Aim In vitro dissolution test and pharmacokinetics in beagle dogs wereconducted to assess the formulation of tretinoin in self-emulsifying systems. Methods Theconcentrations of tretinoin were determined by HPLC. A crossover study was performed in four fastingbeagle dogs with the formulation of self-emulsifying systems and commercial capsules. Results Theresults showed that the dissolution rate in 15 min of tretinoin in self-emulsifying systems washigher than 80% while that of the commercial capsules was lower than 5% . The area under the plasmaconcentration-time curve (AUC) of the self-emulsifying formulation was significantly higher andC_(max) was approximately two times greater than those of commercial capsule, respectively, Inaddition, the time taken to reach peak was shorter (2 h to 1.25 h) for self-emulsifying formulationof tretinoin. Conclusion The self-emulsifying drug delivery systems.can significantly increasetretinoin in vitro dissolution and in vivo absorption.
