The sodium salt of the enantiomers of ricobendazole: preparation, solubility and chiroptical properties
Albendazole (ABZ) is a sulfanyl-benzimidazole anthelmintic drug used worldwide in the treatment and prevention of parasitic diseases in animals and humans. Following oral administration, ABZ is rapidly oxidized into the pharmacologically active chiral sulfoxide metabolite known as ricobendazole (RBZ). As its achiral precursor, RBZ shows very low intestinal absorption due to its poor solubility in water (0.06 mg mL?1). To the best of our knowledge, there is no known example in human medicine of a water-soluble salt form of racemic or enantiomerically pure RBZ.