In vitro dissolution study in predicting oral absorption of drugs containing paracetamol using an electronic tongue

The bioavailability of drugs is essential for the therapeutic efficacy of medicines, and it is therefore essential to conduct dissolution studies of drugs. The electronic tongue has been demonstrating potential usefulness in this area. Objectives: Verify the potential of electronic tongue in the analysis of paracetamol in different drugs; verify the ability to cross-sensitivity sensors in dissolution studies; selecting a lipidic polymer membrane electrode with good performance in monitoring of samples dissolution. Methods: Four samples of medicines containing 500mg of Paracetamol: unbranded uncoated pill, branded uncoated pill, unbranded coated pill and branded coated pill have been used. We used a dissolution medium simulating the gastric fasting conditions. The polymer membranes were formed by mixing: 4 lipidic additives, 5 plasticizers and polymer polyvinyl chloride. After stabilization of the potential signals from all electrodes, each sample was placed in a metal tube in contact with the dissolution medium. The experiment ended when the tablet was fully dissolved. The assays were repeated three times for each sample. Results: Yielded consistent dissolution profiles between repetitions of the same sample for some 40 tested sensors, including the 34 sensor which showed a similar behavior for both formulations. The uncoated pills obtained a dissolution profile of quick release (30’-unbranded; 25’-branded). The lengthy dissolutions resulted in different dissolution profiles between repetitions of the same sample of coated pills and capsules. Conclusions: The dissolution profile of drugs containing acetaminophen was followed through 40 potentiometric sensors having cross-sensitivity is selected sensor 34, which allow obtaining reproducible results.