Determination of chiral pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs in wastewater and sludge using microwave assisted extraction,solid-phase extraction and chiral liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry

This is the first study presenting a multi-residue method allowing for comprehensive analysis of several chiral pharmacologically active compounds (cPACs) including beta-blockers, antidepressants and amphetamines in wastewater and digested sludge at the enantiomeric level. Analysis of both the liquid and solid matrices within wastewater treatment is crucial to being able to carry out mass balance within these systems. The method developed comprises filtration, microwave assisted extraction and solid phase extraction followed by chiral liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry to analyse the enantiomers of 18 compounds within all three matrices. The method was successfully validated for 10 compounds within all three matrices (amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDMA, MDA, venlafaxine, desmethylvenlafaxine, citalopram, metoprolol, propranolol and sotalol), 7 compounds validated for the liquid matrices only (mirtazapine, salbutamol, fluoxetine, desmethylcitalopram, atenolol, ephedrine and pseudoephedrine) and 1 compound (alprenolol) passing the criteria for solid samples only. The method was then applied to wastewater samples; cPACs were found at concentration ranges in liquid matrices of: 1.7 ng L⁻¹ (metoprolol) – 1321 ng L⁻¹ (tramadol) in influent, <LOD (desmethylcitalopram and metoprolol) – 506 ng L⁻¹ in effluent, and in solid matrix digested sludge: 0.4 ng g⁻¹ (metoprolol) – 275 ng g⁻¹ (citalopram). Enantiomeric profiling revealed that studied compounds were present in analysed samples in non-racemic composition. Furthermore, enantiomeric composition of studied analytes differed in liquid and solid matrices. This demonstrates that not analysing the solid fraction of wastewater may lead to over-estimation of the removal rates of cPACs as well as possible misrepresentation of the enantiomeric fraction of the compounds as they leave the wastewater treatment plant. Consequently risks from cPACs entering the environment might be higher than anticipated.     

Quantitative structure-retention and retention-activity relationships of beta-blocking agents by micellar liquid chromatography

Sixteen beta-blocking agents (acebutolol, alprenolol, atenolol, bisoprolol, carteolol, celiprolol, esmolol, labetalol, metoprolol, nadolol, oxprenolol, pindolol, practolol, propranolol, sotalol and timolol) showing a large range of hydrophobicity (octanol-water partition coefficients, log P between -0.026 and 2.81) were subjected to micellar liquid chromatography with sodium dodecyl sulfate as micelle forming agent, and n-propanol as organic modifier. The correlation between log P and the retention factor extrapolated to a mobile phase free of micelles and organic modifier was investigated. The use of an interpolated retention factor or the retention factor for specific individual experimental mobile phases was however advantageous since the retention factors of all beta-blocking agents were measurable in the selected mobile phases. Good correlations with log P and with in vitro biological parameters (cellular permeability coefficients in Caco-2 monolayers and apparent permeability coefficients in rat intestinal segments) were found.     

β-Blocking Agents: Determination of Biological Levels Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

Nine β-blocking agents have been tested and dosed by high performance liquid chromatography. Six of them, acebutolol an acebutolol metabolite, atenolol, metoprolol, propranolol and sotalol are detected with a fluorometric detector. Oxprenolol, pindolol and timolol can be quantified by their UV absorption at variable wavelength. A method is developped to find the best conditions of extraction and detection for each blocking agent. Experimental trials have led to a simple procedure for all compounds. Only pindolol and timolol plasma levels are non suitable for high performance liquid chromatography and need mass fragmentography or gas chromatography with electron capture detection.

However, pharmacokinetic parameters can be reached, for timolol and pindolol, through urinary excretion since sensitivity of the procedure is within the range of urinary levels.

The method has been applied, as well, to pharmacokinetic studies on sotalol, acebutolol, acebutolol metabolite, atenolol, propranolol, pindolol and timolol.     

Screening for library-assisted identification and fully validated quantification of 22 beta-blockers in blood plasma by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization

A liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric assay with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (LC-APCI-MS) is presented for screening for, library-assisted identification (both in scan mode) and quantification (selected-ion mode) of the beta-blockers acebutolol, diacetolol, alprenolol, atenolol, betaxolol, bisoprolol, bupranolol, carazolol, carteolol, carvedilol, celiprolol, esmolol, labetalol, metoprolol, nadolol, nebivolol, oxprenolol, penbutolol, propranolol, sotalol, talinolol and timolol in blood plasma after mixed-mode (HCX) solid-phase extraction (SPE) and separation by reverse-phase liquid chromatography with gradient elution. The validation data were within the required limits. The assay was successfully applied to authentic plasma samples allowing confirmation of diagnosis of overdose situations as well as monitoring of patients' compliance.     

Separation of β-Blocker Enantiomers on Silica Modified with Gold Nanoparticles with Immobilized Macrocyclic Antibiotic Vancomicin

A new chiral sorbent based on mercaptosilica modified by gold nanoparticles, then treated by 3-mercaptopropionic acid and macrocyclic antibiotic vancomycin, was obtained. The enantioseparation of isomeric β-blockers (nadolol, atenolol, metoprolol, alprenolol, oxprenolol, and pindolol) by HPLC was studied on the synthesized sorbent. The effect of the composition of the mobile phase (nature and concentration of the organic solvent, concentration and pH of the buffer solution) on retention times of β-blocker enantiomers, selectivity of separation, and resolution of chromatographic peaks were studied. The best separation was achieved for pindolol and metoprolol. The procedure was used to determine the pindolol enantiomers in the preparation “Visken,” and metoprolol in the “Vazocardin” preparation.     

Improvement of peak shape and separation performance of beta-blockers in conventional reversed-phase columns using solvent modifiers

A comparative study of peak shape, elution behavior, and resolution of 16 beta-blockers (acebutolol, alprenolol, atenolol, bisoprolol, carteolol, celiprolol, esmolol, labetalol, metoprolol, nadolol, oxprenolol, pindolol, practolol, propranolol, sotalol, and timolol) chromatographed with hybrid mobile phases of triethylamine (TEA)-acetonitrile and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-propanol is performed using conventional reversed-phase columns and isocratic elution. Both solvent modifiers (TEA and SDS) prevent the interaction of the basic drugs with the alkyl-bonded phase. However, the protection mechanisms of silanols on the packing are different. Whereas TEA associates with the silanol sites (blocking ion-exchange processes or repelling the solutes), the long hydrophobic chain of SDS is inserted in the bonded organic layer with the sulfate group protruding outside, which makes the stationary phase negatively charged. The effects of TEA, acetonitrile, SDS, and propanol on the elution strength, efficiency, peak asymmetry, and resolution are examined under an experimental design basis that is assisted by computer simulation to reach more general conclusions. The combination of improved peak shapes, larger selectivity, and a smaller range in retention among compounds of extreme polarity leads to the observation that a greater number of beta-blockers can be resolved with a hybrid micellar system.     

Evaluation of teicoplanin chiral stationary phases of 3.5 and 5 microm inside diameter silica microparticles by polar-organic mode capillary electrochromatography

Different types of fused-silica capillaries of 75 microm inside diameter (ID) were packed, namely type A and B, and evaluated for the direct resolution of racemates of several basic compounds by enantioselective capillary electrochromatography (e-CEC). Type A was packed with a chiral stationary phase (CSP) containing teicoplanin (TE) mixed with silica microparticles (3:1 w/w) while type B contained only the TE-CSP. In both cases, particles of different sizes (3.5 and 5 microm ID) were employed. A polar-organic mobile phase containing methanol-acetonitrile (60-40% v/v and 0.05% w/v ammonium acetate was used. Several beta-blockers (alprenolol, oxprenolol, metoprolol, pindolol, salbutamol, propranolol, atenolol, acebutolol) were baseline-enantioresolved with both capillary types, in very short times.     

Carboxymethyl β‐cyclodextrin as chiral selector in capillary electrophoresis: Enantioseparation of 16 basic chiral drugs and its chiral recognition mechanism associated with drugs' structural features

Herein we present the enantioseparation of 10 cardiovascular agents and six bronchiectasis drugs including propranolol, carteolol, metoprolol, atenolol, pindolol, esmolol, bisoprolol, bevantolol, arotinolol, sotalol, clenbuterol, procaterol, bambuterol, tranterol, salbutamol and terbutaline sulfate using carboxymethyl‐β ‐cyclodextrin (CM‐β ‐CD) as chiral selector. To our knowledge, there is no literature about using CM‐β ‐CD for separating carteolol, esmolol, bisoprolol, bevantolol, arotinolol, procaterol, bambuterol and tranterol. During the course of work, changes in pH, CM‐β ‐CD concentration, buffer type and concentration were studied in relation to chiral resolution. Excellent enantiomeric separations were obtained for all 16 compounds, especially for procaterol. An impressive resolution value, up to 17.10, was obtained. In particular, most of them achieved rapid separations within 20 min. Given the fact that enantioseparation results rely on analytes' structural characters, the possible separation mechanisms were discussed. In addition, in order to obtain faster separation for propranolol enantiomers in practical application, the effective length of capillary was innovatively shortened from 45 to 30 cm. After the validation, the method was successfully applied to the enantiomeric purity determination of propranolol in the formulation of drug substances.     

Field-amplified on-line sample stacking for simultaneous enantioseparation and determination of some beta-blockers using capillary electrophoresis

A capillary electrophoresis method using carboxymethyl-beta-cyclodextrin as the chiral selector and mixture of methanol and ethanol as the organic additive was successfully developed for the simultaneous enantioseparation and determination of six beta-blockers, namely, carteolol, atenolol, sotalol, metoprolol, esmolol and propranolol in this paper. The most suitable running buffer for enantioseparation was found to be the solution of 20 mmol/L NaH(2)PO(4)-Na(2)HOP(4) (pH 5.5) containing 1.5% w/v carboxymethyl-beta-cyclodextrin, 5% v/v methanol and 5% v/v ethanol. Furthermore, field-amplified sample injection as an on-line sample stacking method was developed in order to increase the detection sensitivity. The experimental conditions for both simultaneous enantioseparation and the field-amplified sample injection method had been investigated in detail. Under the optimum conditions, the detection limits (defined as S/N=3) of this method were 0.01, 0.05, 0.05, 0.05, 0.05 and 0.5 microg /mL for (+/-) carteolol, (+/-) atenolol, (+/-) sotalol, (+/-) metoprolol, (+/-) esmolol and (+/-) propranolol, respectively, which were much lower than those of the conventional methods. The enhancement factors were greatly improved by 25-fold for the enantiomers of the beta-blockers except five-fold for (+/-) propranolol. Eventually, the proposed method has been applied for the analysis of human serum sample.     

Stereoisomer quantification of the beta-blocker drugs atenolol, metoprolol, and propranolol in wastewaters by chiral high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A chiral liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS-MS) method was developed and validated for measuring individual enantiomers of three beta-blocker drugs (atenolol, metoprolol, and propranolol) in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) influents and effluents. Mean recoveries of the pharmaceuticals ranged from 67 to 106%, and the limits of detection of the analytes were 2-17 ng/L in wastewater effluents. The method was demonstrated by measuring, for the first time, the stereoisomer composition of target analytes in raw and treated wastewaters of two Canadian WWTPs. In these trials, racemic amounts of the three drugs were observed in influent of one wastewater treatment plant, but nonracemic amounts were observed in another. Effluents of the two plants contained nonracemic amounts of the drugs. These results indicate that biologically-mediated stereoselective processes that differ among WWTPs had occurred to eliminate individual enantiomers of the target analytes.     

The challenge of analyzing beta-blocker drugs in sludge and wastewater

In this study, different approaches were used to assess and overcome the severe effects of interference from the sample matrix from different types of sludges and wastewater on the analysis of nine beta-blockers and the beta sympathomimetic clenbuterol. The partitioning of the target compounds into sludge was investigated in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in both Canada and Germany to evaluate whether this is an important mechanism for removal from sewage. Due to ion suppression in the electro spray interface, absolute recoveries were for certain compounds even lower than 20%. By using surrogate standards, acceptable relative recoveries of >75% were achieved for WWTP influents and effluents and for sludges. These matrix effects underline the need to use appropriate surrogate standards to aid in analyte quantitation. Using the developed methods, beta-blockers were detected at concentrations up to 2 μg/L in WWTP effluents, with metoprolol, sotalol, and atenolol present as the dominant compounds. Removal rates within WWTPs were highly inconsistent and ranged from 1-69%. Propranolol showed the greatest degree of partitioning into sludge with solid/water partition coefficients of one order of magnitude higher than those for all other compounds. However, even for propranolol, sorption did not contribute significantly to the overall elimination in WWTPs. It is likely that the removal of beta-blockers during waste water treatment can be attributed primarily to microbial biodegradation.     

Multi-residue enantiomeric analysis of pharmaceuticals and their active metabolites in the Guadalquivir River basin (South Spain) by chiral liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry

This paper describes the development and application of a multi-residue chiral liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry method for simultaneous enantiomeric profiling of 18 chiral pharmaceuticals and their active metabolites (belonging to several therapeutic classes including analgesics, psychiatric drugs, antibiotics, cardiovascular drugs and β-agonists) in surface water and wastewater. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time an enantiomeric method including such a high number of pharmaceuticals and their metabolites has been reported. Some of the pharmaceuticals have never been studied before in environmental matrices. Among them are timolol, betaxolol, carazolol and clenbuterol. A monitoring programme of the Guadalquivir River basin (South Spain), including 24 sampling sites and five wastewater treatment plants along the basin, revealed that enantiomeric composition of studied pharmaceuticals is dependent on compound and sampling site. Several compounds such as ibuprofen, atenolol, sotalol and metoprolol were frequently found as racemic mixtures. On the other hand, fluoxetine, propranolol and albuterol were found to be enriched with one enantiomer. Such an outcome might be of significant environmental relevance as two enantiomers of the same chiral compound might reveal different ecotoxicity. For example, propranolol was enriched with S(?)-enantiomer, which is known to be more toxic to Pimephales promelas than R(+)-propranolol. Fluoxetine was found to be enriched with S(+)-enantiomer, which is more toxic to P. promelas than R(?)-fluoxetine.     

Determination of β-blockers and β-agonists using gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry--a comparative study of the derivatization step

There is a growing demand for the rapid screening of multiple β-blockers and β-agonists in a single analytical run in clinical toxicology, antidoping control, forensic and environmental science. Although GC-MS is very often used to determine pharmaceuticals from these groups of drugs, the literature data on the derivatization and MS analysis of mixtures of these compounds is limited. This paper compares and evaluates derivatization procedures for the determination of six β-blockers (acebutolol, atenolol, metoprolol, nadolol, propranolol, pindolol) and two β-agonists (salbutamol, terbutaline) using GC techniques. Nineteen different derivatizing reagents (nine of them used for the first time with almost all the drugs) were employed in order to obtain a single derivative for each target compound with the greatest effectiveness of this reaction. Trimethylsilylation, tert-butyldimethylsilylation, acylation (e.g. trifluoroacetylation), combined trimethylsilylation and acylation, and the formation of cyclized silyl derivatives were carried out and the mass spectra (EI, 70 eV) recorded. The influence of the reaction time and temperature on these procedures was investigated. Additionally, the effects of the type of solvent and the amount of added trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) on the silylation of the target compounds using N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA) were tested. Among of the five mentioned above derivatization procedures applied - trimethylsilylation was found to be the most effective for derivatizing the analytes. The best results were obtained with a 1:1 (v/v) mixture of 99% BSTFA+1% TMCS and ethyl acetate at 60 °C for 30 min. The MS data for different types of β-blocker and β-agonist derivatives is presented. The information in this paper is valuable for scientists working on the determination of β-blockers and β-agonists in biological and environmental matrices.     

Indirect resolution of beta-blocker agents by reversed-phase capillary electrochromatography

The indirect resolution of five beta-adrenoreceptor blocking agents (propranolol, oxprenolol, pindolol, metoprolol, and atenolol) using precolumn derivatization with (+)-1-(9-fluorenyl)ethyl chloroformate (FLEC), and capillary electrochromatography (CEC) is reported. Three octadecylsilanized (ODS) silica gel-based stationary phases, differing in particle diameter and carbon surface density for suitability of determination of the enantiomeric composition of these substances in drugs and biological fluids, were studied. Under optimum separation conditions, all the investigated compounds were baseline-resolved within acceptable analysis times (i.e., between 10-16 min). The resolution values ranged between 1.80 and 1.14, and the separation factors were in no case less than 1.07. The possible use of the developed CEC method for the determination of enantiomeric composition of beta-adrenoreceptor blocking agents in drug substances was investigated. A study, in which the enantiomers of metoprolol were examined regarding specificity, reproducibility, limit of detection, and ruggedness, was developed in accordance with some analytical procedures for method validation.     

Preparation and evaluation of propranolol molecularly imprinted solid-phase microextraction fiber for trace analysis of β-blockers in urine and plasma samples

An improved multiple co-polymerization technique was developed to prepare a novel molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-coated solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber with propranolol as template. Investigation was performed for the characteristics and application of the fibers. The MIP coating was highly crosslinked and porous with the average thickness of only 25.0 μm. Consequently, the adsorption and desorption of β-blockers within the MIP coating could be achieved quickly. The specific selectivity was discovered with the MIP-coated fibers to propranolol and its structural analogues such as atenolol, pindolol, and alprenolol. In contrast, only non-specific adsorption could be shown with the non-imprinted polymer (NIP)-coated fibers, and the extraction efficiencies of propranolol and pindolol with the MIP-coated fibers were higher markedly than that with the commercial SPME fibers. A MIP-coated SPME coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for propranolol and pindolol determination was developed under the optimized extraction conditions. Linear ranges for propranolol and pindolol were 20–1000 μg L⁻¹ and detection limits were 3.8 and 6.9 μg L⁻¹, respectively. Propranolol and pindolol in the spiked human urine and plasma samples, extracted with organic solvent firstly, could be simultaneous monitored with satisfactory recoveries through this method.     

Analysis by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry and acute toxicity evaluation for beta-blockers and lipid-regulating agents in wastewater samples

This paper describes a multiresidue method for the extraction and determination of two therapeutic groups of pharmaceuticals, lipid-regulating agents (clofibric acid, bezafibrate, gemfibrocil, fenofibrate) and beta-blockers (atenolol, sotalol, metoprolol, betaxolol) in waters by solid-phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS-MS). Recoveries obtained from spiked HPLC water, as well as, from spiked real samples (sewage treatment plants influent and effluents, river and tap water) were all above 60%, with the exception of betaxolol with a 52% recovery. The quantitative MS analysis was performed using a multiple reaction monitoring. The LC-MS-MS method gave detection limits ranging from 0.017 to 1.25 microg/l in spiked effluent. Precision of the method, calculated as relative standard deviation, ranged from 3.7 to 18.5%. Individual and combined effects on Daphnia magna were evaluated for both therapeutic groups. Individual effects in culture medium showed these compounds as not harmful and not toxic, an exception is fenofibrate that was found to be harmful, but at high, in the environment unrealistic concentrations (EC50 of 50 mg/l). Combined effect in wastewater showed synergistic toxic effects at low concentration level (2 microg/l).     

Investigation of Enantiomeric Separation of Chiral Drugs by CE Using Cu(II)�CClindamycin Complex as a Novel Chiral Selector

The enantiomeric separation of several basic drugs was investigated using copper(II)?Cclindamycin as a new chiral selector. The results show that the chiral selector allows high-resolution separation of some racemic basic drugs, including tropicamide, propranolol, sotalol, bisoprolol, epinephrine, esmolol, atenolol, and metoprolol. The enantioselectivity was influenced by parameters such as the type of metal ion, ratio of clindamycin and Cu(II), pH of the background electrolyte, clindamycin concentration, applied voltage, and capillary temperature. The optimal separation conditions were determined to be 20 mM clindamycin/10 mM Cu²⁺, pH 9.06, at 20 kV and 22 °C within 25 min.     

Investigation of Enantiomeric Separation of Chiral Drugs by CE Using Cu(II)–Clindamycin Complex as a Novel Chiral Selector

The enantiomeric separation of several basic drugs was investigated using copper(II)–clindamycin as a new chiral selector. The results show that the chiral selector allows high-resolution separation of some racemic basic drugs, including tropicamide, propranolol, sotalol, bisoprolol, epinephrine, esmolol, atenolol, and metoprolol. The enantioselectivity was influenced by parameters such as the type of metal ion, ratio of clindamycin and Cu(II), pH of the background electrolyte, clindamycin concentration, applied voltage, and capillary temperature. The optimal separation conditions were determined to be 20 mM clindamycin/10 mM Cu²⁺, pH 9.06, at 20 kV and 22 °C within 25 min.

     

Simultaneous separation of eight beta-adrenergic drugs using titanium dioxide nanoparticles as additive in capillary electrophoresis

The analysis is described for separating seven beta-adrenergic blocking agents (atenolol, celiprolol, clorprenaline, fenoterol, metoprolol, propranolol, terbutaline) and clenbuterol (sympathomimetic beta-2 receptor stimulating agonist, decongestant and bronchodilator, illicit anabolic used in athletics) by CE with UV detection. In order to simultaneously separate all analytes, Tris-H3PO4 solution was applied containing titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) as BGEs. The effects of important factors, such as concentration of TiO2 NPs, optimum pH, run buffer concentration, and separation voltage, were investigated so as to achieve best CE separation. The eight analytes could be well separated applying a separation voltage of 15 kV in 75 mM Tris-H3PO4 buffer at a pH of 2.40, containing 6.0 x 10(-6) g/mL TiO2 NPs. Under these optimal conditions, the RSDs for peak areas and for migration times were less than 2.7 and 2.3%, respectively. The detection limits were 0.1 microg/mL for celiprolol, 0.1 microg/mL for propranolol, 0.2 microg/mL for fenoterol, 1.0 microg/mL for atenolol, 1.0 microg/mL for clenbuterol, 1.0 microg/mL for clorprenaline, 1.0 microg/mL for metoprolol, and 1.0 microg/mL for terbutaline. The proposed method was successfully applied for the rapid CE determination of the frequently applied antihypertensive beta-blocking compounds atenolol, metoprolol, terbutaline, and propranolol in pharmaceutical tablets.