Solubility of drugs in aqueous solutions. Part 4. Drug solubility by the dilute approximation

As in our previous publications in this journal [Int. J. Pharm. 258 (2003a) 193; Int. J. Pharm. 260 (2003b) 283; Int. J. Pharm. 267 (2003c) 121], this paper is concerned with the solubility of poorly soluble drugs in aqueous mixed solvents. In the previous publications, the solubilities of drugs were assumed to be low enough for the so-called infinite dilution approximation to be applicable. In contrast, in the present paper, the solubilities are considered to be finite and the dilute solution approximation is employed. As before, the fluctuation theory of solutions is used to express the derivatives of the activity coefficient of a solute in a ternary solution (dilute solute concentrations in a binary solvent) with respect to the concentrations of the solvent and cosolvent. The expressions obtained are combined with a theoretical equation for the activity coefficient of the solute. As a result, the activity coefficient of the solute was expressed through the activity coefficients of the solute at infinite dilution, solute mole fraction, some properties of the binary solvent (composition, molar volume and activity coefficients of the components) and parameters reflecting the nonidealities of binary species. The expression thus obtained was used to derive an equation for the solubility of poorly soluble drugs in aqueous binary solvents which was applied in two different ways. First, the nonideality parameters were considered as adjustable parameters, determined from experimental solubility data. Second, the obtained equation was used to correct the solubilities of drugs calculated via the infinite dilution approximation. It was shown that both procedures provide accurate correlations for the drug solubility.