Phase solubility investigation and theoretical calculations on drug-drug cocrystals of carbamazepine with Emodin, Paeonol

An analysis of multidrug multicomponent crystals as tools for drug development

In a typical tablet or capsule formulation, the active drug is often present as a crystalline solid. This solid emerges from the relationships between the individual atoms within the crystal, which confer a distinct set of physical properties. Then, it follows that if we modify the packing arrangement of the individual molecules within these crystals, we can modulate their properties. This can be achieved by crystal engineering. Crystal engineering has also seen teams arrange multiple drug molecules within the same crystal, resulting in dramatic improvements to drug properties in the lab. The success of drugs like SEGLENTIS® and Entresto® have revitalised interest in these forms, but controversy surrounding their translation has prompted this reconsideration of their clinical utility. I reflect on the current academic, clinical, and commercial interest in multidrug multicomponent crystals, drawing parallels with developments pre-Bragg, contributing to a nuanced understanding of the potential and limitations of crystal engineering in pharmaceutical applications.

Virtual Screening, Structural Analysis, and Formation Thermodynamics of Carbamazepine Cocrystals

In this study, the existing set of carbamazepine (CBZ) cocrystals was extended through the successful combination of the drug with the positional isomers of acetamidobenzoic acid. The structural and energetic features of the CBZ cocrystals with 3- and 4-acetamidobenzoic acids were elucidated via single-crystal X-ray diffraction followed by QTAIMC analysis. The ability of three fundamentally different virtual screening methods to predict the correct cocrystallization outcome for CBZ was assessed based on the new experimental results obtained in this study and data available in the literature. It was found that the hydrogen bond propensity model performed the worst in distinguishing positive and negative results of CBZ cocrystallization experiments with 87 coformers, attaining an accuracy value lower than random guessing. The method that utilizes molecular electrostatic potential maps and the machine learning approach named CCGNet exhibited comparable results in terms of prediction metrics, albeit the latter resulted in superior specificity and overall accuracy while requiring no time-consuming DFT computations. In addition, formation thermodynamic parameters for the newly obtained CBZ cocrystals with 3- and 4-acetamidobenzoic acids were evaluated using temperature dependences of the cocrystallization Gibbs energy. The cocrystallization reactions between CBZ and the selected coformers were found to be enthalpy-driven, with entropy terms being statistically different from zero. The observed difference in dissolution behavior of the cocrystals in aqueous media was thought to be caused by variations in their thermodynamic stability.

Formation Thermodynamics of Carbamazepine with Benzamide, Para-Hydroxybenzamide and Isonicotinamide Cocrystals: Experimental and Theoretical Study

Formation thermodynamic parameters for three cocrystals of carbamazepine (CBZ) with structurally related coformers (benzamide (BZA), para-hydroxybenzamide (4-OH-BZA) and isonicotinamide (INAM)) were determined by experimental (cocrystal solubility and competitive reaction methods) and computational techniques. The experimental solubility values of cocrystal components at eutectic points and solubility product of cocrystals [CBZ + BZA], [CBZ + 4-OH-BZA], and [CBZ + INAM] in acetonitrile at 293.15 K, 298.15 K, 303.15 K, 308.15 K, and 313.15 K were measured. All the thermodynamic functions (Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, and entropy) of cocrystals formation were evaluated from the experimental data. The crystal structure of [CBZ + BZA] (1:1) cocrystal was solved and analyzed by the single crystal X-ray diffractometry. A correlation between the solubility products and pure coformers solubility values has been found for CBZ cocrystals. The relationship between the entropy term and the molecular volume of the cocrystal formation has been revealed. The effectiveness of the estimation of the cocrystal formation thermodynamic parameters, based on the knowledge of the melting temperatures of active pharmaceutical ingredients, coformers, cocrystals, as well as the sublimation Gibbs energies and enthalpies of the individual components, was proven. A new method for the comparative assessment of the cocrystal stability based on the H-bond propensity analysis was proposed. The experimental and theoretical results on the thermodynamic parameters of the cocrystal formation were shown to be in good agreement. According to the thermodynamic stability, the studied cocrystals can be arranged in the following order: [CBZ + 4-OH-BZA] > [CBZ + BZA] > [CBZ + INAM].

Cocrystals of Praziquantel with Phenolic Acids: Discovery, Characterization, and Evaluation

Solvent-assisted grinding (SAG) and solution slow evaporation (SSE) methods are generally used for the preparation of cocrystals. However, even by using the same solvent, active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), and cocrystal coformer (CCF), the cocrystals prepared using the two methods above are sometimes inconsistent. In the present study, in the cocrystal synthesis of praziquantel (PRA) with polyhydroxy phenolic acid, including protocatechuic acid (PA), gallic acid (GA), and ferulic acid (FA), five different cocrystals were prepared using SAG and SSE. Three of the cocrystals prepared using the SAG method have the structural characteristics of carboxylic acid dimer, and two cocrystals prepared using the SSE method formed cocrystal solvates with the structural characteristics of carboxylic acid monomer. For phenolic acids containing only one phenolic hydroxyl group (ferulic acid), when preparing cocrystals with PRA by using SAG and SSE, the same product was obtained. In addition, the weak molecular interactions that were observed in the cocrystal are explained at the molecular level by using theoretical calculation methods. Finally, the in vitro solubility of cocrystals without crystal solvents and in vivo bioavailability of PRA-FA were evaluated to further understand the influence on the physicochemical properties of API for the introduction of CCF.

Controlled isolation and stabilisation of pure metastable carbamazepine form IV by droplet-confinement via a continuous manufacturing route

This study outlines a systematic approach to control the polymorphism of carbamazepine (CBZ) and isolate the metastable polymorph CBZ form IV as a function of droplet size using spray drying as a continuous method of manufacture.

Phase solubility diagrams and energy surface calculations support the solubility enhancement with low hygroscopicity of Bergenin: 4-Aminobenzamide (1: 1) cocrystal

Herein, we reported a new bergenin: 4-aminobenzamide (BGN-4AM) cocrystal with significantly enhanced solubility and low hygroscopicity probed from two aspects such as phase solubility diagrams and theoretical calculations. Compared with anhydrous BGN, BGN-4AM solubilities in water and different buffer solutions (pH = 1.2, 4.5, 6.8) increase significantly. It is noted that BGN-4AM solubility in pH = 6.8 buffer solution presents 32.7 times higher than anhydrous BGN. Interestingly, BGN-4AM (0.31 ± 0.07%) showcases lower hygroscopicity than anhydrous BGN (9.31 ± 0.16%). The predicted and experimental solubilities agree with each other when considering solubility product (K_sp) and solution binding constant (K₁₁) in phase solubility diagrams, indicating the solution complexes formation occurs. Further crystal surface-water interactions and Bravais, Friedel, Donnay-Harker (BFDH) analyses based on Density Functional Theory with dispersion correction (DFT-d) methods support the enhanced solubility. The water probe demonstrates an average interaction energy of -6.48 kcal/mol on the 002 plane of BGN-4AM, and only -5.47 kcal/mol on the 011 plane of BGN monohydrate. The lower lattice energy of BGN-4AM guarantees its lower hygroscopicity than BGN monohydrate. BGN-4AM with enhanced solubility and low hygroscopicity can be a potential candidate for further formulation development.

New insight into improving the solubility of poorly soluble drugs by preventing the formation of their hydrogen-bonds: a case of dapsone salts with camphorsulfonic and 5-sulfosalicylic acid

The improved solubility of two salts of dapsone (DAP) was investigated from the view point of structures and hydrogen bonding.