in accord with the present invention , it has been unexpectedly found that the presence of an omega - 6 acid component , comprising either the free acid or a derivative thereof such as an ester or the like (“ omega - 6 acid component ”), will inhibit the isomerization of 17 - substituted hydrocortisones and other steroid materials . the present invention has particular utility in the stabilization of hydrocortisones having an ester moiety at the 17 position , and is particularly useful in stabilizing hc17 - b , and will be described with particular reference to the stabilization of hc17 - b . there are a variety of omega - 6 acids which function to stabilize the substituted hydrocortisones . “ omega - 6 ” signifies that the first double bond in the acid , counting from the end opposite the acid group , occurs in the sixth carbon - carbon bond . there is some confusion due to the fact that there are various nomenclature and numbering systems used for fatty acids . hence materials of the present invention have been referred to as “ omega - 3 ” acids , as well as by other names . in any event , within the context of this disclosure , the foregoing definition of omega - 6 acids is utilized . linoleic acid , also known as 9 , 12 - octadecadienoic acid , is one omega - 6 acid having utility in the present invention . linoleic acid is generally a very safe material , and is readily available . safflower oil is a triglyceride , comprising a fatty acid ester of glycerol , and it contains large amounts of linoleic acid in esterified form , and in particular embodiments of the present invention , safflower oil is used as a stabilizing agent for hc17 - b and similar materials . safflower oil is particularly advantageous for use in pharmaceutical compositions , since it is generally nontoxic , and has been approved for both topical and internal formulations . additionally , safflower oil , as well as other omega - 6 acid materials , have additional beneficial effects in topical formulations since they can enhance skin penetration and restore lipid content to the skin . other omega - 6 acids include arachidonic acid . yet other polyunsaturated omega - 6 acids are known in the art . such omega - 6 acids , as well as their esters and like compounds , may also be used in the present invention . in general , the omega - 6 acid component will be present in an amount which is at least equimolar with the steroid compound which is to be stabilized . in most practical formulations , the omega - 6 acid component is present in a relatively large excess , since it further functions as a skin conditioning agent . for example , it may be present in a weight percentage ten , twenty , thirty or even more times the weight percentage of the steroid compound . two experimental hydrocortisone 17 - butyrate formulations were prepared . one ( formulation r6546 ) contained a substantial weight percentage ( 3 . 0 % w / w ) of refined safflower oil . the other formulation ( r6539 ) was similar in composition to the first formulation , but lacked any safflower oil . in both formulations , the hc17 - b was present in a weight percentage of 0 . 1 . table 1 shows , respectively , the recipes for the two formulations , showing the various components respectively thereof as weight percentages . table 2 shows the analytic results of samples of the resultant respective compositions , showing the exact percentages of the hc 17 - b ( as well as propylparaben and butylparaben ) found in the two formulations expressed as weight percentages . from table 2 , it can be ascertained that the formulation containing the safflower oil had an average weight percentage of 0 . 101 hc17 - b , whereas the sample which did not contain the safflower oil had an average weight percentage of hc17 - b of 0 . 104 , a slightly greater weight percentage . the stability of the respective formulations was tested by analyzing the two formulations over a six - month period , at various intervals . the stability study was performed at a temperature of 40 ° centigrade , considerably greater than normal room temperature . as can be readily ascertained by comparing the six - month results for the two compositions , the composition containing the safflower oil ( r6546 ) did lose some hc17 - b . the weight percentage went from 0 . 101 at the start of the study ( from table 2 ) to 0 . 095 after six months . furthermore , the isomer hc21 - b began to make its appearance at the three - month interval , and was found at the six - month endpoint of the study in a concentration of 5 . 00 weight percent of the hc17 - b content . furthermore , there were various other impurities found at the six - month endpoint in a percentage of 0 . 56 weight percent . in contrast , the formulation which did not contain the safflower oil ( r6539 ), although starting out containing slightly more hc17 - b , it lost this component more rapidly and wound up with a considerably lower weight percentage of 0 . 86 at the six - month endpoint of the study . as would be expected , the formulation without the safflower oil and its constituent linoleic acid contained an even larger percentage of the isomer hc21 - b , namely , 6 . 36 %. furthermore , other impurities were found in this formulation after six months in a much larger percentage as well , namely , 2 . 81 weight percent as compared to only 0 . 56 weight percent . as can be seen from this data , adding the omega - 6 acid component in the form of the linoleic acid - containing safflower oil considerably increased the stability of the valuable hydrocortisone 17 - butyrate compound . in fact , the formulation which did not contain the safflower oil lost approximately 18 % of its original hc17 - b , whereas the formulation containing the safflower oil lost only approximately 6 %. in other words , the improvement in stability was practically threefold . furthermore , the level of the hc21 - b isomer and the other impurities was about 60 % less in the formulation containing the safflower oil than in the formulation where the safflower oil was absent . thus , adding an omega - 6 acid component in the form of safflower oil has been shown to be an effective way of stabilizing 17 - substituted hydrocortisone compounds . while the methods and compositions of the present invention have been described with reference to certain exemplifications and embodiments thereof , the invention is by no means limited to the specifically depicted examples and embodiments . for example , other 17 - substituted hydrocortisone compounds could also be stabilized through the use of the present invention . the omega - 6 acid component could be provided in other forms than as linoleic acid generally , or as safflower oil specifically . it is only necessary that the omega - 6 acid component be provided in a form which is pharmacologically compatible with topical hydrocortisone creams and lotions . doubtless , one of skill in the art could , after routine experimentation , employ other pharmacologically compatible omega - 6 components with similar efficacy without departing from the scope of the present invention . it is the claims appended hereto , rather than the exact exemplifications and embodiments , which define the scope of the present invention .
stabilized , 17 - substituted hydrocortisone containing compositions and methods of manufacture are disclosed . isomerization of the hydrocortisone component of topical steroid compositions is markedly reduced by including an omega - 6 acid component in the form of a free acid or as a compound such as an ester . specifically disclosed are methods for preventing the isomerization of hydrocortisone 17 - butyrate into hydrocortisone 21 - butyrate through the use of safflower oil .