Intrinsic Stability Study and Forced Degradation Profiling of Olopatadine Hydrochloride by RP-HPLC-DAD-HRMS Method.

OBJECTIVES

Forced degradation determines the intrinsic stability of a molecule by establishing degradation pathways in order to identify the likely degradation products (DPs). The objective of the present research was to establish intrinsic stability and forced degradation profiling of olopatadine hydrochloride.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The intrinsic stability of olopatadine hydrochloride was evaluated by RP-HPLC, where a mixture of 0.1% formic acid and organic phase (methanol:acetonitrile; 50:50 % v/v) was used as mobile phase at 1.0 mL/min in gradient mode. Different stress conditions were employed to explore the intrinsic stability of olopatadine hydrochloride.

RESULTS

In acidic condition, five DPs, i.e. OLO1, OLO2, OLO3, OLO4, and OLO5, were observed. OLO5 was the major DP that increased with time and the peak area of OLO was decreased. In addition to OLO3 and OLO5, two more DPs were observed in alkaline condition, i.e. OLO6 and OLO7. OLO5 and OLO6 were two major DPs; OLO5 increased with time while OLO6 had a zigzag pattern of peak area with time. All DPs of neutral condition were also found in acidic condition while OLO3 and OLO5 were common in all three types of hydrolytic degradation.

CONCLUSION

Thus, OLO has similar pattern of degradation profiling in all hydrolytic conditions (acidic, alkaline, and neutral). No degradation was found in thermal, ultraviolet light, or oxidative conditions over 10 days. OLO-Imp was recognized as an analogue structure of OLO and proposed as 11-[(3-dimethylamino)-propylidene]-6,11-dihydro-dibenz[b,e]oxepin-2-propanoic acid in standard drug. OLO1 was identified as (2-(4-(dimethylamino) butyl) phenyl)methanol, which may be formed by cleavage of the tricyclic ring in neutral condition.