LC separation of calcipotriol from its photodegradation products and protection possibilities using adjuvants

Validated Chromatographic Methods for Simultaneous Determination of Calcipotriol Monohydrate and Betamethasone Dipropionate in the Presence of Two Dosage Form Additives

Two chromatographic methods were developed, optimized and validated for simultaneous determination of calcipotriol monohydrate (CPM) and betamethasone dipropionate (BMD) in the presence of two dosage form additives named; butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and alpha-tocopherol (TOCO). The proposed methods were accurate, sensitive and specific. The first method based on using aluminum thin-layer chromatographic plates precoated with silica gel GF254 as a stationary phase and chloroform-ethyl acetate-toluene (5:5:3, by volume) as a developing system. This was followed by densitometric measurement of the separated bands at 264 nm. Whereas the second method is RP-HPLC where OnyxMonolithic C18® column was used with a gradient profile using methanol, water and acetic acid at flow rate 2.0 mL min-1. Detection was carried out at 264 nm. The methods were validated according to ICH guidelines. The specificity of the developed methods was investigated by analyzing the pharmaceutical dosage form. The validity of the proposed methods was assessed using the standard addition technique. The obtained results were statistically compared with those obtained by the official methods, showing no significant difference with respect to accuracy and precision at P = 0.05.

Targeting of liposome-associated calcipotriol to the skin: effect of liposomal membrane fluidity and skin barrier integrity

Many dermal diseases like psoriasis are characterized by major changes in skin barrier function, which challenge the reproducible delivery of drugs into specific layers of diseased skin. The purpose of this study was to elucidate how liposomal bilayer fluidity and barrier integrity affected the delivery of liposome-associated calcipotriol to the skin. Calcipotriol-containing gel state and liquid state dipalmitoylphosphatidyl-choline:dilauroylphosphatidylcholine liposomes were prepared by extrusion. Using Langmuir monolayers, calcipotriol was shown to affect the packing of the lipid membrane. The penetration of radioactively labeled lipid and calcipotriol into pig skin was examined using the Franz diffusion cell model, and tape stripping was applied to impose an impaired barrier. Distorting the skin barrier resulted in an enhanced penetration of lipid from both gel and liquid state liposomes. In addition, increased penetration of lipid from liquid state liposomes was observed compared to gel state liposomes into barrier-impaired skin. For barrier-impaired skin, an elevated calcipotriol-to-lipid ratio was found in the receptor fluid for both liposome compositions indicating that calcipotriol is released from the vesicles. This suggests that the liposome-mediated delivery of calcipotriol to the epidermis of diseased skin is affected by the fluidity of the liposomal membrane.

Novel method for studying photolability of topical formulations: a case study of titanium dioxide stabilization of ketoprofen

Sunlight may decompose active substances and excipients in pharmaceuticals. This may cause formulation problems as well as induce adverse skin reactions. The photodecomposition of topical preparations may occur on the skin surface, but also deeper in the skin after penetration of light into the viable tissues. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether microparticles of titanium dioxide could protect against photodecomposition using ketoprofen as a photolabile model substance. The results showed quality differences between titanium dioxide, where surface-coated particles were superior to pharmaceutical grades in reducing the degradation in vitro. The protective effect was also studied in humans. The skin was treated for 3 h with the gels and then exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light (11.7 J/cm2 UVA and 5.4 mJ/cm2 UVB). Layers of the stratum corneum were then removed by consecutive tape strippings and assayed for content of ketoprofen. The remaining amount was higher in the different stratum corneum compartments after treatment with a gel containing 4% coated titanium dioxide compared with a transparent gel. Thus, surface-coated microparticles of titanium dioxide may well be of clinical benefit in protecting photolabile drug substances against sunlight.