The dissolution profiles and solubilities of three quinolonic drugs (oxolinic, pipemidic, and nalidixic acids) in different solvent mixtures were studied. The behavior of the solid phase, during solubility experiments was in-depth investigated with the aim of detecting possible crystalline modifications, such as polymorphic transitions or solvate formations, that might modify drug stability and/or solubility properties. In order to test the influence of both the nature and polarity of the co-solvents, aqueous and non-aqueous binary mixtures have been prepared by using Lewis base (dioxane and ethyl acetate) and amphiprotic co-solvents (ethanol and water). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), hot stage microscopy, IR spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction were used in combination with solubility and dissolution studies to characterize and investigate the solid state properties of the original powders and the corresponding ones at equilibrium with the different pure solvents and solvent mixtures examined. The solid phases of nalidixic and oxolinic acids did not show any change after equilibration with the various pure solvents or binary solvent mixtures, regardless the chemical nature of the examined solvents. On the contrary, in the case of pipemidic acid, the different analytical techniques used to characterize the drug solid state enabled identification of a solvated form at equilibrium with pure dioxane and a trihydrated form in aqueous mixtures of water with both ethanol (amphiprotic) or dioxane (Lewis base) in a concentration range from 10 to 100% water.
Copyright 2004 Elsevier B.V.