Photostabilization of 1,4-dihydropyridine antihypertensives by incorporation into beta-cyclodextrin and liposomes.

Inclusion compounds of eleven dihydropyridine drugs were formed and investigated for protection against photo-induced drug degradation. Formulations of cyclodextrins and liposomes were prepared and their photoprotective ability for the encapsulated drug was monitored. Drug photodegradation was spectrophotometrically followed during exposure of the formulations to light of a Xenon lamp. ICH guidelines for photostability testing were applied. A comparison with common pharmaceutical formulations revealed optimal protection for both formulations. The use of the liposome and cyclodextrin inclusion complexes resulted in a mean drug recovery of 77 and more then 90% respectively, after a light exposure until to 30 minutes with an intensity of 21 kJ x min(-1) m(-2). Lercanidipine and Manidipine only did not show a satisfactory increase of photostabilization in the studied supramolecular complexes, due to their low inclusion in both the systems.

Accelerated photostability study of tretinoin and isotretinoin in liposome formulations.

The photodegradation of retinoic acids, tretinoin and isotretinoin, in ethanol and liposomes was studied. The light irradiation was performed according to the conditions suggested by the ICH Guideline for photostability testing by using a Xenon lamp within a wavelength range of 300-800 nm. The photodegradation process was monitored by UV spectrophotometry. In ethanol solution, tretinoin and isotretinoin undergo complete isomerization just within a few seconds of light exposure to give 13-cis and 9-cis isomers, respectively. The 13-cis isomer from tretinoin undergoes in turn a slow isomerization to the same 9-cis isomer. Both retinoic acids incorporated in liposome complexes showed an increased stability in comparison to the ethanol solutions. In particular for tretinoin, a residual concentration of 60% was still present after a light irradiance of 3470 kJ/m(2), by means of a 250 W/m(2) light power for 240 min, versus a residual value of just 8% measured at the same time in ethanol solution. Moreover, the isomerization rate in liposomes resulted reduced for isotretinoin and practically irrelevant for tretinoin. The degradation rate was found to be dependent on the drug concentration. The better stability of the tretinoin in liposome complex was supposed to be related to its higher incorporation value due to the linear structure of the molecule.

Design and monitoring of photostability systems for amlodipine dosage forms.

Photostability of amlodipine (AML) has been monitored in several pharmaceutical inclusion systems characterized by plurimolecular aggregation of the drug and excipients with high molecular weight. Several formulations including cyclodextrins, liposomes and microspheres have been prepared and characterized. The photodegradation process has been monitored according to the conditions suggested by the ICH Guideline for photostability testing, by using a light cabinet equipped with a Xenon lamp and monitored by spectrophotometry. The formulations herein tested have been found to be able to considerably increase drug stability, when compared with usual pharmaceutical forms. The residual concentration detected in the inclusion complexes with cyclodextrins and liposomes was 90 and 77%, respectively, while a very good value of 97% was found for microspheres, after a radiant exposure of 11,340 kJm(-2).