Impact of the Dicarboxylic Acid Chain Length on Intermolecular Interactions with Lidocaine

Acid-base multicomponent systems have become a popular choice as a strategy to fine-tune the physicochemical properties of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Current prediction tools based on the principles of anticrystal engineering cannot always accurately predict the nature of intermolecular interactions within a multicomponent system. Even small changes in the physicochemical parameters of parent components can result in unexpected outcomes, and many salt, cocrystal, and ionic liquid forms are still being discovered empirically. In this work, we aimed to establish structural consistency in a series of mixtures comprising lidocaine (LID) with decanedioic, undecanedioic, dodecanedioic, and tridecanedioic acids and to explore how length and flexibility of the acid carbon backbone affect the molecular recognition, crystallization, and thermal behavior of the expected binary systems. We found that neat grinding of LID with dicarboxylic acids results in the formation of eutectic phases. The observed eutectic melting points deviated from the ideal eutectic temperatures predicted by the Schroeder van Laar model because of hydrogen bonding between the reacting components within the mixtures. Furthermore, thermal and infrared analysis provided evidence for the possible formation of new phases stemming from partial ionization of the counterions. Besides, the structure of a previously undetermined form I of the tridecanedioic acid was solved by single crystal X-ray diffraction.

Anticrystal Engineering of Ketoprofen and Ester Local Anesthetics: Ionic Liquids or Deep Eutectic Mixtures?

Ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic mixtures (DEMs) are potential solutions to the problems of low solubility, polymorphism, and low bioavailability of drugs. The aim of this work was to develop and investigate ketoprofen (KET)-based ILs/DEMs containing an ester local anesthetic (LA): benzocaine (BEN), procaine (PRO) and tetracaine (TET) as the second component. ILs/DEMs were prepared via a mechanosynthetic process that involved the mixing of KET with an LA in a range of molar ratios and applying a thermal treatment. After heating above the melting point and quench cooling, the formation of supercooled liquids with Tgs that were dependent on the composition was observed for all KET-LA mixtures with exception of that containing 95 mol% of BEN. The KET-LA mixtures containing either ≥ 60 mol% BEN or 95 mol% of TET showed crystallization to BEN and TET, respectively, during either cooling or second heating. KET decreased the crystallization tendency of BEN and TET and increased their glass-forming ability. The KET-PRO systems showed good glass-forming ability and did not crystallize either during the cooling or during the second heating cycle irrespective of the composition. Infrared spectroscopy and molecular modeling indicated that KET and LAs formed DEMs, but in the KET-PRO systems small quantities of carboxylate anions were present.

The effect of electrostatic interactions on the formation of pharmaceutical eutectics

We have investigated two anesthetic agents, lidocaine hydrochloride (LD-HCl) and prilocaine hydrochloride (PRL-HCl), as well as their unionized counterparts, to explore the effect of intermolecular interactions on the formation and thermodynamic properties of eutectic mixtures.

Antioxidant Activity of Magnolol and Honokiol: Kinetic and Mechanistic Investigations of Their Reaction with Peroxyl Radicals

Magnolol and honokiol, the bioactive phytochemicals contained in Magnolia officinalis, are uncommon antioxidants bearing isomeric bisphenol cores substituted with allyl functions. We have elucidated the chemistry behind their antioxidant activity by experimental and computational methods. In the inhibited autoxidation of cumene and styrene at 303 K, magnolol trapped four peroxyl radicals, with a kinh of 6.1 × 10(4) M(-1) s(-1) in chlorobenzene and 6.0 × 10(3) M(-1) s(-1) in acetonitrile, and honokiol trapped two peroxyl radicals in chlorobenzene (kinh = 3.8 × 10(4) M(-1) s(-1)) and four peroxyl radicals in acetonitrile (kinh = 9.5 × 10(3) M(-1) s(-1)). Their different behavior arises from a combination of intramolecular hydrogen bonding among the reactive OH groups (in magnolol) and of the OH groups with the aromatic and allyl π-systems, as confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy and DFT calculations. Comparison with structurally related 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbiphenyl-4,4'-diol, 2-allylphenol, and 2-allylanisole allowed us to exclude that the antioxidant behavior of magnolol and honokiol is due to the allyl groups. The reaction of the allyl group with a peroxyl radical (C-H hydrogen abstraction) proceeds with rate constant of 1.1 M(-1) s(-1) at 303 K. Magnolol and honokiol radicals do not react with molecular oxygen and produce no superoxide radical under the typical settings of inhibited autoxidations.