Integration of supercritical fluid chromatography into drug discovery as a routine support tool. Part I. fast chiral screening and purification

Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) has been implemented within our group as a purity assessment and purification tool to complement high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for diastereomer and chiral separations. Using a novel strategy, rapid chiral screening has been implemented using short columns, high flow rates and fast gradients. A primary screen delivers a separation assessment using one solvent modifier (methanol) and four columns (Chiralpak AD-H and AS-H, and Chiralcel OD-H and OJ-H) run serially in a total of 24 min. A secondary screen then uses ethanol and isopropanol (IPA) modifiers across the same columns. The screens can be combined to run a sequence of samples overnight where each racemate is analysed over 80 min. The fast analytical screening and optimisation process enables rapid identification of the purification method. Furthermore, subsequent preparative chiral SFC has decreased the overall sample turnaround time for the Medicinal Chemist, delivering high fraction purities and acceptable recoveries, substantial operational cost savings and increased flexibility with respect to large scale purification feasibility in comparison to HPLC. SFC has been so successful it is now used as the primary method for chiral analysis and purification within our laboratory.     

Development of a mass-directed preparative supercritical fluid chromatography purification system

In this paper, we report the development of a mass-directed supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) purification system. We have addressed issues on software compatibility, the interface between the preparative SFC and the mass spectrometer, and fraction collection. Good peak shape and signal were achieved in the mass spectrometry (MS) trace, allowing accurate peak detection and reliable fraction collection. Simple modifications on a commercially available fraction collector enabled fractionation at atmospheric pressure with high recovery. The SFC/MS purification system has been used in support of high-throughput library purification and has been proven to be a valuable tool in complementing our reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatograph (RP-HPLC/MS)-based technology platform.     

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.     

Sulfur hexafluoride as a mobile phase for supercritical fluid chromatography

Summary The capabilities of sulfur hexafluoride as a mobile phase for supercritical-fluid chromatography are investigated. An evaluation of its overall utility on the basis of separations of standard aromatic hydrocarbon odel mixtures performed on a variety of bonded-phase, packed columns with UV detection is presented. The dependence of separation performance upon operational parameters is also examined. A comparative evaluation of the chroamtographic properties of supercitrical sulfur hexafluoride and those of supercritical carbon dioxide is developed from these separations under corresponding supercritical state conditions.     

Inverse gas chromatography as a tool for investigation of nanomaterials

Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) is presented as a representative tool for the investigation of nanomaterials: Aerosil200V and two iron oxides (nanohematite and nanogoethite). IGC was used for characterization of the surface properties of materials. Parameters describing their surface properties are calculated from the retention data of test solutes injected into a column filled with the solid of interest. It is possible to determine the surface activity and the Hamaker constants of different nanomaterials.     

Development of an automated dual‐mode supercritical fluid chromatography and reversed‐phase liquid chromatography mass‐directed purification system for small‐molecule drug discovery

We report the development of a dual‐mode mass‐directed supercritical fluid chromatography and reversed‐phase liquid chromatography purification system. The addition of a third pump allows for flexible mobile phase control between the two techniques, and enables operation of either chromatography mode within minutes by activation of a set of switching valves on a single system. Software control, fluidic pathways, interface to the mass spectrometer, and fraction collection have been modified for compatibility between both separation methods. The conditioning solvent and tuning parameters for the mass spectrometer were adjusted to achieve an ideal signal trace in either mode with good linearity (r² > 0.970) over a range of concentrations and minimal noise for accurate peak detection and isolation. The registration success rate is 90% and overall sample recovery for either technique is 80?90%. Combining two orthogonal separation and purification modes in one single system has improved the purification throughput of complex mixtures and has been a valuable, cost‐saving tool in our laboratory.     

Packed-column supercritical fluid chromatography for the purity analysis of clevidipine, a new dihydropyridine drug

In this paper we describe a packed column supercritical fluid chromatography method that can be used for the analysis of a new dihydropyridine substance. The method is based on methanol-modified carbon dioxide as the mobile phase and Hypersil bare silica as column support at a column temperature of 50 degrees C and 150 bar as back pressure. Using an adjusted methanol gradient the most likely by-products can be separated and detected (240 nm) within 13 min. Occasionally the column needed treatment with 4 mM citric acid in the methanol modifier in order to give a narrow peak of an acidic analogue. The present method can detect analogues at the 0.1% (w/w) level. The precision at this level for one of the analogues was 5.9% RSD. This method shows a higher selectivity than a corresponding reversed-phase liquid chromatographic method.     

Analysis of sorbitan ester surfactants. Part II: Capillary supercritical fluid chromatography

A rapid, simple and quantitative approach to the separation and identification of sorbitan ester surfactants has been developed using capillary supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). The sorbitan ester surfactants were well separated into five groups: starting materials and mono-, di-, tri-, and tetraesters, with each group consisting of a number of peaks representing different isomers. High purity glycerides of fatty acids were employed to estimate the relative response factors of sorbitan esters, and reliable group-wise integration served for quantitation of the distribution of sorbitan fatty acid esters. A very important parameter, hydrophilic–lipophilic balance (HLB), which describes the hydrophilic and hydrophobic characteristics of surfactants, could be correlated with the distribution of the sorbitan esters. A combination of solid-phase extraction (SPE) and SFC was used to separate, concentrate, and analyze Span-20 from salt-water samples. In comparison with the HPLC method, capillary SFC broadens the scope of the technique to encompass high molecular weight sorbitan polyesters while maintaining high separation efficiency.     

The use of ammonium hydroxide as an additive in supercritical fluid chromatography for achiral and chiral separations and purifications of small, basic medicinal molecules

This study describes using 0.1% of a 28-30% ammonium hydroxide solution as an additive to alcohol modifiers in SFC to improve chromatographic peak shapes for basic molecules. Ammonium hydroxide's high volatility leaves no residual additive in the purified sample unlike classical additives in preparative chromatography such as diethylamine and triethylamine. We demonstrate that the silica support is stable despite having ammonium hydroxide in the modifier by running a durability study for over 350 h (105 L of solvent, 105,000 column volumes) on an analytical Chiralcel OJ column and a second study for 30 h (7.2 L, 14,400 column volumes) on an analytical Lux Cellulose-1 column. The peak shape of small, basic molecules is greatly improved with the use of ammonium hydroxide and this improvement is very similar to those having 0.1% diethylamine as a mobile phase additive. Electrospray ionization is also enhanced with the presence of ammonium hydroxide compared with that of diethylamine. We have found that the age of the 28-30% bottle of ammonium hydroxide solution can have significant effects on the chromatography and we describe how this can be overcome. Finally, we analyzed 23 racemic and basic compounds on six different chiral stationary phases and found there to be very little chiral selectivity difference between ammonium hydroxide and diethylamine, triethylamine, ethanolamine and isopropylamine.     

Peptide phage display as a tool for drug discovery: targeting membrane receptors

Ligands selected from phage-displayed random peptide libraries tend to be directed to biologically relevant sites on the surface of the target protein. Consequently, peptides derived from library screenings often modulate the target protein's activity in vitro and in vivo and can be used as lead compounds in drug design and as alternatives to antibodies for target validation in both genomics and drug discovery. This review discusses the use of phage display to identify membrane receptor modulators with agonistic or antagonistic activities. Because isolating or producing recombinant membrane proteins for use as target molecules in library screening is often impossible, innovative selection strategies such as panning against whole cells or tissues, recombinant receptor ectodomains, or neutralizing antibodies to endogenous binding partners were devised. Prominent examples from a two-decade history of peptide phage display will be presented, focusing on the design of affinity selection experiments, methods for improving the initial hits, and applications of the identified peptides.     

Application of supercritical fluid extraction and supercritical fluid chromatography to the production of taxanes as anti-cancer drugs

The supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of taxicin from the dried needles of the English yew tree, Taxus baccata is described. Analysis by supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) and proton NMR spectroscopy was used to confirm identity and purity. The extraction efficiency of SFE is comparable with that obtained using liquid solvents. Such taxanes may be used semi-synthetically to prepare potential anti-cancer drugs.     

Supercritical fluid chromatography as a tool for enantioselective separation; A review

Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) has become popular in the field of enantioselective separations. Many works have been reported during the last years. This review covers the period from 2000 till August 2013. The article is divided into three main chapters. The first one comprises a basic introduction to SFC. The authors provide a brief explanation of general principles and possibilities of this method. The advantages and drawbacks are also listed. Next part deals with chiral separation systems available in SFC, namely with the commonly used chiral stationary phases. Properties and interaction possibilities of the chiral separation systems are described. Recent theoretical papers are emphasized in this chapter. The last part of the paper gives an overview of applications of enantioselective SFC in analytical chemistry, in both analytical and preparative scales. Separation systems and conditions are summed up in tables so that they provide a helpful tool for analysts who search for a particular method of analysis.     

Two-dimensional supercritical fluid chromatography/mass spectrometry for the enantiomeric analysis and purification of pharmaceutical samples

A new analytical two-dimensional supercritical fluid chromatography/mass spectrometry system (2D SFC/SFC/MS) has been designed and implemented to enhance the efficiency and quality of analytical support in drug discovery. The system consists of a Berger analytical SFC pump and a modifier pump, a Waters ZQ 2000 mass spectrometer, a set of switching valves, and a custom software program. The system integrates achiral and chiral separations into a single run to perform enantiomeric analysis and separation of a racemic compound from a complex mixture without prior clean up. The achiral chromatography in the first dimension separates the racemate from all other impurities, such as un-reacted starting materials and by-products. Mass-triggered fractionation is used to selectively fractionate the targeted racemic compound based on its molecular weight. The purified racemate from the achiral chromatography in the first dimension is then transferred to the chiral column in the second dimension to conduct the enantiomeric separation and analysis. A control software program, we coined SFC2D, was developed and integrated with MassLynx to retrieve acquisition status, current sample information, and real time mass spectrometric data as they are acquired. The SFC2D program also monitors the target ion signal to carry out mass-triggered fractionation by switching the valve to fractionate the desired peak. The 2D SFC/SFC/MS system uses one CO(2) pump and one modifier pump for both first and second dimension chromatographic separations using either gradient or isocratic elution. Similarly, a preparative 2D SFC/SFC/MS system has been constructed by modifying an existing Waters preparative LC/MS system. All components except the back pressure regulator are from the original LC/MS system. Applications of the 2D SFC/SFC/MS methods to the separation and the analysis of racemic pharmaceutical samples in complex mixtures demonstrated that an achiral separation (in first dimension) and a chiral separation (in second dimension) can be successfully combined into a single, streamlined process both in analytical and preparative scale.     

Integration of normal phase liquid chromatography with supercritical fluid chromatography for analysis of fruiting bodies of Ganoderma lucidum

In this study, a comprehensive 2-D chromatography was constructed, consisting of normal phase LC (NPLC) with a CN column as the first dimension, and supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), with a Merck Chromolith Flash C(18) column as the second dimension, which were connected by a 10-port, dual-position valve controlled automatically by a self-designed software. Such platform was applied into the analysis of the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma lucidum, a traditional Chinese medicine, and within 2?h analysis, the obtained peak capacity of the 2-D-NPLC-SFC system was about 350, obviously higher than that of each dimension. These results demonstrate that 2-D-NPLC-SFC is not only of good orthogonality, but also of high throughput for the analysis of complex samples.     

Immobilization of dermatan sulphate on a silica matrix and its possible use as an affinity chromatography support for heparin cofactor II purification.

Dermatan sulphate (DS) is a glycosaminoglycan which catalyses specifically thrombin inhibition by a plasmatic inhibitor, Heparin cofactor II (HCII). DS was insolubilized on a silica matrix to study its interaction with HCII. The immobilization of DS was performed with a good yield on a silica previously coated with polysaccharides in order to neutralize the negatively charged silanol groups. The value of the affinity constant of insolubilized DS for HCII, measured by the adsorption isotherm, is consistent with the value obtained for soluble DS. The DS bound to the silica matrix was also tested as a chromatographic support for the purification of HCII from human plasma; the optimum conditions for HCII adsorption and desorption were determined. The eluted HCII was obtained with a good yield (21%) and with no contamination by antithrombin III, the other main plasmatic inhibitor of thrombin.     

反相液相制备色谱法结合超临界流体制备色谱法分离纯化海风藤中的化合物

建立了基于反相液相制备色谱和超临界流体制备色谱的组合方法,用于分离纯化醇提水沉后石油醚层中的海风藤。首先以甲醇作为改性剂,采用醇提水沉法去除海风藤甲醇提取物中的叶绿素,加入硅藻土后用石油醚回流富集目标成分。选用反相C18制备色谱柱将其分为18个组分,然后将组分在SFC模式下进行制备。选用酰胺色谱柱,以甲醇为改性剂,在柱温30℃、背压15.0 MPa的条件下进行分离。基于反相色谱和超临界流体色谱不同的分离选择性,最后分离得到6个高纯度化合物。该法展示了反相制备色谱和超临界流体制备色谱在海风藤分离纯化方面的优势,特别是超临界流体色谱在天然产物的分析和制备方面的巨大潜力。     

Isolation and purification of osthole and imperatorin from Fructus Cnidii by semi-preparative supercritical fluid chromatography

Fructus Cnidii, the dried ripe fruit of Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson., has been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. Osthole and imperatorin are the main active ingredients of Fructus Cnidii and had been found of antispasmodic, anti-HIV, anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-tumor, anti-mutagenic, anti-arrhythmic, hypotensive, and broad-spectrum antimicrobial effects. A supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) method for isolation and purification of osthole and imperatorin from Fructus Cnidii was established in this work. The separation conditions, including the stationary phase, the organic modifier, the composition and the flow rate of the mobile phase, column backpressure and column temperature, were optimized on analytical scale at first. And then a semi-preparative SFC (SP-SFC) method was developed based on the conditions of analytical scale SFC. SP-SFC was accomplished on YMC-Pack NH₂ column. Ethanol was used as the modifier and its percentage in the mobile phase was 3%. The flow rate of the mobile phase was 20?mL/min, column backpressure was 13?MPa, column temperature was 318?K, detection wavelength was 310?nm, and injection volume was 0.2?mL. Under the optimum conditions, osthole and imperatorin were obtained with high purities as determined by high performance liquid chromatography. The chemical structures of the obtained compounds were identified by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrum analysis.     

Systematic evaluation of new chiral stationary phases for supercritical fluid chromatography using a standard racemate library

A systematic approach to the evaluation of new chiral stationary phases (CSPs) for supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) using a standard library of racemic analytes is described. A standard library of racemic analytes representing a variety of functional group classes was assembled from a mixture of proprietary and commercial compounds. The library is dispensed and stored in a convenient 96-well microplate format to facilitate ease of use, and to minimize the amount of analyte required for analysis. Automated SFC screening was performed on both established CSPs in common use, as well as a group of six recently commercialized CSPs. Screening results were archived in a structure-searchable database that allows convenient comparison of performance data to determine which CSPs shows the best performance.