Abstract
Loteprednol etabonate (LE) is a soft corticosteroid that maintains therapeutic activity with much reduced adverse effects. Yet, its ocular bioavailability is hindered by its poor aqueous solubility. Early attempts of LE complexation with cyclodextrins (CDs) did not involve the study of the effects of various complexation methods on the characteristics of the complexes formed. Formulation of complexes into different delivery systems as well in vitro and in vivo assessments has not been accomplished in the earlier studies. In this study, complexation of LE with each of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) by kneading, freeze drying, and co-precipitation was attempted. These complexes were incorporated into gels, drops, and ocuserts using hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), methylcellulose (MC), and sodium alginate (ALG). These formulae were examined with respect to drug content, pH, viscosity, in vitro release, and stability for 6 months. Kinetic analysis of release data was done. Selected formulations were assessed for their efficacy in the treatment of ocular allergic conjunctivitis and their ocular bioavailability in rabbits’ eyes. All formulations exhibited accepted drug content, pH, and viscosity. The drug release was increased by complexation particularly with HP-β-CD in the order of ocuserts ≥ drops > gels, being the highest for HPMC preparations that also exhibited the greatest stability and anti-inflammatory activity especially in case of LE-HP-β-CD complexes. Ocuserts of co-precipitated LE-HP-β-CD using HPMC (5% w/w) and Carbopol 934P (0.1% w/w) provided a significantly enhanced stability (p < 0.05), ocular anti-inflammatory efficacy (p < 0.05), and ocular bioavailability (p < 0.0001), to be represented as a potential ocular delivery system of LE.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bodor N, Buchwald P. Ophthalmic drug design based on the metabolic activity of the eye: soft drugs and chemical delivery systems. AAPS J. 2005;7:820–33.
Bodor NS. Soft steroids having anti-inflammatory activity. US patent No. 4996335 A, 1991.
Bartels SP. Use of loteprednol etabonate for the treatment of dry eye. European patent No. EP 2 127 655 A1, 2009.
Chowdhury P, Borah JM, Goswami P, Das AM. A convenient synthesis of the side chain of loteprednol etabonate—an ocular soft corticosteroid from 20-oxopregnanes using metal-mediated halogenation as a key reaction. Steroids. 2011;76:497–501.
Howes JF. Loteprednol etabonate: a review of ophthalmic clinical studies. Pharmazie. 2000;55:178–83.
Shirasaki Y, Inada K, Inoue J, Nakamura M. Isolation and structure elucidation of the major photodegradation products of loteprednol etabonate. Steroids. 2004;69:23–34.
Ilyas H, Slonim CB, Braswell GR, Favetta JR, Schulman M. Long-term safety of loteprednol etabonate 0.2% in the treatment of seasonal and perennial allergic conjunctivitis. Eye Contact Lens. 2004;30:10–3.
Pflugfelder SC, Maskin SL, Anderson B, Chodosh J, Holland EJ, De Paiva CS, et al. A randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled, multicenter comparison of loteprednol etabonate ophthalmic suspension, 0.5%, and placebo for treatment of keratoconjunctivitis sicca in patients with delayed tear clearance. Am J Ophthalmol. 2004;138:444–57.
Dubey R. Pure drug nanosuspension: impact of nanotechnology on drug discovery and development. Drug Deliv Technol. 2006;6:65–71.
Druzgala P, Hochhaus G, Bodor N. Soft drugs—10. Blanching activity and receptor binding affinity of a new type of glucocorticoid. Loteprednol etabonate. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 1991;38:149–54.
Bodor N, Drustrup J, Wu W. Effect of cyclodextrins on the solubility and stability of a novel soft corticosteroid, loteprednol etabonate. Pharmazie. 2000;55:206–9.
Loftsson T, Brewster ME. Pharmaceutical applications of cyclodextrins. 1. Drug solubilization and stabilization. J Pharm Sci. 1996;85:1017–25.
Rajewski RA, Stella VJ. Pharmaceutical applications of cyclodextrins, 2. In-vivo drug delivery. J Pharm Sci. 1996;85:1017–25.
Loftsson T, Brewster ME, Masson M. Role of cyclodextrins in improving oral drug delivery. Am J Drug Deliv. 2004;2:261–75.
Loftsson T, Jarvinen T. Cyclodextrins in ophthalmic drug delivery. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 1999;36:59–79.
Loftsson T, Masson M. Cyclodextrins in topical drug formulations: theory and practice. Int J Pharm. 2001;225:15–30.
Loftsson T, Stefánsson E. Cyclodextrins in eye drop formulations: enhanced topical delivery of corticosteroids to the eye. Acta Ophthalmol Scand. 2002;80:144–50.
Lang JC, Stiemke MM. Biological barriers to ocular delivery. In: Reddy IK, editor. Ocular therapeutics and drug delivery. A multidisciplinary approach. Lancaster: Technomic; 1996. p. 51–132.
European Medicine Agency. Background review for cyclodextrins used as excipients. EMA/CHMP/333892/2013.
Washington N, Washington C, Wilson CG. Ocular drug delivery. In: Physiological pharmaceutics. USA: Taylor and Francis Inc; 2001. p. 249–270.
Kaur IP, Singh M, Kanwar M. Formulation and evaluation of ophthalmic preparations of acetazolamide. Int J Pharm. 2000;199:119–27.
Reddy IK, Khan MA, Wu WM, Bodor NS. Permeability of a soft steroid, loteprednol etabonate, through an excised rabbit cornea. J Ocul Pharmacol Ther. 1996;12:159–67.
Doile MM, Fortunato KA, Schmücker IC, Schucko SK, Silva MA, Rodrigues PO. Physicochemical properties and dissolution studies of dexamethasone acetate-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes produced by different methods. AAPS PharmSciTech. 2008;9:314–21.
Ribeiro A, Figueiras A, Santos D, Veiga F. Preparation and solid-state characterization of inclusion complexes formed between miconazole and methyl-β-cyclodextrin. AAPS PharmSciTech. 2008;9:1102–9.
Jansen T, Xhonneux B, Mesens J, Borgers M. Beta-cyclodextrins as vehicles in eye-drop formulation: an evaluation of their effects on rabbit corneal epithelium. Lens Eye Toxic Res. 1990;7:459–68.
Kanai A, Alba RM, Takano T, Kobayashi C, Nakajima A, Kurihara K, et al. The effect on the cornea of alpha cyclodextrin vehicle for cyclosporine eye drops. Transplant Proc. 1989;21:3150–2.
Loftsson E, Stefansson E. Effect of cyclodextrin on topical drug delivery to the eye. Drug Dev Ind Pharm. 1997;23:473–81.
Javitt JC, Javitt NB, McDonnell P. Topical compositions for the eye comprising a beta-cyclodextrin derivative and a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, International patent application No. WO 94/15582, 1994.
Loftsson T, Stefansson E, Kristinsson JK, Fridriksdottir H, Sverrisson T, Gudmundsdottir G, et al. Topically effective acetazolamide eye-drop solution in man. Pharm Sci. 1996;6:277–9.
Saarinen-Savolainen P, Järvinen T, Araki-Sasaki K, Watanabe H, Urtti A. Evaluation of cytotoxicity of various drugs, eye drop excipients and cyclodextrins in immortalized human corneal epithelial cell line. Pharm Res. 1998;15:1275–80.
Higuchi T, Connors KA. Phase solubility techniques. Adv Anal Chem Instrum. 1965;4:117–22.
Loftsson T, Hreinsdottir D, Masson M. Evaluation of cyclodextrin solubilization of drugs. Int J Pharm. 2005;302:18–28.
Missel PJ, Lang JC, Rodeheaver DP, Jani R, Chowhan MA, Chastain J, et al. Design and evaluation of ophthalmic pharmaceutical products. In: Florence AT, Siepmann J, editors. Modern pharmaceutics. New York: Informa Healthcare; 2009. p. 101–89.
Gilhotra RM, Gilhotra N, Mishra DN. Piroxicam bioadhesive ocular inserts: physicochemical characterization and evaluation in prostaglandin-induced inflammation. Curr Eye Res. 2009;34:1065–73.
Gilhotra RM, Nagpal K, Mishra DN. Azithromycin novel drug delivery system for ocular application. Int J Pharm Investig. 2011;1:22–8.
Davies NM, Farr SJ, Hadgraft J, Kellaway IW. Evaluation of mucoadhesive polymers in ocular drug delivery, I. Viscous solutions. Pharm Res. 1991;8:1039–43.
Habib FS, Attia MA, El-Shanawany SM. In-vitro study of physostigmine salicylate and pilocarpine hydrochloride release from different gel formulations. Pharmazie. 1986;41:124–5.
Levy MY, Benita S. Drug release from submicronized o/w emulsion: new in-vitro kinetic evaluation model. Int J Pharm. 1990;66:29–37.
Loftsson T, Masson M, Sigurdsson HH. Cyclodextrins and drug permeability through semipermeable cellophane membranes. Int J Pharm. 2002;232:35–43.
Moya-Ortega MD, Alves TF, Alvarez-Lorenzo C, Concheiro A, Stefánsson E, Thorsteinsdóttir M, et al. Dexamethazone eye drops containing γ-cyclodextrin-based nanogels. Int J Pharm. 2013;441:507–15.
Martin A, Bustamante P, Chun AHC. Kinetics. In: Physical pharmacy. Philadelphia: Lea and Febiger; 1993. p. 284–323.
Higuchi T. Mechanism of sustained action medication. J Pharm Sci. 1963;52:1145–9.
Ritger PL, Peppas NA. Simple equation for description of solute release: part 1, Fickian and non-Fickian release from nonswellable devices in the form of slab, spheres, cylinders or disk. J Control Release. 1987;5:23–36.
Winston PW, Bates DH. Saturated solutions for the control of humidity in biological research. Ecology. 1960;41:232–7.
Garrett ER, Carper RF. Prediction of stability in pharmaceutical preparations I. Color stability in a liquid multisulfa preparation. J Am Pharm Assoc. 1955;44:515–8.
Anderson G, Scott M. Determination of product shelf life and activation energy for five drugs of abuse. Clin Chem. 1991;37:398–402.
Lund W. Ophthalmic products. In: The pharmaceutical codex. London: The Pharmaceutical Press; 1994. p. 160–169.
Saxena V, Singh A. Development and validation of HPLC method for the simultaneous estimation of loteprednol and gatifloxacin. IJSR. 2013;2:252–5.
Cheruvu NP, Amrite AC, Kompella UB. Effect of eye pigmentation on transscleral drug delivery. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2008;49:333–41.
Yoshida A, Yamamoto M, Irie T, Hirayama F, Uekama K. Some pharmaceutical properties of 3-hydroxypropyl- and 2,3-dihydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrins and their solubilizing and stabilizing abilities. Chem Pharm Bull. 1989;37:1059–63.
Granero GE, Maitre MM, Garnero C, Longhi MR. Synthesis, characterization and in vitro release studies of a new acetazolamide-HP-F-CD-TEA inclusion complex. Eur J Med Chem. 2008;43:464–70.
Su J, Chen J, Li L, Li B, Shi L, Zhang H, et al. Preparation of natural borneol/2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex and its effect on the absorption of tetramethylpyrazine phosphate in mouse. Chem Pharm Bull. 2012;60:736–42.
Cui L, Zhang ZH, Sun E, Jia XB. Effect of β-cyclodextrin complexation on solubility and enzymatic conversion of naringin. Int J Mol Sci. 2012;13:14251–61.
B. P. British pharmacopeia, Vol. III, 6th Ed. London: The Council of Europe, The Stationary Office; 2010. p. 3155–3157.
Amselem SR, Friedman D, Yosef C. Suspension of loteprednol etabonate for ear, eye, or nose treatment. US Patent # 5747061. 1998.
Bilensoy E, Rouf MA, Vural I, Sen M, Hincal AA. Mucoadhesive, thermosensitive, prolonged-release vaginal gel for clotrimazole: β-cyclodextrin complex. AAPS PharmSciTech. 2006;7:38–44.
Abdelkader H, Abdallah OY, Salem HS. Comparison of the effect of tromethamine and polyvinylpyrrolidone on dissolution properties and analgesic effect of nimesulide. AAPS PharmSciTech. 2007;8:1–8.
Mohamed EA, Meshali MM, Foda AM, Borg TM. Improvement of dissolution and hypoglycemic efficacy of glimepiride by different carriers. AAPS PharmSciTech. 2012;13:1013–23.
Oh A, Jin DH, Yun J, Lee YS, Kim H. Effect of pH-dependent solubility on release behavior of alginate-chitosan blend containing activated carbon. Carbon Lett. 2009;10:208–12.
Durrani MJ, Andrews A, Whitaker R, Benner SC. Studies on drug release kinetics from carbomer matrices. Drug Dev Ind Pharm. 1994;20:2439–47.
Zhou M, Donovan MD. Intranasal mucociliary clearance of putative bioadhesive polymer gels. Int J Pharm. 1996;135:115–25.
Budai L, Hajdu M, Budai M, Grof P, Beni S, Noszal B, et al. Gels and liposomes in optimized ocular drug delivery: studies on ciprofloxacin formulations. Int J Pharm. 2007;343:34–40.
Aburahma MH, Mahmoud AA. Biodegradable ocular inserts for sustained delivery of brimonidine tartarate: preparation and in vitro/in vivo evaluation. AAPS PharmSciTech. 2011;12:1335–47.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Soliman, O.A.EA., Mohamed, E.A.M., El-Dahan, M.S. et al. Potential Use of Cyclodextrin Complexes for Enhanced Stability, Anti-inflammatory Efficacy, and Ocular Bioavailability of Loteprednol Etabonate. AAPS PharmSciTech 18, 1228–1241 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1208/s12249-016-0589-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1208/s12249-016-0589-9