Comparison of Aqueous and 1-Octanol Solubility as well as Liquid–Liquid Distribution of Acyclovir Derivatives and Their Complexes with Hydroxypropyl-β-Cyclodextrin

The aim of the presented work is the comparison of aqueous and 1-octanol solubilities of different acyclovir derivatives and their hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes. The solubility measurements were carried out at different temperatures over the range 25–45 °C using water, 1-octanol, water saturated with 1-octanol, 1-octanol saturated with water, buffered aqueous solutions (pH = 5.5 and 7.0) and buffered aqueous solutions containing cyclodextrin as solvents. The aqueous solubilities of the compounds are very low but may be enhanced by complexation with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin, especially if the acyclovir derivatives have aromatic groups which may be included in the cyclodextrin cavity. The values of 1-octanol–water partition coefficients of acyclovir derivatives, obtained using extraction experiments, showed a similar sequence as the solubility results in 1-octanol. Additionally, some molecular mechanics and molecular dynamic calculations were performed to determine optimized structures of acyclovir derivative complexes with β-cyclodextrin treated as a model.