The difference between partitioning and distribution from a thermodynamic point of view: NSAIDs as an example

Health is the greatest wealth: Quest for a diagnostic check for thermochemistry of pure drug compounds

The development of pharmaceutical formulations and the optimisation of drug synthesis are not possible without knowledge of thermodynamics. At the same time, the quantity and quality of the available data is not at a level that meets modern requirements. A convenient diagnostic approach is desirable to assess the quality of available experimental thermodynamic data of drugs. A comprehensive set of available data on phase transitions of profens family drugs was analysed using new complementary measurements and structure-property correlations. The consistent sets of solid-gas, liquid-gas and solid-liquid phase transitions were evaluated for twelve active pharmaceutical ingredients based on alkanoic acid derivatives and recommended for the calculations of the pharmaceutical processes. A "centerpiece approach" proposed in this work helped to perform the "health check" of the thermochemical data. The evaluated data on the sublimation enthalpies were used to derive the crystal lattice energies of the profens and to correlate the water solubilities with the sublimation vapour pressures and molecular parameters. A "paper-and-pen" approach proposed in this work can be extended to the diagnosis of "sick" or "healthy" thermodynamic data for drugs with a different structure than those studied in this work.

Supercritical fluid-assisted preparation of imprinted contact lenses for drug delivery

The aim of this work was to develop an innovative supercritical fluid (SCF)-assisted molecular imprinting method to endow commercial soft contact lenses (SCLs) with the ability to load specific drugs and to control their release. This approach seeks to overcome the limitation of the common loading of preformed SCLs by immersion in concentrated drug solutions (only valid for highly water soluble drugs) and of the molecular imprinting methods that require choice of the drug before polymerization and thus to create drug-tailored networks. In particular, we focused on improving the flurbiprofen load/release capacity of daily wear Hilafilcon B commercial SCLs by the use of sequential SCF flurbiprofen impregnation and extraction steps. Supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) impregnation assays were performed at 12.0 MPa and 40 °C, while scCO2 extractions were performed at 20.0 MPa and 40 °C. Conventional flurbiprofen sorption and drug removal experiments in aqueous solutions were carried out for comparison purposes. SCF-processed SCLs showed a recognition ability and a higher affinity for flurbiprofen in aqueous solution than for the structurally related ibuprofen and dexamethasone, which suggests the creation of molecularly imprinted cavities driven by both physical (swelling/plasticization) and chemical (carbonyl groups in the network with the C-F group in the drug) interactions. Processing with scCO2 did not alter some of the critical functional properties of SCLs (glass transition temperature, transmittance, oxygen permeability, contact angle), enabled the control of drug loaded/released amounts (by the application of several consecutive processing cycles) and permitted the preparation of hydrophobic drug-based therapeutic SCLs in much shorter process times than those using conventional aqueous-based molecular imprinting methods.

The SAMPL2 blind prediction challenge: introduction and overview

The interactions between a molecule and the aqueous environment underpin any process that occurs in solution, from simple chemical reactions to protein-ligand binding to protein aggregation. Fundamental measures of the interaction between molecule and aqueous phase, such as the transfer energy between gas phase and water or the energetic difference between two tautomers of a molecule in solution, remain nontrivial to predict accurately using current computational methods. SAMPL2 represents the third annual blind prediction of transfer energies, and the first time tautomer ratios were included in the challenge. Over 60 sets of predictions were submitted, and each participant also attempted to estimate the error in their predictions, a task that proved difficult for most. The results of this blind assessment of the state of the field for transfer energy and tautomer ratio prediction both indicate where the field is performing well and point out flaws in current methods.

Influence of position and size of substituents on the mechanism of partitioning: a thermodynamic study on acetaminophens, hydroxybenzoic acids, and parabens

The objective of the present investigation was to study the influence of size, nature, and topology of substituents on the thermodynamic characteristics of sublimation, fusion, solubility, solvation, and partitioning processes of some drug and druglike molecules. Thermodynamic functions of sublimation process 2-acetaminophen and 3-acetaminophen were obtained on the basis of temperature dependencies of vapor pressure by the transpiration method. Thermodynamic characteristics of solubility processes in water, n-octanol, and n-hexane were calculated from the temperature dependencies of solubility using the solubility saturation method. For evaluation of fusion parameters, differential scanning calorimetry was used. A new approach to distinguishing specific and nonspecific energetic terms in the crystal lattice was developed. Specific and nonspecific solvation terms were distinguished using the transfer from the "inert" n-hexane to the other solvents. For the acetaminophen compounds and for some related drug molecules, the correlation between melting points and a parameter describing the ratio between specific and nonspecific interaction in the crystal lattices was obtained. A diagram enabling analysis of the mechanism of the partitioning process was applied. It was found that for isomers of benzoic acids and for acetaminophens, the position of substituents affects the mechanism of the partitioning process but not the extent of partitioning (DeltaG(tr)(0) values). In contrast to this, an increased size of substituents (parabens) leads to essential changes in DeltaG(tr)(0) values, but the mechanism of the partitioning process stays the same.

Energetic Aspects of Diclofenac Acid in Crystal Modifications and in Solutions—Mechanism of Solvation, Partitioning and Distribution

Temperature dependency of saturated vapor pressure and heat capacity for the diclofenac acid (Form II) were measured and thermodynamic functions of sublimation calculated (DeltaG(sub)(298) = 49.3 kJ x mol(-1); DeltaH(sub)(298) = 115.6 +/- 1.3 kJ x mol(-1); DeltaS(sub)(298) = 222 +/- 4 J x mol(-1) x K(-1)). Crystal polymorphic Forms I (P2(1)/c) and II (C2/c) of diclofenac acid have been prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction experiments. The difference between crystal lattice energies of the two forms were obtained by solution calorimetry: DeltaDeltaH(sol)(I --> II) = 1.6 +/- 0.4 kJ x mol(-1). Temperature dependencies of the solubility in buffers with pH 2.0 and 7.4, n-octanol and n-hexane were measured. The thermodynamic functions of solubility, solvation, and transfer processes were deduced. Specific and non-specific solvation terms were distinguished using the transfer from the "inert" n-hexane to the other solvents. The transfer of diclofenac acid molecules from the buffers to n-octanol (partitioning and distribution) is an entropy driven process.

Thermodynamic properties of flufenamic and niflumic acids--specific and non-specific interactions in solution and in crystal lattices, mechanism of solvation, partitioning and distribution

Temperature dependency of saturated vapour pressure and the thermochemical characteristics of the fusion process were measured for flufenamic acid and niflumic acid, and thermodynamic functions of sublimation, fusion and evaporation calculated. An approach to split specific and non-specific energetic terms in crystal lattices is developed. The melting points of the considered molecules correlate with the ratio between specific and non-specific interactions in crystal lattices. Temperature dependencies of the solubility in buffers with pH 2.0 and 7.4, in n-octanol and in n-hexane were measured. The thermodynamic functions of solubility, solvation and transfer processes were deduced. Specific and non-specific solvation terms were distinguished by the transfer from "inert"n-hexane to the other solvents. Comparison of the ratio between specific and non-specific interactions in solid state and in the solutions was carried out. A diagram to analyse energetic terms of partitioning and distribution processes is introduced.