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1. INTRODUCTION Tretinoin is the trans isomeric form of retinoic acid which is generally used for the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukaemia, acne vulgaris, keratosis pilaris. It is also used for the treatment of hair loss, ageing, etc. It increases the collagen production that can reduce the appearance of stretch marks, which are indications that they can slow skin ageing or reduce wrinkle formations. Topical Tretinoin, known to be very susceptible to degradation under daylight by oxidation of the conjugated double bonds which is neither retarded nor lessened by the presence of antioxidant, is used for treating mild to moderate acne, fine wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. Its chemical structure includes a functional acid group and a side chain with conjugated double bonds, both susceptible to redox reactions. The vitamin C redox system comprises L-ascorbic acid, monodehydroascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid. Each of these substances has different physicochemical properties but possess antioxidant capacity for both hydrophilic and lipophilic substances. Tretinoin or all trans retinoic acid is easily oxidizable, thermally unstable and it isomerizes fast when exposed to radiation. Tretinoin is an endogenous retinoid metabolite of Vitamin A that binds to intracellular receptors in the cytosol and nucleus, but cutaneous levels of tretinoin in excess of physiologic concentrations occur following application of a tretinoin-containing topical drug product. The structure of Tretinoin is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1: STRUCTURE OF TRETINOIN O OH 112 Physical properties of Tretinoin: Molecular formula : C20H28O2 Molecular mass : 300.0 IUPAC name : (2E,4E,6E,8E)-3,7-dimethyl-9-(2,6,6trimethylcyclohexen-1-yl)nona-2,4,6, 8-tetraenoic acid Appearance : Yellow-to-light-orange crystalline powder having a characteristic floral odour. Nature : Slightly acidic Pka : 4.2 Solubility : It is soluble in dimethylsulfoxide, slightly soluble in polyethylene glycol 400, octanol, and 100% ethanol. It is practically insoluble in water, mineral oil and glycerin. Available HPLC methods: Literature survey on the various HPLC analytical methods available to determine Tretinoin in various forms is given below: Jiang XG et al1 proposed how Tretinoin and its active stereoisomer Isotretinoin can be simultaneously determined by reversed-phase high pressure liquid chromatographic method with a UV detector adjusted to 348 nm. Separation was accomplished on YWG-C18 column by using a MeOH : NH4Ac buffer (pH 6.0) 85:15 (V:V), chlorpromazine being chosen as internal standard. Tashtoush BM et al2 proposed a rapid method using an isocratic high-pressure liquid chromatography and UV detection for determination of both all-trans 113 retinoic acid (tretinoin) and 13-cis retinoic acid (isotretinoin) in dermatological preparations. Tretinoin and isotretinoin samples were extracted with acetonitrile by a procedure that can be completed in less than 10 min. Subsequent separation and quantification of amounts was accomplished in less than 15 min using reversed-phase HPLC with isocratic elution with 0.01% trifluoroacetic acid/acetonitrile (15:85 v/v). A. Zarghi et al3 proposed how a new formulation of topical tretinoin–minoxidil solution was prepared and the chemical stability of tretinoin was studied for 6 months at 4°C. A reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography method was developed for determination of tretinoin using cyanocobalamine as an internal standard. Tretinoin was shown to be stable for at least 6 months in refrigerated storage conditions. Michael B. Kril et al4 proposed a stability indicating reversed-phase highperformance liquid chromatographic method to quantify tretinoin in cream formulations. Tretinoin cream samples were dissolved directly in tetrahydrofuran and diluted for injection. Separation was accomplished on a 15 cm Nova-Pak C18 column using a tetrahydrofuran—phosphate buffer solvent system (42:58, v/v) and 1.0 ml/min flow-rate. The method was able to separate tretinoin from its degradation products formed under stressing conditions. Ye YR et al5 proposed a new HPLC method based on reverse phase separation and photodiode-array detection for the simultaneous determination of tretinoin and clindamycin phosphate, and their degradation products in topical formulations. The method has been shown to be stability indicating, accurate, and precise for two different formulation vehicles. Separation was achieved on a reverse phase C18 column (Lichrospher, RP18, 5 microm, 25 cm x 4.6 mm ID, Phenomenex, USA) using a simple gradient with aqueous-acetonitrile and aqueous-methanol mobile phases. 114 Wang Y et al6 reported a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method for simultaneous determination of retinol and 9-cis, 13-cis, and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) in rat prostate. Mass spectrometric signal responses for ATRA were compared using positive ion atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and electrospray, as well as positive ion and negative ion APCI. Ventral prostate tissue samples were homogenized and extracted following simple protein precipitation without derivatization. Baseline separation of 9-cis, 13-cis, and ATRA standards was obtained by using non-porous silica C18 column. Selected ion monitoring of the ions m/z 301 and m/z 269 was carried out for mass spectrometric quantitative analysis. The ion of m/z 301 corresponded to the protonated molecule of ATRA, whereas the ion of m/z 269 corresponded to loss of water or acetic acid from the protonated molecule of retinol or the internal standard retinyl acetate respectively. Klvanova J et al7 established a rapid and simple method for determination of Alltrans retinoic acid (ATRA), 13-cis retinoic acid (13CRA) and all-trans retinal (ATRAL) by HPLC. They separated ATRA, 13CRA and ATRAL by simple isocratic normal phase HPLC. Both retinoic acid isomers and ATRAL were eluted within 13 min and all components were well resolved. Gundersen TE et al8 proposed a fully automated isocratic high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of 9-cis-retinoic acid, 13-cisretinoic acid, all-trans-retinoic acid, 4-oxo-13-cis-retinoic acid and 4-oxo-all-transretinoic acid, using on-line solid-phase extraction and a column switching technique allowing clean-up and pre-concentration in a single step. A 500microliter sample of serum was diluted with 750 microliters of a solution containing 20% acetonitrile and the internal standard 9, 10-dimethylanthracene. About 1000 microliters of this mixture was injected on a 20 x 4.6 mm I.D. poly ether ether ketone (PEEK) pre-column with titanium frits packed with Bondapak C18, 37-53 microns, 300 A particles. Proteins and very polar compounds were washed out to waste, from the pre-column, with 0.05% TFA-acetonitrile (8.5:1.5, 115 v/v). Components retained on the pre-column were backflushed to the analytical column for separation and detection at 360 nm. Baseline separation was achieved using a single 250 x 4.6 mm I.D. Suplex pKb-100 column and a mobile phase containing 69:10:2:16:3 (v/v) of acetonitrile-methanol-n-butanol-2% ammonium acetate-glacial acetic acid. A total time of analysis of less than 30 min, including sample preparation, was achieved. Yokoyama H et al9 established a high performance liquid chromatography system that allowed simultaneous quantification of various retinoids. They applied the retinoids to a high performance liquid chromatography system with a silica gel absorption column. Samples were separated by the system with a binary multistep gradient with two kinds of solvent that contained n-Hexane, 2-propanol, and glacial acetic acid in different ratios. Each retinoid was detected at a wavelength of 350 nm. This condition allowed separation of 13-cis-retinoic acid, 9-cis-retinoic acid, all-trans-retinoic acid, 13-cis-retinol, all-trans-retinol, all-trans-4-oxo-retinoic acid, and 13-cis-4-oxo-retinoic acid as distinct single peaks. Each retinoid was also analyzed separately and its retention time determined. Beatrice Disdier et al10 described a gradient reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic technique for the easy separation and quantification of some retinoids; all-trans-retinoic acid, 13-cis-retinoic acid, 9-cis-retinoic acid and their corresponding 4-oxometabolites, in plasma. The method involved a diethyl ether-ethyl acetate (50:50, v/v) mixture extraction at pH 7 with acitretin and 13cis-acitretin as internal standards. A Nova-Pak C18 steel cartridge column was used. The mobile phase was methanol-acetonitrile (65:35, v/v) and 5% tetrahydrofuran (solvent A) and 2% aqueous acetic acid (solvent B) at 1 ml/min. Detection was by absorbance at 350 nm. M Brisaert et al11 investigated the degradation of a tretinoin lotion placed in front of a xenon lamp. Analysis was performed with HPLC. The tretinoin lotion was degraded to about 20% of its initial concentration within 30 min. Incorporation of 116 tretinoin in β-cyclodextrin or in some surfactants (Brij®s) did not have any effect on the photodegradation of tretinoin. Neither could a UV-B sunscreen retard the photodegradation of tretinoin while a UV-A sunscreen had very little effect. Irradiation with selected wavelengths revealed that 420 nm seemed to be the most harmful wavelength for the degradation of tretinoin and not the wavelength of maximum absorption (350 nm) as expected. Then the addition of the yellow colourants chrysoin and fast yellow, absorbing in the region of 420 nm, was tested. These colourants did indeed retard the photo-degradation of tretinoin more or less depending on the concentration of the dye. Finally we only had to select a concentration that was still effective but that did not colour the skin. M.G Brisaert et al12 proposed a HPLC method on a reverse-phase column to analyze the dermatological preparations that seemed to be the most suitable one and also the sample preparation for this method was relatively simple. The decomposition of tretinoin in preparations which were exposed to radiation was very fast. 10% decomposition was noted between less than 1 h and 181 h, depending on the formulation of the preparation. The tretinoin stability was also influenced by temperature, depending on the ingredients of the dermatological preparations. The adjuvant Brij 35 S, used as solubilizing agent, had a very bad influence on the chemical stability of tretinoin. S. Strohschein et al13 compared two different types of RP stationary phases in their ability to separate cis/trans isomers of retinoic acid (tretinoin) by LC-NMR coupling. Only by recording of 1H NMR spectra, the structural identification of the separated compounds was possible, since their absorption coefficients are very similar and their mass is identical, and therefore identification by UV-Vis is not unambiguous and identification with LC-MS fails due to identical fragmentation patterns. A commonly used C18 phase and a recently developed C30 phase have been used for the separation of a mixture of thermal isomerized retinoic acids. Three isomers could be separated and identified with the separation on a C18 117 column, whereas five cis/trans isomers could be identified by the use of a C30 column. The list of available brands of this drug is shown in Table 1.1. Table 1.1: List of brand names of Tretinoin S.No Brand name Formulation Available Manufacturer strength (w/w) 1 Comedolytic Cream 0.025% Fem Care 2 Eudyna Cream 0.05% Zydus Cadila 3 Pinoin Ointment 0.03% East West 4 Pinoin Ointment 0.05% East West 5 Retino-A Cream 0.025% J&J (Ethnor) 6 Retino-A Cream 0.05% J&J (Ethnor) 7 Retinol Cream 0.025% Psycorem 118 2. EXPERIMENTAL 2.1. Instrumentation A Shimadzu electronic balance (AX-200) was used to weigh the drug and then for wavelength checking UV-2306 spectrophotometer was used. An isocratic Shimadzu HPLC model (VP series) instrument with Inertsil ODS C18 column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5µm) was used to develop a High Pressure Liquid Chromatographic method for the quantitative estimation. The instrument was equipped with a LC 20AT pump for solvent delivery and variable wavelength programmable SPD-10AVP detector. Degassing of the mobile phase was done using a Loba ultrasonic bath sonicator. A 20µL Rheodyne inject port (7725i) was used for injecting the samples. Data was analyzed by using PEAK software. 2.2. Chemicals and Solvents Methanol, acetonitrile and orthophosphoric acid of HPLC grade were purchased from E.Merck, Mumbai, India. Tretinoin, as a pharmaceutical form, in the brand name of Pinoin was purchased from the local market. 2.3. The Mobile phase The mobile phase containing acetonitrile, methanol and 0.1% orthophosphoric acid in the ratio of 75:05:20 (v/v/v) was used for the elution. 2.4. Standard solution of the drug Initially a stock solution was prepared by dissolving 10 mg of the drug in the solvent, made upto 100 ml in a volumetric flask and appropriate dilutions were done using the solvent chosen. A standard solution of 10 ppm was obtained by this process for subsequent analysis. 119 2.5. Sample solution The ointment form of Tretinoin (Pinoin) equivalent to 10 mg of the drug was dissolved in 5 ml of the mobile phase taken in 10 ml volumetric flask. After dissolution the solution was filtered through Ultipor Nylon 6, 6 membrane sample filter paper and the filtrate was adjusted to the mark with the same solvent to obtain a concentration of 10 ppm. 3. METHOD DEVELOPMENT Development of a suitable RP HPLC method involves selection of the appropriate wavelength, solvent, stationary and mobile phases. In order to establish these requirements, a systematic study on the effect of various factors involved was undertaken by varying each of them keeping all other conditions constant as follows: 3.1. Detection of wavelength The wavelength of maximum absorbance was recorded on an UV spectrophotometer using a solution of the drug and found to be 236 nm. 3.2. Choice of stationary phase An Inertsil ODS C-18 5µm column having 250 x 4.6mm internal diameter was chosen for the method development after a number of trials using different octadecyl columns of various types and configurations from different manufacturers were performed. It gave the expected separation with good chromatographic peak shapes. 3.3. Selection of the Mobile phase As selection of stationary and mobile phases depends upon the nature of the sample and properties of the molecule a number of solvents were analyzed, mixed in various proportions and tested under isocratic conditions with varied flow rates to separate the drug on the ODS C-18 column with various combinations. An ideal 120 separation was achieved with mobile phase containing acetonitrile, methanol and 0.1% orthophosphoric acid in the ratio of 75:05:20 (v/v/v). This was finally selected as it gave a well defined chromatographic peak with better resolution, base line separation and low tailing factor. 3.4. Flow rate An effective flow rate is one that is minimum with a short run time which can minimize the usage of solvents. The optimum flow rate of 1.0 ml/min was attained by varying it between 0.5–1.5 ml/min. This was ideal for the successful elution of the analyte. 3.5. Optimized chromatographic conditions Optimization of mobile phase was performed based on chromatographic separation, peak shape and peak area obtained. The composition, pH and flow rate of the mobile phase were changed to optimize the separation conditions. Based on the above proceedings, the Chromatographic conditions thus optimized are shown in Table 1.2. These optimized conditions were maintained for the determination of Tretinoin in bulk and pharmaceutical forms. When blank solution containing only the mobile phase without the drug was injected, no peak was obtained. The chromatograms of standard, blank, tablet sample are shown in Figure 2, 3 and 4 respectively. 121 Table 1.2: Optimized chromatographic conditions for estimation of Tretinoin S.No Parameter Condition 1 Mobile phase Acetonitrile : Methanol : 0.1% OPA (75:05:20) 2 Pump mode Isocratic 3 Mobile phase pH 4.2 4 Diluent Mobile phase 5 Column Inertsil ODS C-18, 5µm, 250 x 4.6mm 6 Column Temp Ambient 7 Wavelength 236 nm 8 Injection Volume 20 µL 9 Flow rate 1.0 ml/min 10 Run time 12 min 11 Retention Time 7.005 min 122 Figure 2: Chromatogram of standard solution Figure 3: Chromatogram of blank (No Peak) 123 Figure 4: Chromatogram of formulation 4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The experimental method developed above was employed for its subsequent validation and determination of Tretinoin in bulk and pharmaceutical forms. The following results were obtained correspondingly. Validation of a proposed analytical method to determine the assay should meet the requirements for the intended analytical application as per ICH guidelines14. The typical analytical parameters used in validation of the assay include Precision, Accuracy, Linearity, Robustness, Limit of detection, Limit of Quantification, Selectivity or Specificity. 124 4.1 Linearity Linearity is the method's ability to obtain peak area results that are proportional to the concentration of the analyte within a given range. Linearity was performed by preparing standard solutions of Tretinoin at different concentration levels including working concentration mentioned in experimental condition i.e. 10 ppm. Twenty micro liters of each concentration was injected in duplicate into the HPLC system. The peak responses were read at 236 nm and the corresponding chromatograms were recorded. From these chromatograms, the mean peak areas were calculated and linearity plots of concentration over the mean peak areas were constructed individually. The calibration plot is shown in Figure 5. The regressions of the plots were computed by least square regression method. Linearity results obtained are presented in Table 1.3. Figure 5: Calibration plot for Tretinoin The results obtained indicate a linear relationship between peak response and concentration of Tretinoin in the range of 2-10 ppm. 125 Table 1.3: Linearity studies of Tretinoin Level Concentration of Tretinoin (in ppm) Mean peak area 1 2 98053.2 2 4 193934.7 3 6 291203.9 4 8 382250.6 5 10 476133.5 Range: Slope 47223.82 2 to 10 Intercept 4972.23 Correlation coefficient 0.9999 ppm 4.2 Precision Precision is the degree of reproducibility of an analytical method under normal operational conditions. Precision is determined by using the method to assay a sample for a sufficient number of times to obtain statistically valid results. Precision of the method was performed as Intraday precision and Inter day precision. The precision is then expressed as the relative standard deviation. 4.2.1. Intraday precision The Intraday precision was studied by preparing and injecting six replicate standard solutions of Tretinoin (10 ppm) using the proposed method. The percent 126 relative standard deviation (% RSD) was calculated for the peak areas and it was found to be 0.587%, which is well within the acceptance criteria of not more than 2.0%. Results of intraday system precision studies are shown in Table 1.4. Table 1.4: Intraday Precision Results for Tretinoin Sample Tretinoin Conc. (in ppm) Injection No. Peak Area 1 475708.6 2 473984.3 3 476291.6 10 %RSD 0.587 4 471487.7 5 470678.9 6 469564.2 4.2.2. Interday precision The interday precision was studied by preparing and injecting six replicates of standard solutions of Tretinoin (10 ppm) on two different days over a period of one week. The percent relative standard deviation (% RSD) was calculated and it was found to be 0.696%, which is well within the acceptance criteria of not more than 2.0%. Results of interday system precision studies are shown in Table 1.5. 127 Table 1.5: Interday Precision Results for Tretinoin Sample Conc.(in ppm) Tretinoin Injection No. Peak Area 1 476279.1 2 467379.2 3 471014.0 10 %RSD 0.805 4 473599.9 5 474272.9 6 467027.8 4.3. Selectivity Selectivity of an analytical method is its ability to measure accurately an analyte in the presence of possible interference creatable substances such as synthetic precursors, excipients, etc. The selectivity of method was confirmed by comparing the chromatograms of blank, standard and tablet sample. It was found that there is no interference due to excipients in the tablet formulation and also found good correlation between the retention times of standard and sample. The results are shown in Table 1.6. 128 Table 1.6: Selectivity Study Name of the solution Retention Time (in min) Blank No peak Standard 7.005 Sample 7.167 4.4. Accuracy Accuracy of an analytical method is the extent to which test results are close to their true value. It is measured from the result of a quantitative determination of a well characterized known sample. The amount measured is compared to the known amount. The accuracy of the method was determined by standard addition method. A known amount of standard drug was added to the fixed amount of preanalyzed tablet solution. Peak area was compared before and after the addition of the drug. The standard addition method was performed at 50%, 100% and 150% level of 4 ppm. The solutions were analyzed at each level as per the proposed method. The percent recovery and % RSD was calculated and results are presented in Table 1.7. This indicates that the proposed method was accurate. Table 1.7: Accuracy results % Level Conc. (in ppm) Area % Recovery 50 6 291229 100.0089 100 8 380659 99.58378 150 10 474564 99.67047 129 % RSD 0.23 4.5. Robustness Robustness of analytical method is a measure of its capacity to remain unaffected by small but deliberate variations in method parameters and provides an indication of its reliability during normal usage. This was carried out by varying two parameters from the optimized chromatographic conditions. The results are shown in Table 1.8. Table 1.8: Robustness results Parameter changed Change Area % Recovery Standard - 476133 - Mobile phase 85:05:10 473268 99.39828 65:05:30 474622 99.68265 238 473152 99.37391 234 474564 99.67047 4 477354 100.2564 4.4 478167 100.4272 Wavelength pH 4.6. Limit of detection and Limit of quantification Limit of detection (LOD) is the lowest concentration of analyte in a sample that can be detected but not necessarily quantified. In chromatography the detection limit is the injected amount that results in a peak height of at least twice or three times as high as the baseline noise level. Limit of quantification (LOQ) is the minimum injected amount that gives precise measurements. In chromatography it typically requires peak heights of 10 to 20 times higher than baseline noise at precision of <10-15% RSD between results. 130 The sample was dissolved by using the mobile phase and injected until the peak disappeared. After 0.025 ppm dilution, peak was not observed clearly. So it confirms that 0.025 ppm is the Limit of Detection and Limit of Quantification was found to be 0.0824 ppm. The LOD and LOQ of Tretinoin are given in Table 1.9. Table 1.9: Limit of Detection and Limit of Quantification for Tretinoin Parameter Measured volume Limit of Quantification 0.025 ppm Limit of Detection 0.0824 ppm 4.7. Formulation: The validated method was applied for the assay of commercial ointment containing Tretinoin. The formulation of Tretinoin equivalent to 10 mg of drug was taken in 10 ml of volumetric flask containing 5 ml of mobile phase and was shaken to dissolve the drug and then filtered through Ultipor N66 Nylon 6,6 membrane sample filter paper. Volume of the filtrate was adjusted to the mark with the same solvent to obtain concentration of 10 ppm. An aliquot of this solution was injected into HPLC system. Peak area of Tretinoin was measured and compared against the peak area of the standard solution. The proposed method was able to estimate Tretinoin in the ointment formulation with an accuracy of 95 %. The results presented good agreement with the labeled content as shown in Table 1.10. 131 Table 1.10: Formulation results Brand Pinoin Dose Sample Standard Sample Amount (gm) Conc. area area found 1 10 ppm 98053.2 1165.2 9.5 ppm % assay 95 5. CONCLUSION The statistical evaluation of the proposed method revealed its good linearity, reproducibility and its validation for different parameters made us to the conclude that the current RP-HPLC method can successfully used for rapid and reliable determination of Tretinoin in ointment formulation and also in bulk drugs. Its chromatographic run time of 12 minutes allows the analysis of a large number of samples in short period of time, making it suitable for the routine analysis of Tretinoin and also quantification of Tretinoin in pharmaceutical dosage forms. 132 REFERENCES: 1. Jiang XG, Xi NZ., Zhongguo Yao Li Xue Bao. 1994, 15(5), 458-461. 2. Tashtoush BM, Jacobson EL, Jacobson MK., J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2007, 19, 43(3), 859-864. 3. A. 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