Which statement about oleaginous bases is true?

Which statement about oleaginous bases is true?

• A. Water-soluble drugs release well from oleaginous bases.
• B. Lipid-soluble drugs release best from oleaginous bases.
• C. Drug release is independent of solubility.
• D. Oleaginous bases cannot dissolve any drug.

Answer: (A)

Drug release from oleaginous bases depends on how well the drug dissolves in the oil phase. Oleaginous bases are hydrophobic and dissolve lipophilic (lipid-soluble) drugs readily, allowing them to diffuse out into the skin more easily. Water-soluble drugs, on the other hand, do not dissolve well in these bases, so their release is poor. This is why the statement that lipid-soluble drugs release best from oleaginous bases is true. The other propositions fail because they ignore the solubility relationship: water-soluble drugs do not release well from oil bases; release is not independent of solubility; and oleaginous bases can dissolve drugs that are lipophilic.

Drug release from oleaginous bases depends on how well the drug dissolves in the oil phase. Oleaginous bases are hydrophobic and dissolve lipophilic (lipid-soluble) drugs readily, allowing them to diffuse out into the skin more easily. Water-soluble drugs, on the other hand, do not dissolve well in these bases, so their release is poor. This is why the statement that lipid-soluble drugs release best from oleaginous bases is true. The other propositions fail because they ignore the solubility relationship: water-soluble drugs do not release well from oil bases; release is not independent of solubility; and oleaginous bases can dissolve drugs that are lipophilic.