The PAMPA technique as a HTS tool for partition coefficients determination in different solvent/water systems.

1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) and o-nitrophenyl octyl ether (o-NPOE), were tested for their ability to form artificial membranes immobilized on polycarbonate (PC) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) supporting filters using the PAMPA (parallel artificial membrane permeability assays) technique. These detailed studies provided important information on the application domain of the artificial membranes investigated. According to the nature of the organic solvent and the composition of the filter, different permeation behaviours were noted. A double permeation pathway was observed for DCE-coated with PVDF filters since hydrophilic compounds permeated the membrane through aqueous pores created by the interaction of DCE and PVDF filters, while the more lipophilic compounds were trapped in the DCE present on filters. On the other hand, the permeation through PVDF and PC filters coated with o-NPOE did not follow the same mechanisms. An interesting application emerged from these mechanistic studies, namely the use of PC filters for a first high throughput assay designed to measure o-NPOE/water partition coefficients.