Supersaturation maintenance of carvedilol and chlorthalidone by cyclodextrin derivatives: Pronounced crystallization inhibition ability of methylated cyclodextrin.

Cyclodextrin (CD) is used to solubilize poorly water-soluble drugs by inclusion complex formation. In this study, we investigated the effect of CD derivatives on stabilizing the supersaturation by inhibiting the crystallization of two poorly water-soluble drugs, carvedilol (CVD) and chlorthalidone (CLT). The phase solubility test showed that β-CD and γ-CD derivatives enhanced the solubility of CVD to a greater extent, whereas the solubility of CLT was enhanced more by β-CD derivatives. The solubilization efficacy of CD derivatives was dependent on the size fitness between the drug molecule and the CD cavity. In the drug crystallization induction time measurement, the same initial drug supersaturation ratio (S) was employed in all the CD solutions, and the methylated CD derivatives greatly outperformed unmethylated CD derivatives in stabilizing the supersaturation of both CVD and CLT. The crystallization inhibition strength of CD derivatives was strongly affected by the CD derivative substituent. Moreover, the calculated logarithm of octanol/water partition coefficients (log P) of CD derivatives showed a good correlation with drug crystallization inhibition ability. Thus, the high hydrophobicity of methylated CD plays an essential role in inhibiting crystallization. These findings can provide a valuable guide for selecting appropriate stabilizing agents for drug-supersaturation formulations.