Proquazone

A simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of proquazone (PQZ) and its major metabolite, m-hydroxyproquazone, in spiked human plasma and urine was developed. Plasma samples were purified using acetonitrile as a protein precipitant, while urine samples were diluted only with the mobile phase and filtered prior to injection. Samples containing the parent compounds and glafenine (internal standard) were eluted from a reversed-phase C8 column using acetonitrile-0.025 M sodium acetate (60 + 40) adjusted to pH 5 as the mobile phase and detected at 234 nm. Peak area ratios of the analytes versus internal standard were used for calibration. The mean recoveries from plasma and urine samples spiked with PQZ and its m-hydroxy metabolite ranged from 97.87 to 103.88%. The relative standard deviation for the within- and between-day analyses were <4%. The proposed method was applied for the assay of PQZ in laboratory-made tablets.

Proquazone, a poorly wettable compound, was used as a model drug in the search for reasons to develop a capsule or tablet formulation. The capsules were filled with proquazone as active ingredient, with lactose monohydrate (200 mesh) as filler and with magnesium stearate as lubricant. The tablet was made out of a granulate as internal phase which consisted of proquazone as active ingredient, lactose as filler, corn starch as disintegrant and PVP as a binding agent. The external phase consisted of magnesium stearate and corn starch. The concentration of proquazone in the capsule and in the tablet formulation was varied. The capsule formulations showed a significantly slower dissolution of the drug substance than the tablet formulations especially for a high-drug load. Independently of the drug load, only the tablet formulation showed a high-dissolution rate. Thus, concerning drug load, only the tablet formulations showed to be robust. It became clear that proquazone needs to be formulated as a granulate or a tablet to achieve a fast dissolution rate. Thus, a poorly wettable drug, especially when it is found in high concentrations, can have direct impact on the decision to develop a tablet or a capsule formulation.