Rationalization of emulsification process used for detoxification
Résumé
Emergency treatments in case of drug intoxification are very limited. The only used methods are stomach washing and activated charcoal. These methods are unfortunately not very efficient. This work presents an alternative solution which includes detoxifying emulsions. The emulsions used are the water/oil type and are constituted from aqueous drops dispersed in oil. The organic phase includes a specific extractant able to form a lipophilic complex with the toxic. This complex helps the transfer to the internal aqueous phase where a trapping agent can capture the toxic and release the extractant. This technique has been successfully tested in vitro on different drugs (chloroquine, paracetamol, aspirin,...) with an extractive performance of more than 80% in 5 minutes. The stability and the extractive performance of the reactive emulsions depend on the physico-chemical parameters (composition, volume fraction,...) and on the emulsification process (temperature, shaking duration and speed,...). The optimal conditions result often from a compromise. The composition of a detoxifying emulsion able to trap chloroquine has been determined and extraction has been proved. The influence of the emulsification process and the volume fraction of internal phase on the viscosity and the drop sizes have been studied. Optimal parameters have been determined.