Abstract
The solubility and physicochemical stability of caroverine hydrochloride (CRV), an antispasmodic, in buffered aqueous solutions were studied using a reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography. The solubilty of the drug at pH 2.76-5.40 was similar at the range 31.9-36.2 mg/ml $(34^{circ}C)$, but, at the pH higher than 6.0, markedly decreased. The use of polyethylene glycol 400 as a cosolvent did not increase the solubility at any compositions examined. Moreover. increasing molar concentration of aqueous phosphate buffer from 0 to 0.5 M remarkably decreased the solubility. The degradation of CRY followed the apparent first-order kinetics. The degradation was accelerated with decreasing pH and increasing storage temperature. The half-lives for the degradation of CRY (1.0 mg/ml) at pH 1.28. 4.01 and 5.93 $(45^{\circ}C)$ were 2.8, 31.4 and 124 hr. respectively. The pHs of incubated solutions were to some extent lowered perhaps due to the formation of acidic degradation products. The addition of disodium edetate (0.01%) to the CRY solution (pH 4.95) retarded 2.5 times the degradation rate at $45^{\circ}C$, but the use of sodium bisulfite (0.1%) accelerated 2.9 times the rate. The activation energy for the CRY solution (20 mg/ml. pH 5.4) containing 0.01% EDTA was calculated to be 5.98 kcal/mole. When the solution was stored under nitrogen displacement in ampoule, there was no significant degradation even after 3 months at $40^{\circ}C$, indicating that protection from oxidation by air (oxygen) is essential for the complete stabilization of CRY solution.