Stabilising disproportionation of lipophilic ionic liquid salts in lipid-based formulations

Lipid based formulations (LBFs) can enhance oral bioavailability, however, their utility may be restricted by low drug loading in the formulation. Converting drugs to drug-ionic liquids (drug-ILs) or lipophilic salts can significantly increase lipid solubility but this approach is complicated in some cases by salt disproportionation, leading to a reduction in solubility and physical instability. Here we explore the physical stability of the weakly basic model drug, cinnarizine (CIN), when paired with a decanoate counterion (Dec) to form the drug-IL, cinnarizine decanoate (CIN.Dec). Consistent with published studies of salt disproportionation in aqueous solution, weakly acidic counterions such as Dec lead to the generation of drug-IL lipid solutions with pHs below pH_max. This leads to CIN deprotonation to the less soluble free base and precipitation. Subsequent studies however, show that these effects can be reversed by acidification of the formulation (either with excess decanoic acid or other lipid soluble acids), stimulating a pH shift to the salt plateau of CIN.Dec and the formation of stable lipid solutions of CIN.Dec. Altering formulation pH to more acidic conditions, therefore stabilises drug-ILs formed using weakly acidic lipophilic counterions, and is a viable method to promote formulation stability via inhibition of disproportionation of some drug-ILs.