Limit of isotretinoin
Mobile phase
Prepare a suitable filtered and degassed mixture of isooctane,isopropyl alcohol,and glacial acetic acid (99.65:0.25:0.1),making adjustments if necessary (see
System Suitabilityunder
Chromatography á621ñ).
System suitability solution
Dissolve a quantity of
USP Tretinoin RSin a minimum amount of methylene chloride,add a suitable amount of isooctane to obtain a solution having a tretinoin concentration of about 250µg per mL,and mix.
Standard solution
Dissolve an accurately weighed quantity of
USP Isotretinoin RSin a minimum quantity of methylene chloride,and add isooctane to obtain a solution having a known concentration of about 250µg per mL.
System suitability preparation
Pipet 5mLof Standard solutioninto a 100-mLvolumetric flask,add System suitability solutionto volume,and mix.
Standard preparation
Pipet 5mLof Standard solutioninto a 100-mLvolumetric flask,add isooctane to volume,and mix.
Test preparation
Transfer about 25mg of Tretinoin,accurately weighed,to a 100-mLvolumetric flask,dissolve in a minimum quantity of methylene chloride,add isooctane to volume,and mix.
Chromatographic system
(see
Chromatography á621ñ)The liquid chromatograph is equipped with a 352-nm detector and a 4.0-mm ×25-cm column containing packing L3.The flow rate is about 1mLper minute.Chromatograph about 20µLof
System suitability preparation,and record the peak responses.The relative retention times for isotretinoin and tretinoin are about 0.84and 1.00,respectively.The relative standard deviation of the isotretinoin peak response in replicate injections is not more than 2.0%,and the resolution,
R,of isotretinoin and tretinoin is not less than 2.0.
Procedure
Separately inject equal volumes (about 20µL)of the
Standard preparationand the
Test preparationinto the chromatograph,record the chromatograms,and measure the responses for the major peaks.Calculate the percentage of isotretinoin taken by the formula:
10(C/W)(rU/rS),
in which
Cis the concentration,in µg per mL,of
USP Isotretinoin RSin the
Standard preparation,
Wis the weight,in mg,of Tretinoin taken,and
rUand
rSare the peak responses of the isotretinoin peaks obtained from the
Test preparationand the
Standard preparation,respectively.The content of isotretinoin is not more than 5.0%.