Introduction:

One of the first-line drugs against schistosomiasis is Praziquantel. Up to now, numerous oral solid dosage forms have been developed, being they considered of little help to elder patients, pediatrics, and Veterinary. Initial steps in the development of preformulation studies aiming the design of a Praziquantel liquid pharmaceutical dosage form to be administered orally are described.

Method:

Size and shape of Praziquantel particles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, it was investigated the effect of pH and type of electrolyte and its concentration in the aqueous dispersion media on the behaviour of the suspensions. To that aim, electrokinetic determinations (zeta potential) and ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry measurements (turbidimetry as a function of time) were done.

Results:

Drug particles were characterized by an acicular shape and a micrometer size (heterogeneous size distribution). It was observed that controlling the composition of the aqueous dispersion media, in terms of pH and electrolytes, helped in defining the surface electrical charge of the drug particles and, thus the sedimentation profile, obtaining the more adequate system for the oral route of drug administration (flocculated system).

Conclusions:

Initial conditions to formulate aqueous Praziquantel suspensions for the oral route have been defined. An appropriate control of the composition of the external phase of the suspension is a key aspect when establishing the best liquid pharmaceutical system (flocculated) for this administration route.

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