Dissolution systems for chloramphenicol tablet bioavailability.

The relationship between chloramphenicol (I) tablet bioavailability and in vitro dissolution rates was examined. The effect of solid food on the I tablet and powder bioavailability was also studied. Five tablets of I were selected for bioavailability testing on the basis of the dissolution rates of 18 I tablets (250 mg) determined by several methods. Compound I, 500 mg, was administered orally to five subjects, following overnight fasting, according to a crossover design. The bioavailability parameters were obtained from urinary I excretion. Among the five formulations studied, only one tablet (F) showed significantly poorer bioavailability. The dissolution rates at pH 1.2 did not give the same rank order as the bioavailability. The dissolution rate of Tablet F showed remarkable pH dependency. The dissolution rates at pH 4 showed good correlation with in vivo bioavailability data. The bioavailability of I powder was not affected by solid food. Tablet F, which had poor bioavailability in the fasting state, showed good bioavailability when administered just after the standard breakfast.