The spectrophotometric determination of lipophilicity and dissociation constants of ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin

Lipophilicity plays a significant role in the permeability of the drugs through cell membranes and impacts the drug activity in the human body. In this paper, the spectrophotometric method was used to determine the apparent partition coefficients of two amphoteric drugs: ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin. The apparent partition coefficient was determined with the classic shake-flask method with n-octanol according to OECD guidelines. The lipophilicity profiles in a wide range of pH were determined and described quantitatively with the quadratic function. Basing on the macro- and microdissociation constants, the true partition coefficient for both drugs was calculated. Both levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin were lipophilic. The neutral forms, i.e., zwitterionic and uncharged, dominate in the pH relevant to the one in the intestines, the place from which they are absorbed.