Separation of regioisomers and enantiomers of underivatized saturated and unsaturated fatty acid monoacylglycerols using enantioselective HPLC

The challenging separation of regioisomers and enantiomers of monoacylglycerols (MAGs) of fatty acids has been achieved using a single chiral HPLC column (Chiralpak^® IC or Chiralpak^® IA) and hexane/2‐propanol eluent mixtures, without previous derivatization of the samples. The efficacy of the method is independent of the chain length and the degree of unsaturation of the fatty acids of the MAG. In addition, the separation method allows monitoring the time course for the loss of enantiomeric purity of the fatty acid‐derived MAGs in polar hydroxylic solvents.     

Rapid determination of ambrisentan enantiomers by enantioselective liquid chromatography using cellulose-based chiral stationary phase in reverse phase mode

A sensitive, specific, and rapid high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the determination of ambrisentan enantiomers has been developed and validated. Six chiral columns were tested in a reversed-phase system. Excellent enantioseparation with the resolution more than 2.5 was achieved on Chiralcel OZ-3R (cellulose 3-chloro-4-methylphenylcarbamate) using mixture of 20 mM sodium formate (pH 3.0) with acetonitrile (55:45; v/v). Validation of the HPLC method including linearity, limit of detection, limit of quantification, precision, accuracy, and selectivity was performed according to the International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines. The method has an advantage of a very quick chromatographic separation (less than 6 min) and therefore is highly suitable for routine determination of (R)-ambrisentan in enantiopure active pharmaceutical ingredient (S)-ambrisentan.     

Separation of the enantiomers of pyrethroic acids and their esters by high-performance liquid chromatography on a polysaccharide-derived chiral stationary phase

Summary The liquid-chromatographic separation of the enantiomers of pyrethroic acids and their esters has been investigated on a polysaccharide-derived chiral stationary phase (CSP), Chiralpak AS. Good separation of the enantiomers of underivatized pyrethroic acids was achieved on the column, and the enantiomers of pyrethroic acid methyl and ethyl ester derivatives were also resolved.     

Quick development of an analytical enantioselective high performance liquid chromatography separation and preparative scale-up for the flavonoid Naringenin

The HPLC enantioselective separation of (R/S)-Naringenin, a chiral flavonoid found in several fruits juices and well-known for its beneficial health-related properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cancer chemopreventive, immunomodulating and antimicrobial activities, has been performed on both analytical and (semi)-preparative scale using an amylose derived Chiralpak AD chiral stationary phase (CSP). A standard screening protocol for cellulose and amylose based CSPs was firstly applied to analytical Chiralcel OD-H and Chiralpak AD-H, as well as to Lux Cellulose-1, Lux Cellulose-2 and Lux Amylose-2 in order to identify the best experimental condition for the subsequent scaling-up. Using Chiralpak AD-H and eluting with pure methanol (without acidic or basic additives) relatively short retention times, high enantioselectivity and good resolution (α=1.49, R(s)=3.48) were observed. Therefore, these experimental conditions were properly scaled-up to (semi)-preparative scale using both a pre-packed Regispack column and a Chiralpak AD column packed in house with bulk CSP. The developed preparative method proved to be superior to previously published methods in terms of elution times, separation and resolution and is suitable for obtaining a quick access to the desired enantiomers with high enantiomeric excess and amounts sufficient for biological investigations. Future scale-up options (enantioselective supercritical fluid chromatography or HPLC in the Simulated Moving Bed mode) were also evaluated. It could be shown that both methodologies have a high potential for future production of Naringenin enantiomers by enantioselective chromatography.     

Transforming chiral liquid chromatography methodologies into more sensitive liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry without losing enantioselectivity

LC-electrospray ionization (ESI) MS conditions were optimized for the individual chiral separation of 19 compounds of pharmaceutical interest using the macrocyclic glycopeptide-based chiral stationary phases in both polar organic and reversed-phase modes (RPM). The influence of mobile phase composition and MS additive type on sensitivity was investigated for all classes of compounds tested. Compounds with amine or amide groups were efficiently separated, ionized, and detected with the addition of 0.1% (w/w) ammonium trifluoroacetate to the solvent system in either the reversed-phase or polar organic mode (POM). Macrocyclic glycopeptide coupled column technology was initially used to screen all chiral compounds analyzed. Baseline resolution of enantiomers was then achieved with relatively short retention times and high efficiencies on Chirobiotic T, Chirobiotic V or Chirobiotic R narrow bore chiral stationary phases. The polar organic mode offered better limits of detection (as low as 100 pg/ml) and sensitivity over reversed-phase methods. An optimum flow-rate range of 200-400 microl/min was necessary for sensitive chiral LC-ESI-MS analysis.     

Enantiomeric resolution of new triazole compounds by high-performance liquid chromatography

Cellulose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) (CDMPC) was synthesized and coated on aminopropylsilica to prepare a chiral stationary phase (CSP). HPLC methods were developed for the direct enantioseparation of 12 chiral triazole compounds on the CSP. The separations were made using normal phase methodology with a mobile phase consisting of n-hexane-alcohol (ethanol, 1-propanol, 1-butanol, 2-propanol, and t-butanol) in various portions. The column temperatures were studied for the optimization of the resolutions. The effects of structural features of the solutes on the discrimination between the enantiomers were examined. Baseline separation was easily obtained in many cases.     

Preparation of a new crown ether-based chiral stationary phase containing thioester linkage for the liquid chromatographic separation of enantiomers

A new chiral stationary phase (CSP) containing thioester linkages was prepared by bonding (+)-(18-crown-6)-2,3,11,12-tetracarboxylic acid to mercaptopropylsilica gel. The chiral recognition ability of the new CSP was found to be greater than that of the previously reported CSP containing amide linkages in the resolution of the various α-amino acids that were tested, except for that of Met, Ser and Thr. In the resolution of racemic amines and amino alcohols, the new CSP was always better than the one containing amide linkages in terms of the separation factors (α) and the resolutions (R_S). Given the identical elution orders on the two CSPs, it was concluded that the chiral recognition mechanism is not affected by the change of the linkage type. In addition, the new CSP was found to be quite stable under the acidic mobile phase conditions that were utilized, indicating that the thioester linkage is useful as a tethering group.     

Optimized separation of pesticide enantiomers by chiral high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary A computer-assisted method is described for optimization of multi-component, mobile phase selection for separating enantiomers of four pesticides in normal-phase HPLC. The method is based on the triangle, solvent-selection concept using a statistical scanning method. The optimization of the separation over the experimental region is based on a special polynomial estimation from seven experimental runs, and resolution (R_s) is used as the selection criterion. Excellent agreement was obtained between predicted and experimental data.     

Chiral derivatization coupled with liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry for determining ketone metabolites of hydroxybutyrate enantiomers

With PMP chiral derivatization, the D/L-2HB and D/L-3HB enantiomers can be distinctly determined by reversed-phase chromatographic separation. In addition, the detection sensitivities were greatly enhanced by LC-ESI-MS analysis due to the introduction of easily ionizable tertiary amino group from PMP.     

Determination of darusentan enantiomers in rat plasma by enantioselective liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry using cellulose-based chiral stationary phase

A sensitive, specific and rapid liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method has been developed and validated for enantioselective determination of darusentan enantiomers, orally active potent endothelin-A receptor antagonist, in rat plasma. The plasma samples were pretreated by protein precipitation with methanol and baseline chromatographic separation was performed on a Chiralcel OD-RH column with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile/water/formic acid (50:50:0.1, v/v/v) at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. The detection was accomplished by multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) scanning via electrospray ionization (ESI) source operating in the negative ionization mode. The calibration curve was linear over the investigated concentration from 0.500 to 2500 ng/mL (r≥0.995) for each enantiomer using 50 μL of rat plasma. The lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) for each enantiomer was 0.500 ng/mL. The intra- and inter-day precisions were not more than 10.2% and the accuracy was within the range from -5.4 to 6.3% for darusentan enantiomers. No chiral inversion was observed during the plasma preparation, storage and analysis. The method proved adequate for enantioselective pharmacokinetic studies of darusentan enantiomers after oral administration of three different doses of racemic darusentan.     

Synthesis of a nano‐sized chiral imprinted polymer and its use as an (S)‐atenolol carrier in the bulk liquid membrane

In this work, nanosized chiral imprinted polymers containing (S)‐atenolol ((S)‐ATN) selective sites were synthesized by using suspension polymerization in silicon oil. (S)‐ATN, methacrylic acid, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate were used as enantiomerically pure template, functional monomer, and cross‐linker, respectively. The prepared chiral imprinted polymers were used as the carrier elements in a bulk liquid membrane (BLM). (S)‐ATN transport capability of the chiral imprinted polymers was compared with that of the nonimprinted polymer. It was shown that chiral imprinted polymers could transport (S)‐ATN through the BLM more effectively than (R)‐ATN, whereas no difference in the facilitated transport was observed between (R)‐ATN and (S)‐ATN when using nonimprinted polymer particles as the carrier element in the BLM. A kinetic model was proposed for the transportation of (S)‐ATN through the chiral imprinted polymers based BLM. It was found that the extraction of ATN from the source to the membrane controls the chiral separation process. It was also found that the pH of source and receiving phases as well as the racemic ATN concentration in source phase had very crucial effect on the chiral separation efficiency.     

Enantiomeric separation of chiral theophylline derivatives by liquid chromatography on cellulose-based sorbents

The enantiomeric resolution of seven closely related theophylline racemates by high-performance liquid chromatography on cellulose-based sorbents, in particular Chiralcel-OD, -OC and -OJ, is described. Although all chiral stationary phases (CSPs) are suitable for the enantioseparation of all racemates investigated, it is obvious that method development is different for each stationary phase. The screenings with the above-mentioned CSP included variation of mobile phase and temperature. It turned out that Chiralcel-OD should be used with 2-propanol in n-hexane as the mobile phase at higher temperatures, whereas Chiralcel-OC performed best with methanol at ambient temperature. Improved enantioseparations were observed for Chiralcel-OJ with increased modifier concentrations in n-hexane at increased temperature.     

Analytical and semipreparative separation of the enantiomers of new acetylcholinesterase inhibitors by high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary The resolution of the enantiomers of new acetylcholinesterase inhibitors by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was investigated on stationary phases containing cellulose tris-(3,5 methylphenylcarbamide) (Chiralcel OD). The effects of the mobile phase on retention, enantioselectivity and resolution were also studied. Ethanol and isopropanol were tested as organic modifiers and the influence of diethylamine was investigated. The effect of temperature on chiral separations was also studieded.     

Streptavidin chiral stationary phase for the separation of adenosine enantiomers

In this paper, a microbore column packed with streptavidin particles was used, at various temperatures (0-24 degrees C), to separate the adenosine enantiomers by HPLC. Using an aqueous mobile phase, the apparent enantioseparation was high for a small molecule, varying from 11.5 at 0 degrees C to 6.2 at 24 degrees C. From the experiments carried out with a streptavidin-biotin complex stationary phase, it was demonstrated that the blockage of the biotin sites of the immobilized streptavidin was responsible for a strong decrease in the enantioselectivity via a direct and/or an indirect effect. From the analysis of the concentration dependencies of the solute retention factor, it was also shown that a reduction of the D-adenosine specific binding sites occurred at the lowest temperature. The thermodynamic parameters determined from the van't Hoff plots indicated that the D-adenosine binding to the streptavidin specific sites was enthalpically driven.     

Microcolumn liquid chromatography of the enantiomers of organophosphorus pesticides with thermionic and ultraviolet detection

Microcolumn liquid chromatography (micro-LC) of some chiral organophosphorus pesticides has been studied using Chiralcel OD columns and simultaneous ultraviolet (UV) and phosphorus selective detection, the latter by means of a micro-UV cell coupled on-line to a thermionic detector (TID). Micro-LC showed a ca. 5-fold improved separation impedance, a ca. 1.8-fold increased column permeability, and greater inertness compared with conventional LC. By using the TID, organophosphorus pesticides could be satisfactorily determined at trace levels, the detection limit being 4 pg/s of phosphorus. The response of the micro-LC-TID system is linear in the range of 0.05–20 ng (r = 0.9994).     

Direct high-performance liquid chromatographic method for enantioselective and diastereoselective determination of selected pyrethroic acids

This study reports on the direct HPLC stereoisomer separation of selected pyrethroic acids employing commercial cinchona alkaloid derived chiral stationary phases (CSPs). cis/trans-Chrysanthemic acid (cis/trans-CA), cis/trans-chrysanthemum dicarboxylic acid (cis/trans-CDCA), cis/trans-permethrinic acid (cis/trans-PA), and fenvaleric acid (FA) were resolved into the individual stereoisomers, i.e. enantiomers and diastereomers as well. To achieve satisfactory baseline separation an optimisation of the variables of the chromatographic method including chemical structure of the cinchona carbamate CSP, mobile phase composition, and flow rate was required. All four stereoisomers of PA were successfully separated in a single run (alphacis = 1.20, alphatrans = 1.26, critical Rs = 1.65) with an acetonitrile (ACN)-based polar-organic eluent. The complete baseline resolution of all CA stereoisomers succeeded in polar-organic (alphacis = 1.20, alphatrans = 1.35, critical Rs = 3.03) as well as in acetonitrile-based reversed-phase media (alphacis = 1.24, alphatrans = 1.22, critical Rs = 2.73). The latter elution mode was also found to be suitable for the enantio- as well as diastereoselective resolution of CDCA (alphacis = 1.09, alphatrans = 1.50, critical Rs = 1.43), which is to the best of our knowledge the first reported enantiomer separation of this analyte. The enantiomers of FA could be baseline separated employing also reversed-phase mode (alpha = 1.16, Rs = 2.91). These separation methods may be applied for quality control processes in the production of stereoisomerically pure insecticides as well as stereoselective toxicokinetic studies, as CDCA, PA, and FA are suitable biomarkers for monitoring human pyrethroid burden.     

Enantiomeric resolution of new aromatase inhibitors by liquid chromatography on cellulose chiral stationary phases

Analytical HPLC methods using derivatized cellulose chiral stationary phases were developed for the direct enantioseparation of substituted [1-(imidazo-1-yl)-1-phenylmethyl)]-benzothiazolinone and benzoxazolinone derivatives with one chiral center. Those analogues of fadrozole constitute new potent nonsteroidal inhibitors of aromatase (P450 arom). The separations were made using normal phase methodology with a mobile phase consisting of n-hexane-alcohol (ethanol, 1-propanol, or 2-propanol) in various proportions, and a silica-based cellulose tris-3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate (Chiralcel OD-H), or tris-methylbenzoate (Chiralcel OJ). The effects of concentration of various aliphatic alcohols in the mobile phase were studied. A better separation was achieved on cellulose carbamate phase compared with the cellulose ester phase. The effects of structural features of the solutes along with the temperature of the column on the discrimination between the enantiomers were examined. Baseline separation (Rs > 1.5) was easily obtained in many cases.     

Direct separation of the enantiomers of cetirizine and related compounds by reversed-phase chiral HPLC

Summary Direct separations of the enantiomers of cetirizine and related compounds have been achieved by reversed-phase HPLC on the Chiralcel OD-R, a polysaccharide-derived chiral stationary phase; the mobile phase was usually perchlorate solution supplemented with acetonitrile. Resolution of the enantiomers of cetirizine and related compounds was good. The effect of the acetonitrile content of the mobile phase was investigated, and the effect of the structure of the chiral compounds on their behavior on the Chiralcel OD-R column is discussed.     

Cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography for separation of norgestrel enantiomers

A simple method for the separation of highly hydrophobic neutral enantiomers by cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chro-matography (MEKC) is presented and strongly supported by experiments. The separation depends on the ratio between the concentrations of cyclodextrin (CD) and sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) micelles and there is an optimum value of the ratio for the separation of the enantiomers of norgestrel and 4-androstene-3,17-dione. At the optimum value of the ratio, obtained by adjusting the absolute concentrations of CD and SDS. The electrophoretic mobility difference between two enantiomers can be maintained nearly constant.     

Enantioseparation of selected chiral sulfoxides in high‐performance liquid chromatography with polysaccharide‐based chiral selectors in polar organic mobile phases with emphasis on enantiomer elution order

The separation of the enantiomers of 17 chiral sulfoxides was studied on polysaccharide‐based chiral columns in polar organic mobile phases. Enantiomer elution order (EEO) was the primary objective in this study. Two of the six chiral columns, especially those based on amylose tris(3,5‐dimethylphenylcarbamate) and cellulose tris(4‐chloro‐3‐methylphenylcarbamate) (Lux Cellulose‐4) proved to be most successful in the separation of the enantiomers of the studied sulfoxides. Interesting examples of EEO reversal were observed depending on the chiral selector or the composition of the mobile phase. For instance, the R‐(+) enantiomer of lansoprazole eluted before the S‐(?) enantiomer on Lux Cellulose‐1 in both methanol or ethanol as the mobile phase, while the elution order was opposite in the same eluents on amylose tris(3,5‐dimethylphenylcarbamate) with the S‐(?) enantiomer eluting before the R‐(+) enantiomer. The R‐(+) enantiomer of omeprazole eluted first on Lux Amylose‐2 in methanol but it was second when acetonitrile was used as the mobile phase with the same chiral selector. Several other examples of reversal in EEO were observed in this study. An interesting example of the separation of four stereoisomers of phenaminophos sulfoxide containing chiral sulfur and phosphor atoms is also reported here.