Effect of pH on the solubility and release of furosemide from polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer complexes.

The complexation of the practically insoluble drug furosemide (acidic pK(a) 3.22) with lower generation PAMAM dendrimers showed a significant release dependence on the ionization state of the drug. UV and FTIR studies suggested that the drug was localized in the interior of the dendrimer. The dendrimer amine, amide and ester groups, demonstrated pH-dependent ionization as did the drug carboxylic acid group and it was proven that the most efficient drug complexation was achieved in slightly acidic conditions (pH 4.0-6.0). At this pH, amide groups in the dendrimer cavities were at least partially ionized to expose a positive charge whilst the furosemide carboxylic acid ionized to great extent (pH>pK(a)) resulting in electrostatic complexation. Conversely, higher release rates were observed in acidic conditions (pH 1.2) where furosemide was virtually unionized, emphasizing the importance of the drug ionization state in the determination of drug release. Despite the complex interactions between the dendrimer and drug and its effects on release kinetics, the dendrimers resulted in higher solubility of the drug and contributed significantly to the array of available techniques to increase the solubility of poorly water-soluble drugs that are very abundant in industry today. Complexation with low generation PAMAM dendrimers (<generation 4) could provide opportunities to both increase drug solubility and tuning of the release profile for practically insoluble drugs.