Enhanced Aqueous Stability of Hirsutenone with Antioxidant

The instability of hirsutenone (HST), a potential therapeutic candidate for the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD) and ovarian carcinoma, is one of the main concerns for the development of drug product. In the present study, aqueous stability of HST was investigated by kinetic analysis, and the effect of several factors covering temperature, nitrogen gas ($N_2$) flushing, and selection of proper antioxidant was compared. Cosolvent system composed of distilled water and methanol (9:1 v/v) was used as a vehicle to dissolve HST at the concentration of $200{\mu}g/mL$. Samples of aqueous solution were prepared under the absence or presence of antioxidants, such as ascorbic acid (AA), sodium edetate (EDTA), and ascorbyl palmitate (AP), and subjected for stability test. The degradation of HST in aqueous solution was followed by the first order kinetics with an extremely short half life of less than a week at room temperature, and was accelerated as the temperature increased. $N_2$ flushing brought a little enhancement in stability compared to control solution, but the effect was insufficient. The addition of AA and EDTA (0.1%) significantly enhanced the stability of HST at $40^{\circ}C$, but the addition of AP (0.01%) was limited due to its water insolubility and revealed no promising result. The stability of HST was increased proportionally by the amount of AA added, showing the difference in degree of stabilization as an order of magnitude. Finally, we conclude that HST was stabilized by the addition of a suitable antioxidant, suggesting AA as the most effective stabilizer.