Spectroscopic method to estimate 3-Acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid in complex lipid nanocarriers and skin matrices

Abstract

3-Acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid (AKBA) is a phytoconstituent derived from Boswellia serrata extract. It shows anti-rheumatic activity by selectively and non-competitively inhibiting the 5-Lipoxygenase (5-LOX) enzyme. AKBA is utilized for complex nanocarriers for its effective topical delivery at the arthritic site. There is a demand to develop a rapid, sensitive, and economical UV–Visible spectroscopic method for AKBA, which can be utilized in nanoformulation designing and day-to-day analysis of in vitro and ex vivo samples. In this research work, an analytical method was developed for the estimation of AKBA in two solvent systems, methanol and phosphate buffer saline pH 7.4, using a UV–Visible spectrophotometer. Further, the developed method was validated for linearity, range, limit of detection, limit of quantification, accuracy, precision, solution stability, and specificity as per regulatory guidelines. The method exhibited a linearity range of 10–50 µg/mL in both media with the obtained value of the high correlation coefficient (>0.9995). Interday and intraday precision samples showed less than 2 % relative standard deviation (% RSD) that exhibited the reliability of the developed method. The accuracy study reflected the % recovery between 99 and 101 % in both media. Further, the developed method was explored to quantify AKBA in formulated lipid nanocarriers (LNCs) formulation. The methanol method was effectively used to estimate the entrapment efficiency in LNCs and skin retention of AKBA. For the quantification of AKBA in in vitro release and ex vivo permeation samples, the phosphate buffer saline pH 7.4 method was utilized. Results indicated that the method could quantify the AKBA in the presence of different sample matrices with reproducibility in nature. In conclusion, a sensitive, simple, economical, precise, and accurate UV–Visible spectroscopic method was developed and validated to quantify AKBA.