Paracetamol, a para-aminophenol derivative, is widely used for its antipyretic and analgesic properties. According to a report Asia alone consumed 65,000 tonnes of paracetamol in the year 2011 indicating its expansive market. It is this widespread use that necessitates a scrupulous study of its pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and toxicological profile. The estimation of plasma protein binding is basically limited to the purview of pharmacokinetics. Only the unbound form of a drug is pharmacologically active. Hence, the determination of plasma protein binding of a drug holds considerable significance. The data available through previous studies states the plasma protein binding of paracetamol to be insignificant or negligible at therapeutic doses. Also, a study reports it to lie in the range of 10-25% while another stands in favor of a plasma protein binding of less than 20%. These reflect the ambiguities associated with the precise estimation of protein binding of a drug that has been in use since the eighteenth century. This study attempts to establish the plasma protein binding of paracetamol through spectroscopic analysis using egg albumin. This simple study is aimed to attract attention of researchers to the complex phenomenon of plasma protein binding especially of paracetamol so that precise estimations can be made in future.
