Determination of benzalkonium chloride partition in micelle solutions using ultrafiltration method

The objectives of this study were to determine the concentrations of free benzalkonium chloride (BAC) and apparent partitions coefficients (Km) in micelle solutions and to explore its application in formulation development. Ultrafiltration (UF) was carried out using 10K Nanosep devices and centrifugation at 5,000 rpm for 5 min. The separation of free BAC from micellar solutions was also conducted using ultracentrifugation (UC) method for the comparison with UF method. Capillary electrophoresis method was used for the identification of micelles. Results showed that a UF method was applicable for quantitatively evaluating BAC-micelle interaction in micellar solutions. Unlike UF, UC could not completely separate free BAC from the micelles. The free BAC concentrations in the micelle solutions decreased with increasing surfactant concentrations. Among polysorbate 80, cremophor EL, and tyloxapol, BAC had the highest Km in polysorbate 80 solutions. The Km was significantly lower in non-buffered aqueous solutions than that in citric buffers. Moreover, increasing surfactant concentrations led to reducing antimicrobial activity. The UF is a rapid and accurate method that minimally alters the micellar equilibrium for the determination of free BAC and Km in micellar solutions. In conclusion, free BAC concentration, which is a function of surfactant type, surfactant concentration, and ion strength of solution, is likely associated with the antimicrobial activity.