Oral Dosage Form Flashcards
Define dissolution
Disintegration of granules into fine particles
When does [C] fall?
When absorption is dissolution rate limited due to absorption or partitioning of the drug.
What happens when [C] falls?
Drug molecules are immediately replaced and rapidly saturate the diffusion layer, as drug diffuses away from the saturated layer into bulk fluids
What can cause the pH of the unstirred diffusion layer to be different
- Over predicting ionisation and dissolution of weak acids and weak bases
- Dissolution rate of weak acid in the stomach is low because of low solubility of the drug in the diffusion layer
How may the diffusion layer pH be increased?
By forming an alkaline salt of the weak acid
How do small hydrophilic compounds permeate?
Paracellularly
How do lipophilic molecules permeate?
Transcellularly
What does the pH partition hypothesis of absorption of ionised drugs depend on?
Ka or pKa and partition coefficient (P)
What is pKa defined as?
The pH at which [ionised] = [unionised]
What is distribution coefficient (D) defined as?
What does it depend on?
An ‘effective’ partition coefficient, accounting for the degree of ionisation
Depends on pH and is related to P for a weakly basic drug
Can be approximated at any pH using pKa of a drug
What is the equation of carrier-mediated transport absorption rate?
Vmax*C / Km + C
What is Vmax?
The constant relating to the maximum rate of transport or saturate of the carriers
What is Km?
The constant relating to the affinity of the carrier binding of the drug
What effect does food have on gastric emptying?
Decreases it
Blood flow increases when stimulated by gastric secretions
What happens when a weakly basic drug enters the stomach?
Food increases time for dissolution, the acidity increases the percentage protonated base and increases the solubility of the drug
The charged base is less lipophilic and is less permeable
What happens when a weakly basic drug enters the small intestine?
The percentage of the protonated based reduces, as does the solubility, therefore precipitates are more likely to form.
What happens when a weakly acidic drug enters the stomach?
Food increases time for dissolution, acidity of the stomach increases the percentage of uncharged acid.
The molecule becomes more lipophilic and permeable but it’s solubility decreases and precipitation may occur
What happens when a weakly acidic drug enters the small intestine?
The percentage of uncharged acid reduces, ionisation increases and solubility increases
The charged acid is less lipophilic and has a lower partition into liquid.
Rapid blood flow maintains high diffusion gradient for solubilised and permeable fraction of the drug
Discuss very weak acids (pKa>8) in terms of ionisation, solubility and permeability
Unionised at most pH values
Solubility may be poor / not really affected by pH
Permeability is okay but may be affected by pH
Discuss moderately weak acids (pKa 2.5 - 7.5) in terms of ionisation, solubility and permeability
Unionised at gastric level, ionised at intestinal pH
Solubility poor in the stomach and improved in the small intestine
Permeability is okay in the stomach but may be decreased in the small intestine
Discuss stronger acids (pKa<2) in terms of ionisation, solubility and permeability
Ionised at most pH values
Solubility and Permeability may be okay or mildly affected by pH
Discuss very weak bases (pKa<7) in terms of ionisation, solubility and permeability
Unionised at most pH values
Solubility may be poor and may be improved at acid pH
Permeability may be okay but decreases in the stomach
Discuss moderately weak bases (pKa 7 - 10) in terms of ionisation, solubility and permeability
Ionised as gastric pH, largely unionised at intestinal pH
Solubility okay in GI but decreased in the intestine
Permeability is poor in the stomach but improves in the intestine