IONIZATION AND BINDING EQUILIBRIA OF PAPAVERINE IN IONIC MICELLES STUDIED BY H-1-NMR AND OPTICAL-ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY

The binding of the vasodilator drug papaverine (PAV) to micelles of zwitterionic N-hexadecyl-N,N-dimethyl-3-ammonio-1-propanesulfonate (HPS), cationic cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) and anionic sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) in aqueous solution was studied by H-1 NMR and electronic absorption spectroscopy. In the presence of HPS or CTAC, the apparent pK(a) of PAV decreased by about 2 units, while it increased by about 2 units upon binding to SDS. However, the chemical shift patterns of both protonated (PAVH(+)) and deprotonated (PAV(0)) forms of PAV are not sensitive to the type of surfactant. The association constants were estimated as 5 +/- 2 M(-1) for PAVH(+)-CTAC, 8 +/- 3 M(-1) for PAVH(+)-HPS, (7 +/- 2) x 10(5) M(-1) for PAVH(+)-SDS, and 1.5 x 10(3) to 3.0 x 10(3) M(-1) for the complexes of PAV(0) with all three types of micelles. Using these data, an electrostatic potential difference on the micelle-water interface was calculated as 150 +/- 10 mV for CTAC, 140 +/- 10 mV for HPS and -140 +/- 10 mV for SDS. The results suggest that PAV aromatic rings are located in the hydrophobic part of the micelle. The electrostatic attraction or repulsion of the protonated quinoline nitrogen and surfactant headgroups changes the affinity of PAV to micelles and, thus, shifts the ionization equilibrium of PAV. The electrostatic potential of HPS micellar surface is determined by the cationic dimethylammonium headgroup fragment, whereas the anionic sulfate fragment attenuates the effective charge of HPS headgroup.