In vitro release study of tretinoin from tretinoin/cyclodextrin derivative complexes

The effects of beta-cyclodextrin, hydroxypropyl beta-cyclodextrin and dimethyl P-cyclodextrin complexes on the in vitro release of tretinoin gels were investigated. The experiments were carried out in a Franz cell using a silicone membrane as a barrier for the diffusion of the vehicle. Two types of vehicle were compared: a hydroalcoholic gel in which both tretinoin and the inclusion complexes are soluble, and an aqueous gel in which only the complexes are soluble but tretinoin is dispersed. As expected, the release rate of free tretinoin in the hydroalcoholic gel is much faster than in the aqueous gel. However,with the aqueous gel, the cyclodextrin complexation enhances the diffusion rate of the active drug through the membrane, especially with the hydroxypropyl cyclodextrin inclusion compound. The release of tretinoin is related not only to the stability constant of the inclusion, but also to the binding properties of the inclusion compounds to the vehicle.