Synthesis of the cholesteryl ester prodrugs cholesteryl ibuprofen and cholesteryl flufenamate and their formulation into phospholipid microemulsions.

Phospholipid micoremulsions have been suggested as a drug-delivery system for hydrophobic compounds. In this study hydrophobicity was achieved by derivatizing with cholesterol. Cholesteryl ibuprofen (3) and cholesteryl flufenamate (4) were synthesized. 3 was isolated as an amorphous, white solid with a melting range of 114-120 degrees C. 4 was isolated as a crystalline, white solid with a melting range of 145-148 degrees C. The proposed structures of 3 and 4 were supported by IR, NMR, MS, and organic microanalysis. Phospholipid:cholesteryl ester microemulsions were prepared by the addition of a 1-propanol solution of the cholesteryl ester, other lipids, and phospholipid to a rapidly mixing KCl/KBr solution. The hydrophobic phase was modified by the addition of cholesteryl oleate or triolein to study the effect of the fluidity of the hydrophobic core on the formation of the microemulsions. The results indicated that a molar ratio of 75:25 and a total lipid concentration of 60 mg/mL consistently gave microemulsions with a mean size of 100-150 nm. In addition, the formation of eutectic mixtures of 3 and 4 with cholesteryl oleate were determined to be 16% (w/w) for 3 and 12% (w/w) for 4; melting points were 35.2 and 45.2 degrees C, respectively. The solubilities of 3 and 4 in triolein were determined to be 13.2% (w/w) and 11.5% (w/w), respectively. Other investigators have shown that if the core of a phospholipid:cholesteryl estermicroemulsion exists in a liquid state at physiologic temperature, the turnover of the cholesteryl esters from these microemulsions occurs at a faster rate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Simultaneous determination of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, chlorpheniramine maleate, and dextromethorphan hydrobromide by second-derivative photodiode array spectroscopy.

The simultaneous determination of the active ingredients in multicomponent pharmaceutical products normally requires the use of a separation technique, such as HPLC or GC, followed by quantitation. Presented here is a rapid, validated, analytical method that does not require prior separation for the simultaneous determination of three drugs, pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, chlorpheniramine maleate, and dextromethorphan hydrobromide, in a tablet formulation. A diode array spectrophotometer, capable of multicomponent analysis, was used for the quantitation. The utility of this method was demonstrated in two ways: the analysis of a chewable pediatric tablet (formulation CP) containing 7.5 mg of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, 0.5 mg of chlorpheniramine maleate, and 2.5 mg of dextromethorphan hydrobromide, and the dissolution analysis of a hydroxypropyl methylcellulose-based sustained-release tablet (formulation SR) containing 120 mg of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, 8 mg of chlorpheniramine maleate, and 60 mg of dextromethorphan hydrobromide. The sensitivity of this assay is 7.5 micrograms/mL for pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, 1.0 micrograms/mL for chlorpheniramine maleate, and 5.0 micrograms/mL for dextromethorphan hydrobromide, using the second-derivative spectra of the absorbance with respect to wavelength. Determinations were made in 0.1 M sodium acetate buffer at pH 5.0 using a 1-cm quartz cell. Absorbance spectra, and their first and second derivatives, from 240 to 300 nm were used for the determination. The results obtained by this method compared favorably with the results obtained by a validated HPLC method.