MODULATING THE AQUEOUS SOLUBILITY AND DISSOLUTION RATE OF HUPERZINE A THROUGH PHARMACEUTICAL CO-CRYSTALS

Abstract

Huperzine A is an alkaloid compound extracted from the firmoss, Huperzia serrata, found in Zhejiang, China. It is known as Qian Ceng Ta in Chinese and has been used as Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat swelling, hemorrhoids, vaginal yeast infections, and physical injuries . Being an organic compound, it is soluble in organic solvents such as chloroform, methanol and ethanol, but only sparingly or not at all soluble in water. The primary focus of this research is on the 2-pyridone group on the aromatic ring to the right of the figure; however, the free amino group in the lower left plays a significant role in the findings of this research, as will be shown in this paper.