Precipitation in and supersaturation of contents of the upper small intestine after administration of two weak bases to fasted adults.

PURPOSE: To evaluate precipitation in and supersaturation of intestinal contents after administration of pharmacologically relevant doses of dipyridamole and ketoconazole to 12 healthy adults.
METHODS: On two separate days each subject was administered in stomach 240 ml aqueous solutions of two dipyridamole doses (30/90 mg) and two ketoconazole doses (100/300 mg). Physicochemical characteristics, total drug content, and drug concentration were measured in individual intestinal contents (≤7 ml) aspirated at specific times post-dosing. Drug concentration after incubation (37°C/48 h) and equilibrium solubility were measured. Precipitate crystallinity was evaluated by x-ray powder diffraction.
RESULTS: Precipitated fraction was minimal (dipyridamole, ≤7%) or limited (ketoconazole, ≤16%). Ketoconazole precipitates were mostly amorphous. Depending on dose, intestinal contents with pH > 3.6 were supersaturated with dipyridamole up to 10 and 30 min and with ketoconazole up to 30 and 50 min post-administration. Intestinal contents with pH > 5 and concentration of micellar components <5 mM were supersaturated with ketoconazole or dipyridamole, but precipitated fraction was significant only for ketoconazole. After incubation, crystalline precipitates were found in almost all samples. Slow precipitation of base and/or precipitation of other phases account for this observation.
CONCLUSIONS: Intralumenal precipitation of weakly alkaline, lipophilic, high permeability drugs may not be substantial. Estimating intestinal supersaturation in regard to free base is inadequate as other phases may precipitate.