzoic acid. The synthesis is performed both by wet and dry grinding. The cocrystal formation was investigated with a wide range of techniques, including solid-state NMR, IR, XRD, microscopy, and thermal analysis. Wet and dry grinding procedures led to different cocrystal polymorphs. In particular, the dry method gave a cocrystal by powder amorphization and subsequent crystallization. DFT calculations at the B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) level of theory shed light on the H-bond scheme at the basis of cocrystal formation. The cocrystals showed improved solubility and dissolution rate with respect to the drug alone. This could guarantee a faster absorption and a better bioavailability of the active principle.

Preparation and physicochemical characterization of acyclovir cocrystals with improved dissolution properties.

Acyclovir is a well-known antiviral agent. It can be administered in very high doses (from 200 to 1000 mg even three-four times daily). It has absorption problems mainly due to its poor solubility in water (about 0.2 g/100 mL at 25°C) and its oral bioavailability is approximately 15%-20% with a half-life of about 3 h. To improve acyclovir solubility and/or its dissolution properties, two cocrystals of this drug were successfully produced with glutaric acid (AGA1:1) and fumaric acid (AFA1:1) as conformers, using a cogrinding method. Their effective formation was investigated by a broad range of techniques: thermal analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, solid state nuclear magnetic resonance, and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry. The water solubility of the AGA1:1 cocrystal was not improved in comparison to acyclovir, while AFA1:1 showed a slight increased solubility at equilibrium. The main difference was detected in terms of intrinsic dissolution rates (IDR). The IDR of the new phases were much faster compared with acyclovir, particularly at neutral pH. AFA1:1 showed the most rapid dissolution behavior in water; within 10 min, the drug was released completely, while just 60% of acyclovir was dissolved in 1 h.

Structure and properties of domperidone and its succinate salt.

This paper describes the structure and properties of the drug domperidone and a novel 1:1 domperidone succinate salt. The new salt is characterized by means of thermal, spectroscopic, microscopic and powder diffraction measurements. The crystal structures of the salt and, for the first time, of pure domperidone have been determined by means of single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In both structures, the piperidine ring of domperidone adopts the expected chair conformation, and supramolecular centrosymmetric R2(2)(8) motifs are formed by N-H...O hydrogen bonds between chlorine-substituted oxobenzimidazolyl groups. Further N-H...O hydrogen bonds occur between non-substituted oxobenzimidazolyl groups and the resulting C(4) motifs originates hydrogen-bonded chains, extending along the crystallographic b axis. In the salt, a single N-H...O hydrogen bond forms between the protonated nitrogen of the piperidine ring and the carboxylic O atom of the succinate ion. Two alternative and mutually exclusive positions for the nonsubstituted oxobenzimidazolyl group have also been observed; this disorder makes the hydrogen-bonded chains originating from the bicyclic group polar. The dissolution behaviour of the salt in dosage form is compared with two reference commercial products. The salt shows an increased solubility, a characteristic that could be of great advantage from a pharmaceutical view point.

An experimental and theoretical investigation of loperamide hydrochloride-glutaric acid cocrystals.

Cocrystallization is a powerful method to improve the physicochemical properties of drugs. Loperamide hydrochloride is a topical analgesic for the gastrointestinal tract showing low and pH-dependent solubility; for this reason, an enhancement of its solubility or dissolution rate, particularly at the pH of the intestinal tract, could improve its local efficacy. Here we prepared cocrystals of this active principle with glutaric acid and so obtained a new crystalline solid representing a viable alternative to improve the physicochemical properties and thus the pharmaceutical behavior of the drug. Differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier infrared spectroscopy, solid-state NMR, and scanning electron microscopy coupled to the energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry were used to investigate the new solid-phase formation. DFT calculations at B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory, in the gas phase, including frequencies computation, provided a rationale for the interaction between loperamide hydrochloride and glutaric acid. The cocrystals showed improved water solubility in comparison with loperamide HCl, and the pharmaceutical formulation proposed was able to release the drug more rapidly in comparison with three reference commercial products when tested at neutral pH values.

Thermal, spectroscopic, and ab initio structural characterization of carprofen polymorphs.

Commercial and recrystallized polycrystalline samples of carprofen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, were studied by thermal, spectroscopic, and structural techniques. Our investigations demonstrated that recrystallized sample, stable at room temperature (RT), is a single polymorphic form of carprofen (polymorph I) that undergoes an isostructural polymorphic transformation by heating (polymorph II). Polymorph II remains then metastable at ambient conditions. Commercial sample is instead a mixture of polymorphs I and II. The thermodynamic relationships between the two polymorphs were determined through the construction of an energy/temperature diagram. The ab initio structural determination performed on synchrotron X-Ray powder diffraction patterns recorded at RT on both polymorphs allowed us to elucidate, for the first time, their crystal structure. Both crystallize in the monoclinic space group type P2(1) /c, and the unit cell similarity index and the volumetric isostructurality index indicate that the temperature-induced polymorphic transformation I → II is isostructural. Polymorphs I and II are conformational polymorphs, sharing a very similar hydrogen bond network, but with different conformation of the propanoic skeleton, which produces two different packing. The small conformational change agrees with the low value of transition enthalpy obtained by differential scanning calorimetry measurements and the small internal energy computed with density functional methods.

Charge storage and the oxygen evolution reaction in mixed Ni-Li oxides.

Electronic and catalytic properties of mixed oxides of Ni-Li are studied at room temperature with NMR and with electrochemical techniques in alkaline solutions. Our Li(x)Ni(1-x)O (0.04 < or = x < or = 0.2) samples have an f.c.c crystal structure, are in an anti-ferromagnetic phase, and exhibit a substantial conductivity due to a hole-hopping process with a characteristic rate which is essentially independent of composition. Several processes of reduction and oxidation occur in the voltage region between the hydrogen (HER) and oxygen evolution (OER) reactions, which are compared with related phenomena observed in pure Ni electrodes (Ni(OH)2 and NiO). Repeated cycles of reduction and oxidation yield electrodes with a somewhat improved OER activity, and a high charge-storage capacity. Heavy anodic treatments cause irreversible changes of these properties, particularly when coupled with months-long storage in air. The complex behavior of these electrodes is interpreted in terms of formation of a topotactic surface layer with hydrogenated species.

Effect of hyperbarism on radiofrequency ablation outcome.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to investigate whether increases in atmospheric or local tissue pressure would affect the outcome of radiofrequency ablation procedures and the size of the created thermal lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thermal lesions were produced in specimens of explanted bovine liver inside a hyperbaric chamber at 101 (atmospheric), 141, 202, 273, and 364 kPa using radiofrequency power settings of 20, 30, 40, and 50 W. In subsequent in vivo experiments, thermal lesions were produced in the livers of anesthetized pigs with or without occlusion of the hepatic vein draining the ablation site. RESULTS: At each radiofrequency power setting, progressive increases in applied pressure were paralleled by decreases in minimum impedance and increases in maximum tissue temperatures at the electrode tip (reflecting tissue-fluid boiling points), delivery time, total energy delivered, and thermal lesion volumes. Similar increases were observed in radiofrequency ablation procedures performed in vivo under occlusion of the vein draining the ablation site. CONCLUSION: By elevating the tissue-fluid boiling point, increased pressure delays the desiccation of tissue in contact with the radiofrequency electrode tip and the related sharp increase in impedance. The result is prolonged delivery of larger amounts of radiofrequency energy and larger thermal lesions.