Direct liquid chromatographic resolution of racemic aminoglutethimide and its acetylated metabolite using a chiral alpha 1-acid glycoprotein column

A 10-cm long alpha 1-acid glycoprotein column is used for the enantiomeric resolution of the clinically used racemic aminoglutethimide (+/- AG) and its acetylated metabolite (+/- AAG). A direct liquid chromatographic resolution of racemic aminoglutethimide and its acetylated metabolite is accomplished without any derivatizations. Maximum resolutions of 1.37 and 0.73 are obtained for the enantiomers of aminoglutethimide and its acetylated metabolite, respectively. The effect of the 2-propanol content in mobile phase on retention and enantioselectivity of aminoglutethimide and its acetylated metabolite is demonstrated. The variation of the separation factors (alpha) with pH in enantiomeric separation of aminoglutethimide is also shown.     

Simultaneous determination of (R)- and (S)-naproxen and (R)- and (S)-6-O-desmethylnaproxen by high-performance liquid chromatography on a Chiral-AGP column.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of both enantiomers of naproxen and its metabolite 6-O-desmethylnaproxen has been developed. The separation is performed on a column containing alpha 1-acid glycoprotein as the chiral selector. The method has been used for the determination of the enantiomeric purity of the drug substance and the metabolite, and for the simultaneous determination of all four compounds in biological fluids.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of R-(-)- and S-(+)-hexobarbital in rat plasma

The enantiospecific determination of R- and S-hexobarbital in rat plasma is described. The method involves liquid-liquid extraction of racemic hexobarbital from plasma, separation of the underivatized enantiomers by high-performance liquid chromatography on an alpha 1-acid glycoprotein column and ultraviolet detection. The mobile phase consists of a phosphate buffer (pH 5.4) containing 0.4% 2-propanol as organic modifier. An alpha 1-acid glycoprotein guard column is used to increase the lifetime of the analytical column. Heptabarbital is the achiral internal standard. With detection limits of ca. 0.05 microgram/ml for both R- and S-hexobarbital, the assay is suitable for pharmacokinetic studies of the enantiomers in rats.     

Development and validation of sensitive methods for determination of sibutramine hydrochloride monohydrate and direct enantiomeric separation on a protein-based chiral stationary phase

Sibutramine hydrochloride monohydrate, chemically 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-N,N-dimethyl-alpha-(2-methylpropyl) hydrochloride monohydrate (SB.HCI.H20), was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of obesity. The objective of this study was to develop, validate, and compare methods using UV-derivative spectrophotometry (UVDS) and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the determination of SB.HCI.H20 in pharmaceutical drug products. The UVDS and HPLC methods were found to be rapid, precise, and accurate. Statistically, there was no significant difference between the proposed UVDS and HPLC methods. The enantiomeric separation of SB was obtained on an alpha-1-acid glycoprotein column. The R- and S-sibutramine were eluted in < 5 min with baseline separation of the chromatographic peaks (alpha = 1.9 and resolution = 1.9).     

Enantioselective analysis of methadone in saliva by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Saliva was tested and evaluated as a biological matrix for methadone (Mtd) monitoring. Conventional method using a narrow bore C18 column, and an enantioselective method using a narrow bore alpha1-acid glycoprotein column, were developed using liquid chromatography coupled with a mass spectromeric (MS) detector. After optimisation of MS conditions by flow injection analysis, selected ion monitoring detection was used to enhance sensitivity. The total Mtd concentration and the enantiomeric ratio in saliva were validated using an experimental design. The methods were applied to samples provided by heroin addicts undergoing a Mtd treatment. Results on total Mtd determination showed a very poor correlation between saliva and serum, whereas the enantiomeric ratios of Mtd gave a very good one.     

Separation of sialyl-oligosaccharides by high-performance liquid chromatography. Application to the analysis of mono-, di-, tri- and tetrasialyl-oligosaccharides obtained by hydrazinolysis of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein

High-performance liquid chromatography has been applied to the separation of isomers of mono-, di-, tri- and tetrasialylated oligosaccharides derived from alpha 1-acid glycoprotein by hydrazinolysis. The separation of the sialyl-oligosaccharides on the basis of their negative charges was carried out with quaternary amine-bonded silica. Within each class, the anionic oligosaccharides were fractionated on the basis of their net carbohydrate content on alkylamine-modified silica using a mobile phase consisting of a mixture of acetonitrile and potassium dihydrogen phosphate with 0.01% of 1,4-diaminobutane or 0.01% of tetraethylpentamine.     

Nanoscale reversed-phase liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry of permethylated N-glycans

Reversed-phase liquid chromatography on the nanoscale coupled to electrospray tandem mass spectrometry was used to analyse a mixture of four commercial glycan standards, and the method was further adapted to N-glycans enzymatically released from alpha-1-acid glycoprotein and immunoglobulin gamma. Glycans were permethylated to enable their separation by reversed-phase chromatography and to facilitate interpretation of fragmentation data. Prior to derivatization of glycans by permethylation, they were reduced to cancel anomerism because, although feasible, it was not desired to separate α- and β-anomers. The effect of supplementing chromatographic solvent with sodium hydroxide to guide adduct formation was investigated. Raising the temperature in which the separation was performed improved chromatographic resolution and affected retention times as expected. It was shown by using the tetrasaccharides sialyl Lewis X and sialyl Lewis A that reversed-phase chromatography could achieve the separation of methylated isobaric glycan analytes. Isobaric glycans were detected among the N-glycans of immunoglobulin gamma and further analysed by tandem mass spectrometry.     

人血清Alpha-1-酸性糖蛋白的糖基化分析

获取真实准确的蛋白质糖基化信息是全面了解糖基化修饰生物学功能的前提.针对简单蛋白质的糖基化分析通常采用反相高效液相色谱-串联质谱技术在肽的水平上对糖基化信息进行采集和解析.本文以人血清Alpha-1-酸性糖蛋白(AGP)酶解液为对象,发展了一套简单有效的蛋白质糖基化分析方法.本方法分为三个步骤,第一步是建立糖肽的理论m/z值表;第二步是获取糖蛋白酶解液的LC-MS谱图,并将每一个色谱峰中所包含糖肽的实际m/z值与理论m/z值进行人工匹配;第三步是对每个色谱峰的糖肽结构归属进行LC-MS/MS验证.采用本方法,我们从AGP酶解液中共鉴定出172条糖肽.与单独采用Survey模式的方法相比,本方法能够显著提高糖肽的覆盖率.     

Binding of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein with aconitum alkaloids: an investigation using an intensity fading matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization Fourier transform mass spectrometry method

Intensity fading matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (IF-MALDI) mass spectrometry has become an alternative screening approach for the affinity-binding analysis of proteins and peptides with ligands. In this study, an attempt has been made to study the interaction of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) with aconitum alkaloids by IF-MALDI Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (IF-MALDI-FT-MS). Compared with the nonbinding internal standard, clear reduction in the ion abundances of the target alkaloids was observed with the addition of AGP. Relative binding affinities of different alkaloids towards the protein could also be estimated using IF-MALDI-FT-MS. The binding affinity was also investigated by using ultrafiltration liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ultrafiltration LC-DAD/ESI-MS), and results were consistent with that of IF-MALDI-FT-MS.     

Liquid chromatographic method for the determination of the carbohydrate moiety of glycoproteins. Application to alpha 1-acid glycoprotein and tissue plasminogen activator.

A rapid procedure is described for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the carbohydrate composition of glycoproteins by liquid chromatography with light-scattering detection. The analysis was carried out in three steps. First, the glycoprotein samples were purified by a two-step purification on a Sephadex G-25 column with a 90% yield. Second, the selectivity of the separation and the sensitivity of detection of monosaccharides, as methyl glycosides obtained by direct methanolysis of glycoproteins, were improved by modified simplex optimization of the methanolysis parameters (temperature, methanolic hydrochloric acid strength and reaction time) determined at 66 degrees C, 1.2 M and 8.1 h for alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (alpha-AGP) and 73 degrees C, 1.5 M and 12.5 h for tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). Finally, the method was applied to the determination of the carbohydrate moiety of the two N-glycosylated glycoproteins alpha-AGP and tPA.     

Capillary zone electrophoresis of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein fragments from trypsin and endoglycosidase digestions

Capillary zone electrophoresis with fused-silica tubes having hydrophilic coating on the inner walls was evaluated in the separation of peptide and glycopeptide fragments from trypsin digestion of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein. Submapping of glycosylated and nonglycosylated tryptic fragments of the glycoprotein by capillary electrophoresis was facilitated by selective isolation of the glycopeptides on concanavalin A silica-based stationary phases prior to the electrophoretic run. In addition, the electrophoretic map and submaps of the whole tryptic digest and its concanavalin A fractions, respectively, allowed the elucidation of the microheterogeneity of the glycoprotein. Also, capillary zone electrophoresis proved suitable for the mapping of the oligosaccharide chains cleaved from the glycoproteins by endoglycosidase digestion. The oligosaccharides cleaved from human and bovine alpha 1-acid glycoprotein were analyzed after derivatization with 2-aminopyridine, which allowed their sensitive detection by on column UV absorption. The separation was best achieved when 0.1 M phosphate solution, pH 5.0, containing 50 mM tetrabutylammonium bromide was used as the running electrolyte. The effect of the organic salt on separation was attributed to ion-pair formation and/or hydrophobic interaction.     

Rapid and simple method for the determination of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein in serum by column liquid chromatography.

A rapid and simple method for the determination of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AAG) in serum was developed by using an anion-exchange column for clean-up of serum and a hydroxyapatite column for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A good correlation was observed between this HPLC method and the conventional radial immunodiffusion method. The method may also be used to determine the AAG concentration in the serum of experimental animals.     

Direct chiral liquid chromatography determination of aryloxyphenoxypropionic herbicides in soil: deconvolution tools for peak processing

In this paper, the enantiomeric separation of two aryloxyphenoxypropionic esters (fluazifop-butyl and quizalofop-ethyl) and a safener herbicide (mefenpyr-diethyl), which is widely used for protecting crop plants, has been studied by direct liquid chromatography (LC) with UV detection on an α₁-acid glycoprotein as chiral stationary phase. Optimization of separation conditions was done by factorial experimental design. Experimental factors and ranges selected were propanol (5–10%), phosphate buffer pH (6.5–7.0), and column temperature (15–25 °C). Responses were expressed in terms of enantioresolution (R _s) and adjusted retention time of the second eluted enantiomer (t _r2′). The chemometric method used to explore data was response surface analysis. Multiple response analyses were carried out to determine the combination of experimental factors which simultaneously optimize experimental responses. Under optimum conditions for enantioseparation of each herbicide, partially overlapped or fully resolved enantiomers were obtained. Deconvolution tools were employed as an integration method to fit chromatographic data and to achieve a more precise enantiomeric ratio (ER) and enantiomeric fraction (EF) values. Applicability of both direct chiral LC and peak deconvolution methods was evaluated in spiked soil samples at different R/S enantiomeric ratios. Acceptable and reproducible recoveries between 71% and 96% with precision in the range 1–6% were achieved for herbicide-spiked levels from 0.50 to 9.0 μg g^–1. In addition, parameters such as R _s, ER, and EF were calculated and compared with values obtained using the common valley drop integration method.     

Collection of alpha1-acid glycoprotein molecular species by capillary electrophoresis and the analysis of their molecular masses and carbohydrate chains. Basic studies on the analysis of glycoprotein glycoforms

A highly heterogeneous glycoprotein, alpha1-acid glycoprotein, was resolved into their glycoforms by capillary electrophoresis using a surface-modified capillary in 20 mM acetate buffer (pH 4.2) containing 0.5% (w/v) hydroxypropylmethylcellulose. We collected the fractions containing each glycoform as nearly pure state by capillary electrophoresis, and examined the molecular masses of these glycoforms by matrix assisted laser desorption time-of-flight mass spectrometry. We also analyzed carbohydrate chains after releasing them with N-glycosidase F followed by fluorescent labeling with 8-aminopyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonate. We found that the separation of glycoforms was mostly due to the presence of multiantennary carbohydrate chains. We propose that the present technique is useful for the analysis of post translational modification of proteins with carbohydrate chains.     

Isoelectric focusing of alpha-1 acid glycoprotein (orosomucoid) in immobilized pH-gradients with 8M urea: detection of its desialylated variants using an alkaline phosphatase-linked secondary antibody system

A method allowing a clear separation of the different variants of desialylated alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (orosomucoid) has been developed using isoelectric focusing in immobilized pH gradients, supplemented with 8 M urea and 2% v/v 2-mercaptoethanol. Immunoblotting with two antibody-steps afforded high sensitivity and permitted the detection of about 700 pg of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein in a 20 microL plasma sample diluted 1:28 672. A one year old bloodstrain, kept at room temperature, could easily be phenotyped.     

Coupled-column chromatography on immobilized protein phases for direct separation and determination of drug enantiomers in plasma

Columns packed with immobilized alpha 1-acid glycoprotein and albumin were used in coupled-column chromatography to increase their utility for determining low concentrations of enantiomers in biological samples. The two enantiomers eluted from the protein columns were trapped and compressed on two separate columns, packed with hydrophobic stationary phase, and subsequently transferred to a fourth column for final separation. The overall effect was an increase in efficiency and selectivity. Examples are given of separations of the enatiomers of terbutaline, metoprolol, oxazepam and bupivacaine in plasma. For quantitative determination a single calibration can be used for both enantiomers.     

Characterization of oligosaccharide moieties of intact glycoproteins by microwave-assisted partial acid hydrolysis and mass spectrometry

A method, which utilizes microwave-assisted partial acid hydrolysis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS), to elucidate oligosaccharide composition of intact glycoproteins is presented here. Glycoproteins, such as ribonuclease B, avidin, alpha1-acid glycoprotein, and fetuin, are used as model systems to demonstrate this technique. Partial cleavage of oligosaccharides from whole intact glycoproteins with trifluoroacetic acid was observed after a short exposure to microwaves. Due to the high-resolution mass spectra obtained by MALDI-TOFMS from glycoproteins with molecular weights less than 20 kDa, the compositions of oligosaccharides are readily derived for ribonuclease B and avidin. The data agree with the proposed oligosaccharide structures of ribonuclease B (five glycoforms) and avidin (eight glycoforms). Larger glycoproteins such as alpha1-acid glycoprotein (many glycoforms) and fetuin (many glycoforms) exhibited only broad peaks with no glycoform resolution. Nevertheless, this method can be used successfully for analysis of glycoproteins with molecular weights greater than 20 kDa to determine the presence or absence of glycosylation.     

Protein-based chiral stationary phases for high-performance liquid chromatography enantioseparations

The enantioseparations of various compounds using proteins as the chiral selectors in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) are considered in this review. The proteins used include albumins such as bovine serum albumin and human serum albumin, glycoproteins such as alpha1-acid glycoprotein, ovomucoid, ovoglycoprotein, avidin and riboflavin binding protein, enzymes such as trypsin, alpha-chymotrypsin, cellobiohydrolase I, lysozyme, pepsin and amyloglucosidase, and other proteins such as ovotransferrin and beta-lactoglobulin. This review deals with the properties of HPLC chiral stationary phases based on proteins, and the enantioselective properties and chiral recognition mechanisms of these stationary phases.     

Stereoselective determination of the enantiomers of methadone in plasma using high-performance liquid chromatography.

An enantioselective high-performance liquid chromatographic assay for the quantification of methadone in human and beagle plasma is described. The procedure involves extraction of methadone from alkalized plasma into hexane-isoamyl alcohol (99:1, v/v). Stereoselective separation was achieved with a silica column with covalently bound alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (Chiral-AGP) without any derivatization procedure. The detection wavelength was set at 215 nm. Using an internal standard provided reliable control of the extraction procedure as well as quantification of the enantiomers of methadone. The limit of quantification was found to be 2.5 ng/ml. The method was demonstrated to be sufficiently sensitive for stereoselective pharmacokinetic studies of methadone.     

Simple separation of isomeric sialylated N-glycopeptides by a zwitterionic type of hydrophilic interaction chromatography

Asparagine-linked oligosaccharides (N-glycans) usually show structural heterogeneity, especially in proteins with sialylated N-glycans and, therefore, their structural analysis is still very difficult. A zwitterionic type of hydrophilic interaction chromatography column with sulfobetaine functional groups (called a ZIC-HILIC column) was applied to the separation of tryptic peptides of alpha-1-acid glycoprotein. It was demonstrated that the ZIC-HILIC separation column has a selectivity for sialylated N-glycopeptides and a high capability for separation based on the structural recognition of sialylated N-glycan isomers as well as for the previously reported neutral N-glycans and N-glycopeptides. The retention characteristics of neutral and sialylated N-glycans derivatized with 2-aminopyridine (PA N-glycans) demonstrate that the retentions of the N-glycans are based primarily on hydrophilic interaction with the water-rich liquid layer generated on the surface of the ZIC-HILIC column. In addition, the electrostatic repulsion interaction shielded with counter ions effectively tunes the separation and recognition of sialylated N-glycan isomers.