Application of solution calorimetry in pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical research

In solution calorimetry the heat of solution (Delta(sol)H) is recorded as a solute (usually a solid) dissolves in an excess of solvent. Such measurements are valuable during all the phases of pharmaceutical formulation and the number of applications of the technique is growing. For instance, solution calorimetry is extremely useful during preformulation for the detection and quantification of polymorphs, degrees of crystallinity and percent amorphous content; knowledge of all of these parameters is essential in order to exert control over the manufacture and subsequent performance of a solid pharmaceutical. Careful experimental design and data interpretation also allows the measurement of the enthalpy of transfer (Delta(trans)H) of a solute between two phases. Because solution calorimetry does not require optically transparent solutions, and can be used to study cloudy or turbid solutions or suspensions directly, measurement of Delta(trans)H affords the opportunity to study the partitioning of drugs into, and across, biological membranes. It also allows the in-situ study of cellular systems. Furthermore, novel experimental methodologies have led to the increasing use of solution calorimetry to study a wider range of phenomena, such as the precipitation of drugs from supersaturated solutions or the formation of liposomes from phospholipid films. It is the purpose of this review to discuss some of these applications, in the context of pharmaceutical formulation and preformulation, and highlight some of the potential future areas where solution calorimetry might find applications.