Photolysis Degradation of Drugs

By:
Rishika Gupta

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 INTRODUCTION
1. Food is spoiled by three varieties of decomposition ; physical,
chemical and microbiological.
2.”more processing less stable “,”more contact with water less
stable”,
3.All this is true for drug also.
4.Pure drug solid,liquid or gases are more stable than their
formulation.
5.When they are formulated in to medicine decomposition
happens faster because of the presence of excipients ,and moisture
and because of processing.
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 Types of Drug Degradation
1. Chemical Degradation
 Hydrolysis
 Dehydration
 Isomerization & Racemization
 Oxidation
 Photodegradation
 Decsrboxylation & Elimination

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 2. Physical Degradation
 Crystalizaion of amorphous Drug
 Transition in Crystal State
 Moisture Adsorption

 3. Microbiological Degradation

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 Photodegradation
1. Photodegradation is the process by which light sensitive drug
or excipient molecules are chemically degraded by light
,room light or sunlight.
2.The variation of degradation depends on the wavelength of
light,shorter wavelengths because more damage than longer
wavelengths.
3.Before a photodegradation can occur,the energy from light
radiation must be absorbed by the molecules.
4.Photodegradation of the chloroquine and primaquine gives the
various products through different pathways.
5.Representative photodegradation routes for drug substances
includes dehydrogenation of nifedipine,dehydrogenation 5
accompanied by transmutaion of a nitro group in nimodipine
 Mechanism of Degradation
 Electronic configuration of drug overlaps with spectrum
of sunlight or any artificial sunlight and theraphy energy
is absorbed by electron and it goes to the excited state.
 They are unstable and releases the acquired eneerrgy
and come to the ground state and decompose the drug.

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 Types of Photodegradation
Two ways in which photodefradation can occur are:
1.The light energy absorbed must be sufficient to achieve the
activation energy.

2.The light energy absorbed by molecules is passed on to other

molecules which allow degradation to take place.

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Reaction by photodegradation
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 Prevention
 Can be prevented by
 Suitable packing in amber coloured bottle.
 Cardboard outers.
 Aluminium foil over wraps.

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THANK YOU

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