Predefine resolution of enantiomers in partial filling capillary electrophoresis and two discontinuous function plugs coupling in‐capillary

In common partial filling CE (PF‐CE), the capillary contains the selectors plug between the injection and detector end to avoid the selector going into the detector zone. To expand this method, we propose a mode of two discontinuous function plugs coupling in‐capillary, named as plug–plug PF‐CE (ppPF‐CE). Initially, we present the method to predefine the effective length of chiral selector to meet the requirement of enantiomers' resolution, which could avoid some experimental procedures. With α‐CD as a chiral selector, a satisfactory resolution of enantiomers d,l ‐tryptophan and d,l ‐tyrosine was obtained with a partial filling α‐CD plug of optimal length and concentration. Subsequently, a second plug containing hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, organic solvents (acetonitrile and methanol), anionic and cationic surfactants (SDS and CTAB), and different concentrations of sodium phosphate buffer was inserted after the selector plug. Effects of plug–plug filling on enantiomers' migration and resolution are discussed. The ppPF‐CE might be a new flexible mode for CE application.     

Simultaneous separation and enantioresolution of racemic local anesthetic drugs by capillary zone electrophoresis with Tween 20 and methyl-beta-cyclodextrin as selectors, employing a double plug technique

A new approach for simultaneous chiral and achiral separations by capillary zone electrophoresis is described. Two adjacent selector plugs, consisting of Tween 20 as an achiral and methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (CD) as a chiral selector, are employed and four related local anesthetics are used as model compounds. The principles of the partial filling technique, whereby the capillary is filled with the chiral selector solution followed by the micellar solution at different plug lengths and concentrations, prior to application of the solutes, was employed. During the run both capillary ends were dipped in a simple buffer, i.e., one without additives. The two separation media worked independently without any interaction. Separation of the solutes and their enantiomers was regulated by adjusting both the concentration and plug length (PL) of the micellar solution in the capillary, employing methyl beta-CD as chiral selector either at 38 or 76 mM. The solutes were separated on the basis of their affinity towards the micellar phase before they reached the methyl-beta-CD plug for enantioseparation. In the absence of the micellar plug, the enantiomers of prilocaine overlapped those of bupivacaine. The solutes and their enantiomers were completely separated by employing two adjacent plugs consisting of 100 mM Tween 20 solution (PL approximately 10 cm) and methyl-beta-CD solution at either 38 or 76 mM (PL approximately 30 cm).     

Comparative study on the enantiomer separation of 1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'diyl hydrogenphosphate and 1,1'-bi-2-naphthol by liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis using single and combined chiral selector systems

The chiral recognition ability of single and dual selectors, that were used as additives, have been investigated by HPLC and CE. Native beta- and gamma-cyclodextrins, permethylated beta-cyclodextrin, hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin, cholic acid and taurodeoxycholic acid sodium salts were applied as chiral selectors, whereas the atropisomers of 1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-diyl hydrogenphosphate, and 1,1'-bi-2-naphthol served as model compounds. It was found that all investigated selectors, except for gamma-cyclodextrin, display the same affinity pattern for binaphthyl enantiomers, i.e., binding the S more strongly than the R enantiomer. However, the differences in the phase distribution of chiral selectors led to the opposit elution order of enantiomers: with cyclodextrins, the first eluted is S enantiomer, while R is the first eluted for bile salts. Under the conditions studied, cyclodextrins (except gamma-cyclodextrin), as well as cholic acid sodium salts acting singly, enable the separation of 1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-diyl hydrogenphosphate enantiomers both by HPLC and CE methods, while 1,1'-bi-2-naphthol enantiomers were resolved only under CE conditions with permethylated cyclodextrin or bile salts. In both techniques the application of dual systems could improve resolution or make it worse (oreven cancel), depending on the sign of enantioselectivity of particular selectors, their concentrations and localization: mobile or stationary phase. It has been found that the mechanism of separation as well as interactions occurring between two selectors may be followed by using combined HPLC and CE methods. The obtained results proved that, as well as beta-CD, TM-beta-D and gamma-CD also form inclusion complexes with cholic acid sodium salts. The reversal of elution order may be realized by two procedures: changing a single selector, i.e., cyclodextrin on cholic acid sodium salt or vice versa, and by changing the proportion of selectors in the combined bile salt-cyclodextrin system.     

Chiral separation of bupivacaine enantiomers by capillary electrophoresis partial-filling technique with human serum albumin as chiral selector

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a powerful technique for enantiomer separations due to its intrinsic high separation efficiencies, speed of analysis, low reagent consumption and small sample requirements. However, some chiral selectors present strong background UV absorption providing high detection limits. The present paper deals with the application of the partial-filling technique to the separation of bupivacaine enantiomers by capillary electrophoresis using human serum albumin (HSA) as chiral selector. In this procedure the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was used as a dinamic capillary coating in order to reduce the electro-osmotic flow and detect both bupivacaine enantiomers out of the chiral selector plug. Several experimental conditions such as CTAB concentration, pH, HSA concentration and plug length, background electrolyte concentration, temperature and voltage were studied. Under the selected conditions it is possible to detect the separated enantiomers out of the HSA plug in less than 4 min using 50 mM Tris pH 8 as background electrolyte with 50 microM CTAB, at 30 degrees C and using a separation voltage of 25 kV. The proposed methodology was then validated for analytical purposes and applied to the analysis of pharmaceutical preparations commercially available. The results obtained with the proposed methodology were in good agreement with those declared by the manufacturers. The simplicity, sample throughput, accuracy, reproducibility and low cost of the proposed method make it suitable for the control of the enantiomeric composition of bupivacaine in pharmaceuticals.     

Cellobiohydrolase 58 (P.c. Cel 7D) is complementary to the homologous CBH I (T.r. Cel 7A) in enantioseparations

Cellobiohydrolase 58 (EC 3.2.1.91, P.c. Cel 7D) from Phanerochaete chrysosporium was immobilized on silica and the resulting material, CBH 58-silica, was then used as a chiral stationary phase (CSP) in liquid chromatographic separations of enantiomers. The enantioselectivities obtained on CBH 58-silica were compared with those on CBH I-silica (a phase based on a corresponding cellulase from Trichoderma reesei). CBH 58-silica displayed higher selectivity than CBH I-silica for the more hydrophilic compounds, such as atenolol and metoprolol, although great similarities in chiral separation of beta-adrenergic antagonists were found between the two phases. None of the acidic compounds tested could be resolved on the CBH 58 phase. Moreover, the solutes were retained more on the CBH 58 phase in general, indicating an improved application potential in bioanalysis. Addition of cellobiose or lactose, both of which are inhibitors of cellulases, to the mobile phase impaired the enantioselectivity, indicating an overlap of the enantioselective and catalytic sites. The chiral analytes also functioned as competitive inhibitors and their inhibition constants were determined.     

Fast enantiomeric separation of propranolol by affinity capillary electrophoresis using human serum albumin as chiral selector: application to quality control of pharmaceuticals

In the last years, capillary electrophoresis (CE) has gained considerable interest in pharmaceutical laboratories for controlling the chiral purity of drugs. This paper describes a simple and fast method for resolution of propranolol enantiomers by affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE) using human serum albumin (HSA) as chiral selector. The effect of several experimental variables such as HSA concentration, temperature, chiral selector plug length and addition of organic modifiers, on the separation is evaluated. Complete enantioresolution of R- and S-propranolol was achieved in less than 5 min when the capillary was completely filled with 100 μM HSA solution and the electrophoresis was carried out with 67 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) at 20 kV and 35 °C. Peaks were assigned to each propranolol enantiomer according to their relative affinities to HSA. The proposed method was applied to the analysis of pharmaceutical preparations containing propranolol. Resolution, accuracy, reproducibility, cost and sample throughput of the proposed method make it suitable for quality control of the enantiomeric composition of propranolol in pharmaceuticals.     

Application of capillary electrophoresis with field-amplified sample injection for the detection of new adrenoreceptor antagonist enantiomers in plasma in the low ng/mL concentration range

Throughout the separation of chiral basic drugs by capillary electrophoresis (CE) with neutral hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-beta-CD) as chiral selector, the sensitivity of detection has been improved by using field-amplified sample injection (FASI). In the present work, this on-line stacking method has been used to detect low ng/mL levels of cationic enantiomers of a new adrenoreceptor antagonist in plasma. A systematic study of the parameters affecting on-line concentration of these enantiomers (nature of the preinjection plug, composition of sample solvent, injection times of water and sample plugs) has been performed enabling the detection sensitivity of antagonist enantiomers to be improved by 180 times compared with usual hydrodynamic injection. The quantification of each adrenoreceptor antagonist enantiomer in plasma samples was then performed in the 2-100 ng/mL (or 8-400 nM) concentration range after a solid-phase extraction step. Using this FASI-CE-UV procedure, the limit of quantification (LOQ) for each enantiomer was in the low ng/mL concentration range (3 ng/mL or 10 nM).     

Enantiomer separation of drugs by capillary electrophoresis using proteins as chiral selectors

The separation of drug enantiomers using proteins as the chiral selectors in capillary electrophoresis (CE) is considered in this review. The proteins used include albumins such as bovine serum albumin, human serum albumin and serum albumins from other species, glycoproteins such as alpha1-acid glycoprotein, crude ovomucoid, ovoglycoprotein, avidin and riboflavin binding protein, enzymes such as fungal cellulase, cellobiohydrolase I, pepsin and lysozyme and other proteins such as casein, human serum transferrin and ovotransferrin. Protein-based CE is carried out in two modes: in one proteins are immobilized or adsorbed within the capillary, or protein-immobilized silica gels are packed into the capillary (affinity capillary electrochromatography mode), and in the other proteins are dissolved in the running buffer (affinity CE mode). Furthermore, the advantages and limitations of the two modes and the factors affecting the chiral separations of various drugs by protein-based CE are discussed.     

Separation of brompheniramine enantiomers by capillary electrophoresis and study of chiral recognition mechanisms of cyclodextrins using NMR-spectroscopy, UV spectrometry, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and X-ray crystallography

Opposite migration order was observed for the enantiomers of brompheniramine [N-[3-(4-bromphenyl)-3-(2-pyridyl)propyl]-N,N-dimethylamine] (BrPh) in capillary electrophoresis (CE) when native beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) and heptakis(2,3,6-tri-O-methyl)-beta-CD (TM-beta-CD) were used as chiral selectors. NMR spectrometry was applied in order to obtain information about the stoichiometry, binding constants and structure of the selector-selectand complexes in solution. The data were further confirmed by UV spectrometry and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The structure of the complexes in the solid state was determined using X-ray crystallography performed on the co-crystals precipitated from the 1:1 aqueous solution of selector and selectand. This multiple approach allowed an elucidation of the most likely structural reason for a different affinity (binding strength) of BrPh enantiomers towards beta-CD and TM-beta-CD. However, the question about a force responsible for the opposite affinity pattern of BrPh enantiomers towards these CDs could not be answered definitely.     

Steroselective determination of trihexyphenidyl using carboxylmethyl-β-cyclodextrin by capillary electrophoresis with field-amplified sample stacking

A simple, sensitive and low-cost method using capillary electrophoresis coupled with field-amplified sample stacking (FASS) technique has been developed for enantioselective separation and quantification of trihexyphenidyl (THP) enantiomers in human serum. In this work, three kinds of modified β-cyclodextrin were tested as chiral selectors in CE. Among the CDs studied, THP enantiomers could only be separated by carboxylmethyl-β-cyclodextrin (CM-β-CD). A systematic study of the parameters (CD concentration and pH value in CE buffer, separation voltage and temperature, composition of sample solvent, injection voltage and time) affecting chiral separation and on-line concentration of THP enantiomers were investigated and optimized. The optimum FASS method provided a sensitivity enhancement of about 490-fold compared with usual hydrodynamic injection. Limits of detection for each enantiomer were in the low ng ml^− 1 concentration range (0.92 ng ml^− 1 or 3.06 nM). The quantification of each THP enantiomer in human serum was performed after serum sample extraction. To validate this CE-FASS method, linear regression analysis, intra and inter-day precision and recovery were determined with satisfying results.     

Investigation of chondroitin sulfate D and chondroitin sulfate E as novel chiral selectors in capillary electrophoresis

Various chiral selectors have been utilized successfully in capillary electrophoresis (CE); however, the number of polysaccharides used as chiral selectors is still small and the mechanism of enantiorecognition has not been fully elucidated. Chondroitin sulfate D (CSD) and chondroitin sulfate E (CSE), belonging to the group of glycosaminoglycans, are linear, sulfated polysaccharides with large mass. In this paper, they were investigated for the first time for their potential as chiral selectors by CE. The effect of buffer composition and pH, chiral selector concentration, and applied voltage were systematically examined and optimized. A variety of drug enantiomers were resolved in the buffer pH range of 2.8–3.4 using 20 mM Tris/H₃PO₄ buffer with 5.0 % CSD or CSE and 20 kV applied voltage. A central composite design was used to validate the optimized separation parameters and satisfactory uniformity was obtained. As observed, CSE allowed satisfactory separation of the enantiomers of amlodipine, laudanosine, nefopam, sulconazole, and tryptophan methyl ester, as well as partial resolution of citalopram, duloxetine, and propranolol under the optimized conditions. CSD allowed partial or nearly baseline separation of amlodipine, laudanosine, nefopam, and sulconazole. The results indicated that CSE has a better enantiorecognition capability than CSD toward the tested drugs.

Separation of basic drug enantiomers by capillary electrophoresis using ovoglycoprotein as a chiral selector: comparison of chiral resolution ability of ovoglycoprotein and completely deglycosylated ovoglycoprotein

Separations of basic drug enantiomers by capillary electrophoresis (CE) using ovoglycoprotein (OGCHI) as a chiral selector are described. The effects of running buffer pH and 2-propanol content on the migration times and resolution of basic drug enantiomers were examined using a linear polyacrylamide-coated capillary. High resolution of basic drug enantiomers was attained using a mixture of 50 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 4.5-6.0) and 2-propanol (5-30%) including 50 microM OGCHI. It was found that ionic and hydrophobic interactions could work for the recognition of basic drug enantiomers. Further, we compared the chiral resolution ability of OGCHI with that of completely deglycosylated OGCHI (cd-OGCHI) using them as chiral selectors in CE. OGCHI showed higher resolution for basic drug enantiomers tested than cd-OGCHI. The results suggest that the chiral recognition site(s) for OGCHI exists on the protein domain of OGCHI.     

Sequence requirements of oligonucleotide chiral selectors for the capillary electrophoresis resolution of low‐affinity DNA binders

We recently reported that a great variety of DNA oligonucleotides (ONs) used as chiral selectors in partial‐filling capillary electrophoresis (CE) exhibited interesting enantioresolution properties toward low‐affinity DNA binders. Herein, the sequence prerequisites of ONs for the CE enantioseparation process were studied. First, the chiral resolution properties of a series of homopolymeric sequences (Poly‐dT) of different lengths (from 5 to 60‐mer) were investigated. It was shown that the size increase‐dependent random coil‐like conformation of Poly‐dT favorably acted on the apparent selectivity and resolution. The base‐unpairing state constituted also an important factor in the chiral resolution ability of ONs as the switch from the single‐stranded to double‐stranded structure was responsible for a significant decrease in the analyte selectivity range. Finally, the chemical diversity enhanced the enantioresolution ability of single‐stranded ONs. The present work could lay the foundation for the design of performant ON chiral selectors for the CE separation of weak DNA binder enantiomers.     

Principle and applications of the partial filling technique in capillary electrophoresis

Summary The partial filling technique (PFT) in capillary electrophoresis (CE) is an efficient system where, only 50–800 nanolitres of a chiral selector solution needs to be added to each run. PFT is especially applicable when these additives to the background electrolyte (BGE) are expensive or absorb UV light. The selector dissolved in the BGE is applied to the capillary as a plug, shorter than the effective length of the capillary, prior to application of the analyte. During the run both ends of the capillary are connected to the BGE. The applied plug and the analyte may move in opposite directions or in the same direction at different velocities depending on their electrophoretic mobilities. Thus the final plug length is either longer or shorter than the original length. The technique has been successfully applied in a number of studies including enantiomeric separation with a variety of selectors, and for the determination of conditional association constants. Taken from Dr. Pharm. Sc. Thesis, A. Amini, Uppsala, 1998.     

Chiral resolution of basic drugs by capillary electrophoresis with new glycosaminoglycans

New glycosaminoglycans, fucose-containing glycosaminoglycan (FGAG) and depolymerized holothurian glycosaminoglycan (DHG), were investigated as chiral additives for the separation of drug enantiomers by capillary electrophoresis. The average molecular masses of FGAG and DHG were estimated to be about 59,000 and 14,000, respectively. A variety of basic drug enantiomers were resolved using 10 mM phosphate buffer, pH 5.0, containing 3% FGAG or DHG. Since chiral recognition properties of FGAG and DHG are different, some drug enantiomers were only separated by using FGAG or DHG. With regard to comparison of chiral recognition abilities of FGAG and DHG with other chiral selectors, tolperisone and eperisone enantiomers were not separated with alpha- or beta-cyclodextrin, or heparin as the chiral additives, but were separated with FGAG and DHG. The results obtained reveal that FGAG and DHG are useful as the chiral selectors for separations of drug enantiomers by CE, and that they could be complementarily used with other chiral additives.     

Shah convolution differentiation Fourier transform for rear analysis in microchip capillary electrophoresis

This paper first reports the application of Shah convolution differentiation Fourier transform for rear analysis. Rear analysis eliminates the need to create a well-defined and reproducible sample plug, thus making the operation simpler. The number of solution reservoirs, for microchip capillary electrophoresis (CE), could be reduced from the usual four to three. Sample bias in CE could be avoided too. The separation channel was first filled with the fluorescent sample solution, and subsequently flushed out with the buffer. The rear of each analyte zone gives rise to its flight of sigmoid-shaped steps in the time-domain. The time-domain detector signal was first differentiated and then Fourier transform was performed. The Fourier transform results were represented in the form of a magnitude plot. It is proposed that this would be as equally applicable to other separation techniques (e.g., chromatography) and detection methods (e.g., absorption).     

Metal(II)–ligand molar ratio dependence of enantioseparation of tartaric acid by ligand exchange CE with Cu(II) and Ni(II)–D‐quinic acid systems

Enantioseparation of tartaric acid by ligand exchange CE with a Cu(II)–D ‐quinic acid system was studied. Racemic tartaric acid was enantioseparated by ligand exchange CE using BGEs containing relatively low Cu(II)–D ‐quinic acid molar ratios ranging from 1:1 to 1:3 and high molar ratios ranging from 1:8 to 1:12 but was not enantioseparated using BGEs with medium molar ratios ranging from 1:4 to 1:6. While the migration order of D ‐tartaric acid was prior to L ‐tartaric acid at the lower Cu(II)–D ‐quinic acid molar ratios, the enantiomer migration order was reversed at the higher molar ratios. These results were compared with those for Ni(II)–D ‐quinic acid system. The molar ratio dependence of enantiomer migration order can be attributed to a change in the coordination structure of Cu(II) ion with D ‐quinic acid.     

Enantioseparation of α-Amino Acids by Capillary Electrophoresis Using L-Cysteine-Modified Cyclodextrins as Chiral Selectors

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a powerful separation technique that was used in a wide range of analytical chemical applications. Cyclodextrins(CDs) are the most commonly used chiral selectors in chiral capillary electrophoresis at the present time. Under neutral conditions, however, native CDs are neutral and usually applicable only for the enantioseparation of charged analyses. To overcome this defect we modified α- and β-CD with a L-cysteine moiety and used the CD derivatives as chiral selectors for the separation of a-amino acid enantiomers by the ligand exchange mode.     

Development of stereoselective nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis system for the resolution of cationic and amphoteric analytes

A stereoselective ion-pair nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) method employing the partial filling technique with N-derivatized amino acids, e.g., (R)- and (S)-3,5-dinitrobenzoyl-leucine (DNB-Leu), as chiral selector for the separation of "pseudoenantiomeric" cinchona alkaloid derivatives and other structurally related basic compounds like the enantiomers of mefloquine is presented. Originating from NACE with cinchona alkaloid derivatives as chiral counterions, this method was developed by application of the reciprocity principle of chiral recognition, which was proven to be valid for stereoselective ion-pair capillary electrophoresis (CE). A variety of basic and amphoteric selectands (SAs) could be well resolved. Thereby, the separation was primarily based on stereoselective ion-pair formation of corresponding SA stereoisomers and mobility differences of free and complexed (ion-paired) SAs. Additionally, in the case of diastereomeric SAs, naturally existing mobility differences between the diastereomers played also a role, but was shown by control experiments with racemic DNB-Leu and without selector (SO) to be of minor contribution to overall separation selectivity. Due to its simplicity, speed, and good reproducibility, the established method can be utilized for fast screening of cationic as well as amphoteric chiral compounds, and therefore is a valuable tool in the development of new chiral selectors and chiral stationary phases. Small sample amounts of the SO (4-5 mg) and only analytical amounts of SAs are needed, and about 20-50 compounds per day can be tested.     

On-column ligand synthesis coupled to partial-filling affinity capillary electrophoresis to estimate binding constants of ligands to a receptor

This paper describes a two-step procedure whereby on-column ligand synthesis and partial-filling affinity capillary electrophoresis (PFACE) are sequentially coupled to each other to determine the binding constants of 9-fluorenylmethoxy carbonyl (Fmoc)-amino acid-D-Ala-D-Ala species to vancomycin (Van) from Streptomyces orientalis. In this technique four separate plugs of sample are injected onto the capillary column and electrophoresed. The initial sample plug contains a D-Ala-D-Ala terminus peptide and two non-interacting standards. Plugs two and three contain solutions of Fmoc-amino acid-N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) ester and running buffer, respectively. The fourth sample plug contains an increasing concentration of Van partially-filled onto the capillary column. Upon electrophoresis the initial D-Ala-D-Ala peptide reacts with the Fmoc-amino acid NHS ester yielding the Fmoc-amino acid D-Ala-D-Ala peptide. Continued electrophoresis results in the overlap of the plugs of Van and Fmoc-amino acid-D-Ala-D-Ala peptide and non-interacting markers. Analysis of the change in the relative migration time ratio of the Fmoc-amino acid-D-Ala-D-Ala peptide relative to the non-interacting standards, as a function of the concentration of Van, yields a value for the binding constant. These values agree well with those estimated using other binding and ACE techniques.