FastTrack to supercritical fluid chromatographic purification: Implementation of a walk-up analytical supercritical fluid chromatography/mass spectrometry screening system in the medicinal chemistry laboratory

Medicinal chemists often depend on analytical instrumentation for reaction monitoring and product confirmation at all stages of pharmaceutical discovery and development. To obtain pure compounds for biological assays, the removal of side products and final compounds through purification is often necessary. Prior to purification, chemists often utilize open-access analytical LC/MS instruments because mass confirmation is fast and reliable, and the chromatographic separation of most sample constituents is sufficient. Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) is often used as an orthogonal technique to HPLC or when isolation of the free base of a compound is desired. In laboratories where SFC is the predominant technique for analysis and purification of compounds, a reasonable approach for quickly determining suitable purification conditions is to screen the sample against different columns. This can be a bottleneck to the purification process. To commission SFC for open-access use, a walk-up analytical SFC/MS screening system was implemented in the medicinal chemistry laboratory. Each sample is automatically screened through six column/method conditions, and on-demand data processing occurs for the chromatographers after each screening method is complete. This paper highlights the “FastTrack” approach to expediting samples through purification.     

'LC-electrolyte effects' improve the bioanalytical performance of liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric assays in supporting pharmacokinetic study for drug discovery

The development of rapid and sensitive bioanalytical methods in a short time frame with acceptable levels of precision and accuracy is imperative for successful drug discovery. We previously reported that the use of a mobile phase containing an extremely low concentration of ammonium formate or formic acid increased analyte electrospray ionization (ESI) response and controlled against matrix effects. We designated these favorable effects 'LC-electrolyte effects'. In order to support rapid pharmacokinetic (PK) studies for drug discovery, we applied LC-electrolyte effects to the development of generic procedures that can be used to quickly generate reliable PK data for compound candidates. We herein demonstrate our approach using four model tested compounds (Compd-A, -B, -C, and -D). The analytical methods involve generic protein precipitation for sample clean-up, followed by application of fast liquid chromatographic (LC) gradients and the subsequent use of electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) for individual measurement of the tested compounds in 20-microL plasma samples. Good linearity over the concentration range of 1.6 or 8-25000 ng/mL (r(2) > 0.99), precision (RSD, 0.45-13.1%), and accuracy (91-112%) were achieved through the use of a low dose of formic acid (0.4 mM or 0.015 per thousand) in the methanol/water-based LC mobile phase. The analytical method was quite sensitive, providing a lower limit of quantification of 1.6 pg on-column except for Compd-C (8 pg), and showed negligible ion suppression caused by matrix components. Finally, the assay suitability was demonstrated in simulated discovery PK studies of the tested compounds with i.v./p.o. dosing of rats. This new assay approach has been adopted with good results in our laboratory for many recent discovery PK studies.     

Screening approach for chiral separation of pharmaceuticals. Part III. Supercritical fluid chromatography for analysis and purification in drug discovery

High-throughput and performance analysis and purification of enantiomers are important parts of drug discovery and provide high-quality compounds for pharmacological testing. We have previously reported two parts describing chiral chromatographic screens using normal-phase (NPLC) and reversed-phase (RPLC) liquid chromatography, in order to cope with increasing numbers of new compounds generated by chemistry programs. We present in this part the development and implementation of a third faster screen using supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) to maximize chance in achieving rapid enantiomer resolution of large numbers of compounds in a minimum of time. The SFC screen utilizes a narrow combination of only four columns (Chirlapak AD and AS, and Chiralcel OD and OJ) and two solvent modifiers (methanol and isopropanol). A modifier and column-switching setup was employed to allow the entire screening process to be serially run in the order AD> OD > OJ > AS and methanol > isopropanol, so that the screening for a given molecule can be stopped when separation is achieved. The switching system was fully automated for unattended operation of multiple compounds. An optimization procedure was also defined, which can be performed if needed for unsuccessful separations in the screening step. The chiral SFC strategy proved its performance and robustness in resolution of hundreds proprietary chiral molecules generated by drug discovery programs, with a success rate exceeding 95%. In addition, the generic capability of the strategy was evaluated by applying the screen and optimization methodology to a test set comprising 40 marketed drugs differing from proprietary compounds in terms of chemical diversity, revealing a similar high success rate of 98%. Chiral separations developed at the analytical scale work easily and equally well at the semi-preparative level, as illustrated with an example. The SFC screen allows resolution of compounds that were partially separated by NPLC or not separated at all by RPLC, demonstrating the utility of implementing complementary chromatographic techniques. The SFC screen is currently an integral part of our analytical support to discovery chemical programs and is considered the first try for chiral separations of new compounds, because it offers a higher success rate, performance and throughput.     

On-line coupling of hollow fiber membranes with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry for continuous affinity selection, concentration and identification of small-molecule libraries.

Combinatorial chemistry has been widely employed in the pharmaceutical industry in the effort towards drug discovery. Rapid and sensitive screening of lead candidates among library compounds has thus imposed significant analytical challenges in recent years. This work involved the development of a continuous affinity capture and concentration system, providing cost-effective and structural analysis of drug candidates in a flow-through format. The system combines the strengths of a hollow fiber dialysis membrane of ease and speed of purification and concentration with the specificity of affinity interactions in solution. The complexes between the lead compounds and the affinity binding proteins are separated from other chemical components inside a dialysis hollow fiber as the result of their differences in size. The affinity complexes are further concentrated inside a second dialysis fiber. The concentrated drug candidates are liberated from the binding proteins in a microdialysis junction and can be directly identified using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Two model systems, including human serum albumin-warfarin-related compounds and anti-phenobarbital antibody-barbiturates, were employed for mechanistic studies of dialysis versus dissociation kinetics and competitive selection of drug candidates according to their binding strengths.     

Methodology for dyes purification by preparative bidimensional offline reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography separation based on mobile phase pH change: Case study of Justicia spicigera

The extensive characterization of the natural dyes involves the purification of their colored compounds for their structural analysis and stability studies. As most natural compounds being ionizable, herein is presented the optimization of an easy and affordable preparative bidimensional offline reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography purification based on mobile phase pH change. At the analytical scale, several combinations of stationary phases and mobile phases at different pH values were investigated first. The orthogonality between the dimensions was quantitatively evaluated using the nearest-neighbor distance approach. The optimized separation method was transferred to the preparative scale for the successful isolation of two colored compounds from Justicia spicigera, a traditional dye plant from Central America. They were identified as perisbivalvine B (2-amino-8-hydroxy-7-methoxy-3H-phenoxazin-3-one) and one of its derivatives, also found in another tinctorial plant species, Peristrophe bivalvis growing in Asia.     

A computer program for automated data evaluation to support in vitro higher-throughput screening for drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics attributes

With the advances in analytical techniques, higher-throughput screening for drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) attributes has become an integral part of drug discovery. However, as the number of compounds increases, the volume of data that needs to be processed and evaluated increases exponentially. As a result, a major challenge for the analytical chemist is how to quickly process the vast amount of data so as to keep up with the throughput of the screening assay. We have developed a customized computer program for automated evaluation of the liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric (LC/MS/MS) data generated from the in vitro DMPK screening assays. This program performs automatic data processing and quality control. It identifies analytical anomalies, such as low internal standard intensity and poor reproducibility of replicates. All analytical anomalies for individual compounds are summarized into an 'E-Log' in a color-coded format for reviewing. With the use of this program and other supporting software, data processing and evaluation for up to 100 compounds are accomplished in several minutes.     

Continuous screening of analytical parameters facilitates efficient development of HPLC methods required for impurity profiling

Developing a robust analytical HPLC–UV method to characterize a drug candidate during an early stage of development is a major challenge when not all impurity standards are available. Here, we report our efforts to devise an efficient strategy for HPLC method development using continuous screening of analytical parameters without impurity standards. This strategy uses small incremental changes in the mobile phase pH and column temperature to trace each impurity on an overlay chromatogram. We tested this method using benzocaine as the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), and compounds with similar structures to represent unknown impurities. Despite the coelution of peaks, results identified the number of impurities and indicated the starting point and parameter variables of the ensuing optimization step. Further, we demonstrated that the retention time of each peak as a function of mobile phase pH accounts for the apparent pK_a of known and unknown compounds in the presence of an organic solvent. This information is critically important to the selection of a robust pH range for HPLC methods.     

Evolution of an open-access quantitative bioanalytical mass spectrometry service in a drug discovery environment

Increased demand for assays for compounds at the early stages of drug discovery within the pharmaceutical industry has led to the need for open-access mass spectrometry systems for performing quantitative analysis in a variety of biological matrices. The open-access mass spectrometers described here are LC/MS/MS systems operated in 'multiple reaction monitoring' (MRM) mode to obtain the sensitivity and specificity required to quantitate low levels of pharmaceutical compounds in an excess of biological matrix. Instigation of these open-access systems has resulted in mass spectrometers becoming the detectors of choice for non-expert users, drastically reducing analytical method development time and allowing drug discovery scientists to concentrate on their core expertise of pharmacokinetics and drug metabolism. Setting up an open-access facility that effectively allows a user with minimal mass spectral knowledge to exploit the MS/MS capability of triple quadrupole mass spectrometers presents a significantly different challenge from setting up qualitative single stage mass spectrometry systems. Evolution of quantitative open access mass spectrometry within a pharmaceutical drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics group, from its beginnings as a single generic system to a series of specialist fully integrated walk-up facilities, is described.     

High-performance purification of quaternary alkaloids from Corydalis yanhusuo W. T. Wang using a new polar-copolymerized stationary phase

An efficient method for purification of alkaloids from Corydalis yanhusuo W. T. Wang using HPLC was developed, featuring a polar-copolymerized stationary phase named C18HCE. As ionizable solutes, the crude alkaloid sample often suffered from serious peak tailing problem on conventional RP-LC columns, and the separation would rapidly became destroyed with the increasing of load amount. However, on the new stationary phase, good peak shapes (asymmetry factor <1.5) as well as good loadability were easily obtained in a commonly used acidic mobile phase condition. The loading amount could reach 10 mg per injection on an analytical C18HCE column for laboratory-scale purification. About 6.8 mg of palmatine (HPLC purity >98%) and 44.4 mg of dehydrocorydaline (HPLC purity >98%) were rapidly derived from 200 mg of the crude alkaloid sample, and the recoveries of these two compounds were 76.5 and 81.7%, respectively. The purified alkaloids were characterized by comparing retention times with standard compounds as well as (1)H-NMR data. The new method is simple and high yielding, and it may provide a promising tool for purification of alkaloids as well as other alkaline compounds.     

Applicability of bioanalysis of multiple analytes in drug discovery and development: review of select case studies including assay development considerations

The development of sound bioanalytical method(s) is of paramount importance during the process of drug discovery and development culminating in a marketing approval. Although the bioanalytical procedure(s) originally developed during the discovery stage may not necessarily be fit to support the drug development scenario, they may be suitably modified and validated, as deemed necessary. Several reviews have appeared over the years describing analytical approaches including various techniques, detection systems, automation tools that are available for an effective separation, enhanced selectivity and sensitivity for quantitation of many analytes. The intention of this review is to cover various key areas where analytical method development becomes necessary during different stages of drug discovery research and development process. The key areas covered in this article with relevant case studies include: (a) simultaneous assay for parent compound and metabolites that are purported to display pharmacological activity; (b) bioanalytical procedures for determination of multiple drugs in combating a disease; (c) analytical measurement of chirality aspects in the pharmacokinetics, metabolism and biotransformation investigations; (d) drug monitoring for therapeutic benefits and/or occupational hazard; (e) analysis of drugs from complex and/or less frequently used matrices; (f) analytical determination during in vitro experiments (metabolism and permeability related) and in situ intestinal perfusion experiments; (g) determination of a major metabolite as a surrogate for the parent molecule; (h) analytical approaches for universal determination of CYP450 probe substrates and metabolites; (i) analytical applicability to prodrug evaluations-simultaneous determination of prodrug, parent and metabolites; (j) quantitative determination of parent compound and/or phase II metabolite(s) via direct or indirect approaches; (k) applicability in analysis of multiple compounds in select disease areas and/or in clinically important drug-drug interaction studies. A tabular representation of select examples of analysis is provided covering areas of separation conditions, validation aspects and applicable conclusion. A limited discussion is provided on relevant aspects of the need for developing bioanalytical procedures for speedy drug discovery and development. Additionally, some key elements such as internal standard selection, likely issues of mass detection, matrix effect, chiral aspects etc. are provided for consideration during method development.     

A convenient new synthesis of quaternary ammonium glucuronides of drug molecules

N-Glucuronides, of various structural types, are frequently encountered as drug metabolites. Efficient chemical synthesis of these compounds, both as analytical standards and for toxicological investigation, is therefore an important goal. Earlier syntheses of N⁺- glucuronides of aliphatic tertiary amine drugs involved direct reaction of the drug molecule with a bromosugar, but yields were generally low and of poor reproducibility, with many by-products. In addition the final products were often of low stability, hindering effective isolation and purification. We now report that a stable, readily prepared glucuronic acid hemiacetal is a reliable precursor for metabolites of this type and give three pharmaceutically relevant examples. We report further on the stability of the final metabolites and the conditions required for their isolation and purification.     

点击化学及其应用

点击化学反应选用易得原料,通过可靠、高效化学反应快速合成大量新化合物,且反应条件温和、产物收率高和不需要专门的分离提纯。本文介绍了点击化学（click chemistry）的一些基本概念,综述了点击化学作为一种新的合成方法在药物中的先导化合物库、糖类化合物、天然化合物、生物大分子和高分子中聚合物上的应用,并对其发展前景进行了展望。     

Analyte solvent and injection volume as variables affecting method development in semipreparative reversed-phase liquid chromatography

Analyte solvent and injection volume were examined as parameters that affect peak elution during method development for semipreparative RP HPLC purification. Analytical and semipreparative scale HPLC with gradient elution were used to analyze a mixture of three standard compounds with significantly different retention factors (k). This mixture was analyzed after (i) dissolution in solvents of varied compositions, and (ii) with progressively larger injection volumes. As analyte solvent composition and injection volume were changed, the most notable effects on peak shape were observed for the compounds with the smallest k values. Overall changes in peak shape were less pronounced when analyte solvent composition was similar to the starting mobile phase regardless of injection volume. Scale-up to semipreparative conditions yielded results consistent with those observed at the analytical scale. These data show that peak shape is greatly affected by analyte solvent composition and injection volume, and that these effects can be ameliorated by the dissolution of analytes in solvent that closely resembles that of the mobile phase used for initial run conditions. The following study addresses the concepts of peak elution in RP HPLC and how they factor into semipreparative purification.     

Evaluation of generic chiral liquid chromatography screens for pharmaceutical analysis

Two different automated generic liquid chromatography screens for the separation of chiral compounds of pharmaceutical interest have been evaluated. The test set comprised 53 chemically diverse chiral compounds involving 55 enantiomeric pairs from the pharmaceutical industry (i.e. starting materials, synthetic intermediates and drug substances). The first screen utilised four polysaccharide-based columns with five mobile phases and showed enantioselectivity for 87% of the test compounds. The second screen employed three macrocyclic glycopeptide columns with two mobile phases and showed enantioselectivity for 65% of the test compounds. Merging of the two screening procedures resulted in an enantioselectivity for 96% of the chiral compounds. It is anticipated that the systematic use of the automated chiral HPLC screens described in this report will substantially reduce the necessary time for method development of pharmaceutically related chiral analytical methods.     

Applications of high throughput microsomal stability assay in drug discovery

High throughput in vitro microsomal stability assays are widely used in drug discovery as an indicator for in vivo stability, which affects pharmacokinetics. This is based on in-depth research involving a limited number of model drug-like compounds that are cleared predominantly by cytochrome P450 metabolism. However, drug discovery compounds are often not drug-like, are assessed with high throughput assays, and have many potential uncharacterized in vivo clearance mechanisms. Therefore, it is important to determine the correlation between high throughput in vitro microsomal stability data and abbreviated discovery in vivo pharmacokinetics study data for a set of drug discovery compounds in order to have evidence for how the in vitro assay can be reliably applied by discovery teams for making critical decisions. In this study the relationship between in vitro single time point high throughput microsomal stability and in vivo clearance from abbreviated drug discovery pharmacokinetics studies was examined using 306 real world drug discovery compounds. The results showed that in vitro Phase I microsomal stability t(1/2) is significantly correlated to in vivo clearance with a p-value<0.001. For compounds with low in vitro rat microsomal stability (t(1/2)<15 min), 87% showed high clearance in vivo (CL>25 mL/min/kg). This demonstrates that high throughput microsomal stability data are very effective in identifying compounds with significant clearance liabilities in vivo. For compounds with high in vitro rat microsomal stability (t(1/2)>15 min), no significant differentiation was observed between high and low clearance compounds. This is likely owing to other clearance pathways, in addition to cytochrome P450 metabolism that enhances in vivo clearance. This finding supports the strategy used by medicinal chemists and drug discovery teams of applying the in vitro data to triage compounds for in vivo PK and efficacy studies and guide structural modification to improve metabolic stability. When in vitro and in vivo data are both available for a compound, potential in vivo clearance pathways can be diagnosed to guide further discovery studies.     

分析型色谱饼对人血清白蛋白的快速纯化

采用分析型色谱饼对标准蛋白混合物进行了分离,结果表明装填有小颗粒填料的色谱饼在高流速条件下仍然具有良好的分离能力。在较大流速(5 mL/min)条件下,在10 min内对人血清白蛋白样品进行了快速纯化,其纯化后的人血清白蛋白的纯度大于85%,回收率为65%,说明分析型色谱饼可以用于快速分离纯化生物大分子。     

Preparative argentation reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography

In this study, a preparative chromatography method named preparative argentation reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (Ag-RP-HPLC) was developed by adding silver ion to the mobile phase of preparative HPLC. Firstly, an analytical Ag-RP-HPLC method was developed, and the effects of silver content and acid content in the mobile phase on the column efficiency were studied. Based on the method of linear amplification, a preparative Ag-RP-HPLC technique with optimized separation conditions was developed. The new technique was applied successfully to the separation of the unsaturated aliphatic acid amide isomers contained in Asarum forbesii Maxim. Compared with the commonly used technique of argentation normal phase chromatography, this method with little solvent consumption is simple, fast, efficient, and flexible for the isolation and purification of the unsaturated compounds.     

Integration of supercritical fluid chromatography into drug discovery as a routine support tool. II. investigation and evaluation of supercritical fluid chromatography for achiral batch purification

Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) has recently been implemented within our analytical technologies department as a purity assessment and purification tool to complement HPLC for isomer and chiral separations. This report extends the previous work to achiral analysis and purification. This internal evaluation explores the potential impact SFC can have on high throughput, batch purification. Achiral methods have been optimised and batches of compounds purified using a retention time mapping strategy. Here the preparative retention time is predicted from a standard calibration curve and fraction windows set to ensure the peak of interest is collected in one of the four available fraction positions. In this contribution, a completely indirect scale up strategy is applied using totally independent analytical and preparative methods. This novel approach allows for fast analytical purity analysis without compromising the ability to scale up to the preparative system. The benefits and limitations of SFC for batch purification are described in comparison to HPLC across a set of standard compounds and a set of 90 research compounds.     

Tandem mass spectrometry with online high-flow reversed-phase extraction and normal-phase chromatography on silica columns with aqueous-organic mobile phase for quantitation of polar compounds in biological fluids

In this work, high-flow online reversed-phase extraction was coupled with normal phase on silica columns with aqueous-organic mobile phase liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) to quantify drug candidates in biological fluids. The orthogonal separation effect obtained from this configuration considerably reduced matrix effects and increased sensitivity for highly polar compounds as detected by selected reaction monitoring. This approach also significantly improved the robustness and limit of detection of the assays. An evaluation of this system was performed using a mixture of albuterol and bamethan in rat plasma. Assay validation demonstrated acceptable accuracy (< 8% difference) and precision (< 6% CV) for these model compounds. The system has been used for the quantitation of polar ionic compounds in biological fluids in support of drug discovery programs. This assay was used to analyze samples for a BMS proprietary compound (A) in a rat pharmacokinetic study and is shown as an example to demonstrate the precision, accuracy, and sufficient sensitivity of this system.     

Fast Separation Method Development for Supercritical Fluid Chromatography Using an Autoblending Protocol

Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) is a powerful separation technique particularly in the area of enantioseparations. With rapid analysis speed, wide polarity compatibility, higher column efficiency and lower cost of the mobile phase, SFC is regarded as a better choice than high-performance liquid chromatography for drug discovery. In the development of separation method, the choice of modifier and/or additive is the key point of optimum separation. However, such screening of SFC is typically time-consuming. In this study, an autoblending protocol was introduced to speed up the modifier and/or additive screening process, which was performed on a separate programmable gradient proportioning system. The protocol prepares mobile phases on the fly to speed up the screening of modifiers and/or additives and reduces the waste of solutions. Furthermore, by switching mobile phase in the same run, separation of different types of compounds could also be achieved. This system was successfully applied to screen modifier–additive combinations of three alkaloids and three polyphenols by switching to two mobile phase conditions, as well as by a ternary additive mobile phase on an SFC system. The proposed protocol allows fast separation method development of SFC, which was proved to be rapid, simple, and reproducible.