Speakers
Description
Background: Paracetamol is a widely used analgesic and antipyretic, valued for its safety and accessibility. However, its poor aqueous solubility limits bioavailability, making dissolution a crucial step for absorption. Since body fluids contain electrolytes such as sodium and potassium, whose concentrations may vary in conditions like chronic kidney disease and inflammatory bowel disease, these changes could influence drug release.
Objectives: This study aimed to assess the pharmaceutical quality and evaluate the effect of electrolyte concentration on the in-vitro dissolution of paracetamol tablets.
Methodology: Five brands of 500 mg paracetamol tablets (coded P1–P5) were obtained from pharmacies in Kumasi. Preliminary pharmacopoeia and non-pharmacopoeia tests, such as friability, hardness, uniformity of dimensions, weight uniformity, content uniformity, and disintegration tests, were conducted, followed by an evaluation of the impact of different concentrations of NaCl (0.5%, 0.9%, and 1.5%) and KCl (0.05%, 0.2%, and 0.3%) on the in-vitro release of paracetamol using phosphate buffer (pH 6.8).
Key findings: All brands met the official pharmacopeial standards, releasing over 75% of paracetamol within 45 minutes. The effects of the different concentrations of NaCl and KCl varied across brands and dissolution media, reflecting the dual kosmotropic and chaotropic behaviours of the electrolytes and the influence of brand-specific matrix interactions.
Implication: Different electrolyte concentrations significantly modified the release profile of paracetamol, highlighting the importance of physiological electrolyte balance in optimising therapeutic outcomes.
Keywords: Paracetamol, dissolution, electrolytes, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, bioavailability
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