In Situ Monitoring of Competitive Coformer Exchange Reaction by 1H MAS Solid-State NMR

In a competitive coformer exchange reaction, a recent topic of interest in pharmaceutical research, the coformer in a pharmaceutical cocrystal is exchanged with another coformer that is expected to form a cocrystal that is more stable. There will be a competition between coformers to form the most stable product through the formation of hydrogen bonds. This will cause destabilization of the pharmaceutical products during processing or storage. Therefore, it is important to develop a mechanistic understanding of this transformation by monitoring each and every step of the reaction, employing a technique such as 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). In this study, an in situ monitoring of a coformer exchange reaction is carried out by 1H magic angle spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR (SSNMR) at a spinning frequency of 60 kHz. The changes in caffeine maleic acid cocrystals on addition of glutaric acid and caffeine glutaric cocrystals on addition of maleic acid were monitored. In all of the reactions, it has been observed that caffeine glutaric acid Form I is formed. When glutaric acid was added to 2:1 caffeine maleic acid, the formation of metastable 1:1 caffeine glutaric acid Form I was observed at the start of the experiment, indicating that the centrifugal pressure is enough for the formation. The difference in the end product of the reactions with a similar reaction pathway of 1:1 and 2:1 reactant stoichiometry indicates that a complete replacement of maleic acid has occurred only in the 1:1 stoichiometry of the reactants. The polymorphic transition of caffeine glutaric acid Form II to Form I at higher temperatures was a crucial reason that triggered the exchange of glutaric acid with maleic acid in the reaction of caffeine glutaric acid and maleic acid. Our results are novel since the new reaction pathways in competitive coformer exchange reactions enabled understanding the remarkable role of stoichiometry, polymorphism, temperature, and centrifugal pressure.

Fabrication of Carbamazepine Cocrystals: Characterization, In Vitro and Comparative In Vivo Evaluation

Carbamazepine (CBZ) is an antiepileptic drug having low bioavailability due to its hydrophobic nature. In the current study, efforts are made to investigate the effect of dicarboxylic acid coformer spacer groups (aliphatic chain length) on physicochemical properties, relative humidity (RH) stability, and oral bioavailability of CBZ cocrystals. Slurry crystallization technique was employed for the preparation of CBZ cocrystals with the following coformers: adipic (AA), glutaric (GA), succinic (SA), and malonic acid (MA). Powder X-ray diffractometry and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed cocrystal preparation. Physicochemical properties, RH stability, and oral bioavailability of cocrystals were investigated. Among the prepared cocrystals, CBZ-GA showed maximum solubility as well as improved dissolution profile (CBZ-GA > CBZ-MA > CBZ-AA > pure CBZ > CBZ-SA) in ethanol. Maximum RH stability was shown by CBZ-AA, CBZ-SA, and CBZ-MA. In vivo studies confirmed boosted oral bioavailability of cocrystals compared to pure CBZ. Furthermore, in vivo studies depicted the oral bioavailability order of cocrystals as CBZ-GA > CBZ-MA > Tegral® > CBZ-AA > CBZ-SA > pure CBZ. Thus, pharmaceutical scientists can effectively employ cocrystallization technique for tuning physicochemical properties of hydrophobic drugs to achieve the desired oral bioavailability. Overall, results reflect no consistent effect of spacer group on physicochemical properties, RH stability, and oral bioavailability of cocrystals.

Comparison of the relative stability of pharmaceutical cocrystals consisting of paracetamol and dicarboxylic acids

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to evaluate the relative stability of pharmaceutical cocrystals consisting of paracetamol (APAP) and oxalic acid (OXA) or maleic acid (MLA).

SIGNIFICANCE

These observations of cocrystal stability under various conditions are useful coformer criteria when cocrystals are selected as the active pharmaceutical ingredient in drug development.

METHOD

The relative stability was determined from the preferentially formed cocrystals under various conditions.

RESULT

Cocrystal of APAP-OXA was more stable than that of APAP-MLA in a ternary cogrinding system and possessed thermodynamical stability. On the other hand, when grinding with moisture or maintaining at high temperatures and relative humidity conditions, APAP-MLA was more stable, and OXA converted to OXA dihydrate. In the slurry method, APAP-OXA was more stable in aprotic solvents because the APAP-OXA with low-solubility product precipitated.

CONCLUSIONS

The relative stability order was affected by preparing conditions of presence of moisture. This order might attribute to the small difference of crystal structure in the extension of the hydrogen bond network.