Effect of Cyclodextrins on the Chemical Stability of ST1435, a Contraceptive Steroid Progestin, in Aqueous Solution

The influence of cyclodextrins (CDs) on the chemical stability of the contraceptive steroid progestin, ST1435, in aqueous solution has been studied using reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography. The effects of CD structure, temperature, and CD concentration on the rate of degradation were investigated. It was found that the drug degraded to different extents following a pseudo-first order reaction mechanism. The presence of the host molecules affected the degradation rate as a result of complexation which might result in protection of the labile moiety of the drug molecule against degradation. Hydroxypropyl--cyclodextrin (HP--CD) and hydroxyethyl--cyclodextrin (HE--CD) retarded the degradation in contrast to -cyclodextrin (-CD) which accelerated the steroid degradation. The stabilizing action of HP--CD is larger than that of HE--CD. The degradation rate increased upon increasing temperature and the Arrhenius equation is valid. Lineweaver-Burk equation analysis indicated that the steroid included inside the CD cavity degraded three times more slowly than did the free ST1435 in solution. This equation further supported the formation of a 1 : 1 inclusion complex between ST1435 and HP--CD with a stability constant of 934.5 M-1 at 65°C.