Modification of pharmacological activity of nebivolol due to Maillard reaction

Lactose is used as an excipient in solid dosage forms of nebivolol. Ultraviolet spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry were used to study the interaction between nebivolol and lactose. The formation of a Maillard product was noted in aqueous mixtures of nebivolol and lactose heated at 60°C at unbuffered and buffered alkaline pH. A similar Maillard adduct formation was evident within 15 days in a dry physical mixture of nebivolol and lactose maintained at 40°C and 75% relative humidity in the dark. High-performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses of the reaction mixtures confirmed the formation of a nebivolol-lactose adduct. The effects of intravenously administered nebivolol and the nebivolol-lactose adduct on the blood pressure and heart rate of anesthetized normotensive rats were investigated. The bradycardic effect of the adduct was significantly less than that of nebivolol. The present investigation reveals an incompatibility between nebivolol and lactose, leading to the loss of the pharmacological activity of nebivolol. Hence, the use of lactose as an excipient in dosage forms of nebivolol, a secondary amine, needs reconsideration.