Ligustrazine (TMP) is the main active ingredient extracted from Rhizoma Chuanxiong, which is used in the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, with the drawback of being unstable and readily sublimated. Cocrystal technology is an effective method to improve the stability of TMP. Three benzoic acid compounds including P-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), 3-Aminobenzoic acid (MABA), and 3,5-Dinitrobenzoic acid (DNBA) were chosen for co-crystallization with TMP. Three novel cocrystals were obtained, including TMP-PABA (1:2), TMP-MABA (1.5:1), and TMP-DNBA (0.5:1). Hygroscopicity was characterized by the dynamic vapor sorption (DVS) method. Three cocrystals significantly improved the hygroscopicity stability, and the mass change in TMP decreased from 25% to 1.64% (TMP-PABA), 0.12% (TMP-MABA), and 0.03% (TMP-DNBA) at 90% relative humidity. The melting points of the three cocrystals were all higher than TMP, among which the TMP-DNBA cocrystal had the highest melting point and showed the best stability in reducing hygroscopicity. Crystal structure analysis shows that the mesh-like structure formed by the O-H⋯N hydrogen bond in the TMP-DNBA cocrystal was the reason for improving the stability of TMP.

The solid form of the drug can directly affect the physicochemical properties, bioavailability, safety, and efficacy of the drug, and its types mainly include amorphous state, single-component polycrystalline, hydrate, solvate, salt, and cocrystal. Polymorphic drugs are solid drugs whose active ingredients exist in a specific crystalline state. Polymorphic drugs are solid drugs whose active ingredients exist in a specific crystalline state. Drug polymorphism refers to the presence of two or more different crystalline states of the drug. Pharmaceutical cocrystal is a new type of solid form that can improve the stability, solubility, and bioavailability of active pharmaceutical ingredients and many other physicochemical properties. The determination of the crystalline form of a drug and its content is of great significance in ensuring the quality of the polymorphic drug and its safety. In this paper, the quantitative analysis methods of polymorphs and pharmaceutical cocrystals are reviewed, the advantages and disadvantages of various methods are analyzed mainly from three types of techniques, namely, X-ray diffraction, spectroscopy, and thermal analysis, and the specific applications of various methods are commented on through examples. The analytical methods that can effectively determine the content of polymorphic drugs are comprehensively mastered to provide a reference for the establishment of quality standards for polymorphic drugs.