Complexation of Both Enantiomers of 2-Phenylpropionic Acid with Cyclodextrin: Determination of Binding Constant, Stoichiometry, Bioavailability and Co-Conformation

Although enantiomers of 2-phenylpropionic acids (2-PPAs), or profens are important group of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and have been in clinical use for many years, there is no literature covering its binding interaction in particular with cyclodextrins. NSAIDs are marketed as racemates, chiral discrimination and knowledge of enantiomeric bioavailability is essential. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy is the technique of choice for elucidating chirality and monitoring and characterizing molecular recognition phenomena in solution. Methods employing the fundamentals of the simultaneous measurements of absorbance and CD and a novel efficient titration method have been developed to study the binding of β-Cyclodextrin (β-CyD) and the two enantiomers of 2-PPA as a function of pH. The effect on physicochemical properties and bioavailability was investigated. The binding constant, stoichiometry and pKa for both the free and the bound drugs were determined using a Levenburg-Marquadt non-linear equation. The exact nature of the enantiomer discriminating interactions by cyclodextrins (CyDs) is not well understood. In this work, the interactions and co-conformations of both enantiomers of 2-PPA with β-CyD were explained and estimated using spectroscopic variations upon complexation. The results indicated a change in the physicochemical properties of 2-PPAs upon complexation and highlighted the enantioselective binding of β-CyD as a function of pH. The charge on the guest molecule and its stereochemistry are of great importance in regulating the stability of the guest/β-CyD complexes; hence the bioavailability of drugs. This work elucidates 2-PPAs/β-CyD binding interactions and highlights the effect of β-CyD on drugs with an effective novel method for binding titration and the potential of the simultaneous measurements of absorbance and CD in future chiral drug interactions studies.