European journal of pharmaceutical sciences : official journal of the European Federation for Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Ropivacaine (RVC) is an enantiomerically pure local anesthetic (LA) largely used in surgical procedures, which presents physico-chemical and therapeutic properties similar to those of bupivacaine (BPV), but associated to less systemic toxicity. This study focuses on the development and pharmacological evaluation of a RVC in 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-beta-CD) inclusion complex. Phase-solubility diagrams allowed the determination of the association constant between RVC and HP-beta-CD (9.46 M(-1)) and showed an increase on RVC solubility upon complexation. ⋯ Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and job-plot experiments afforded data regarding inclusion complex stoichiometry (1:1) and topology. Sciatic nerve blockade studies showed that RVC HP-beta-CD was able to reduce the latency without increasing the duration of motor blockade, but prolonging the duration and intensity of the sensory blockade (p<0.001) induced by the LA in mice. These results identify the RVC HP-beta-CD complex as an effective novel approach to enhance the pharmacological effects of RVC, presenting it as a promising new anesthetic formulation.