Enantioselective analysis of primaquine and its impurity quinocide by capillary electrophoresis

A capillary electrophoretic (CE) method for the baseline separation of the enantiomers of primaquine diphosphate (PQ) and quinocide (QC) (a major contaminant) in pharmaceutical formulations is proposed. Both components were separated under the following conditions: 50 mm tris phosphate buffer (pH 3.0) containing 15 mm hydroxypropyl-gamma-cyclodextrin (HP-gamma-CD) as background electrolyte; applied voltage, 16 kV; capillary temperature, 25 degrees C; detection wavelength, 254 nm; hydrostatic injection, 10 s. The separations were conducted using a 35 cm length and 50 microm i.d. uncoated fused silica capillary column. Under the optimized conditions, the components were successfully separated in about 5 min. Intraday precision of migration time and corrected peak areas when expressed as relative standard deviation ranged from 0.17 to 0.45 and 2.60 to 3.94%, respectively, while the interday precision ranged from 2.59 to 4.20 and 3.15 to 4.21%, respectively. After the validation exercise, the proposed method was applied for the determination of QC impurity in PQ formulations.     

Determination of cicletanine enantiomers in plasma by high-performance capillary electrophoresis.

A sensitive and selective high-performance capillary electrophoresis procedure was developed for the determination of S(+) and R(-) enantiomers of cicletanine in human plasma. The procedure consisted in extraction of the drug with diethyl ether and analysis by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography in a fused-silica capillary using gamma-cyclodextrins in the run buffers and ultraviolet detection. The method was linear from 10 to 500 ng/ml and the limit of detection was 10 ng/ml for each enantiomer in plasma samples. The within-run precision of the method, expressed as relative standard deviation, was 10.4 and 9.6% at 25 ng/ml for S(+) and R(-) cicletanine, and 4.2 and 4.6% at 500 ng/ml, respectively. This method has been used to follow the time course of the concentrations of the cicletanine enantiomers in human plasma after a single therapeutic dose of cicletanine given by mouth.     

Enantioselective assay of chloroquine and its main metabolite deethyl chloroquine in human plasma by capillary electrophoresis

A sensitive assay for the determination of chloroquine (Clq) and its pharmacologically active metabolite deethyl chloroquine in plasma by capillary electrophoresis (CE) is developed. Plasma levels of drug and metabolite are measured using HeCd laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection over a range of three orders of magnitude from 2 to 1000 ng/mL after liquid-liquid extraction. A limit of detection of 0.5 ng/mL is achieved. Validation of the method yields intra- and interday precision data within the limits of 10% (20% at limit of quantitation) and intra- and interday accuracy data greater than 6% throughout the whole working range. The method is applied for the drug monitoring of patients treated with Clq. Based upon this assay, two enantioselective CE-LIF methods for Clq and its main metabolite are developed. Mixtures of substituted gamma-cyclodextrins are used as chiral selectors. A baseline separation of the enantiomers of both analytes in one run is achieved in less than 11 min (method A) and less than 9 min (method B), respectively. Hydroxychloroquine is used as the internal standard for both methods.     

Trace analysis of haloperidol and its chiral metabolite in plasma by capillary electrophoresis.

Capillary zone electrophoresis was developed for the simultaneous determination of haloperidol (HP) and its chiral metabolites [(+)- and (-)- reduced haloperidol, (+)- and (-)-RHP] in human plasma. The method involved the presence of an internal standard and liquid-liquid extraction from plasma. After concentration, the residue from the organic extract was dissolved in aqueous acid for capillary electrophoretic analysis. The background electrolyte was Tris-phosphate buffer with dimethyl-beta-cyclodextrin and PEG 6000. In spiked plasma the quantitative ranges were 40-400 nM for HP and 50-500 nM for (+)-RHP or (-)-RHP. The intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviations (n = 3) were all < 20% for each substance. The detection limits were found to be 15 ng/ml for HP and 30 ng/ml for both enantiomers of RHP (S/N = 3, injection 20 s). All recoveries were > 70%. We investigated the in vivo metabolism of HP in Chinese schizophrenia patients. The results show that (-)-RHP seems to be the only chiral metabolite from these two HP-dosed patients.     

Quantitation of talinolol and other beta-blockers by capillary electrophoresis for in vitro drug absorption studies

A capillary zone electrophoresis method is described for the enantioseparation of talinolol using heptakis(2,3-diacetyl-6-sulfo)-beta-cyclodextrin (HDAS-beta-CD) as a chiral selector. After liquid-liquid extraction of talinolol from physiological solution, electrokinetic injection was employed to improve the sensitivity. The use of a coated capillary was necessary to achieve stable and reproducible enantioseparations. A baseline separation of the talinolol enantiomers was achieved in less than 10 min using 100 mM phosphate solution as background electrolyte and pH 3.5, at the presence of 3.0 mM HDAS-beta-CD and at 20 degrees C. In addition, this analytical condition proved to be useful for the enantioseparation of a number of other beta-blocking agents such as alprenolol, atenolol, bisoprolol, celiprolol, metipranolol, oxprenolol, and sotalol. For determining talinolol, the method could be validated in terms of precision, accuracy and linearity, and was found to be suitable in determination of talinolol enantiomers in highly diluted samples obtained from in vitro experiments.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic method for simultaneous determination of enantiomers of 5-dimethylsulphamoyl-6,7-dichloro-2-dihydrobenzofuran-2, carboxylic acid and its N-monodemethyl metabolite in monkey plasma and urine after chiral derivatization

A quantitative method for the simultaneous high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) resolution and determination of the enantiomers of 5-dimethylsulphamoyl-6,7-dichloro-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran-2-carboxyl ic acid, a new diuretic, and its N-monodemethylated metabolite in monkey plasma and urine is described. The method includes diethyl ether extraction of the samples and S-(-)-alpha-methylbenzylamide derivatization of the extract, followed by reversed-phase solid-phase extraction and injection of the resulting diastereoisomers onto a reversed-phase HPLC column. Baseline separation was obtained. The assay showed linearity over the range 0.1-50 micrograms/ml of plasma and 0.25-500 microliters of urine, with a lower limit of detection of ca. 0.01 micrograms/ml for each of the enantiomers. The method is adequate for pharmacokinetic and enantioselective disposition studies of both the diuretic and its metabolite.     

Application of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous quantitative analysis of propentofylline and its chiral metabolite M1 in rats

A sensitive and selective liquid chromatographic–electrospray ionization mass spectrometric method for the simultaneous determination of propentofylline and enantiomers of its active metabolite M1 in rat serum, cortex and hippocampus was developed and validated according to GLP procedures. Sample preparations were carried out by liquid–liquid extraction using diethyl ether after the addition of the internal standard (pentoxifylline). The dried residue was reconstituted in mobile phase and injected onto a Chiralpak AD column (10 µm, 250 × 4.6 mm i.d.). The limit of quantification for propentofylline in serum, cortex and hippocampus was set at 0.25 ng/mL and for enantiomers of its metabolite M1 at 1.25 ng/mL. The established LC/ESI‐MS/MS method has been successfully applied to an initial pharmacokinetic study of propentofylline and also to assessment of distribution of parent drug and enantiomers of its pharmacologically active metabolite M1 to cortex and hippocampus after intravenous administration of propentofylline to rats at a dose of 5 mg/kg. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Enantioselective determination of felodipine and other chiral dihydropyridine calcium entry blockers in human plasma

A sensitive method for the enantioselective determination of felodipine in human plasma is described. Following alkaline extraction with dichloromethane-pentane, racemic felodipine and its primary pyridine metabolite are simultaneously assayed using capillary gas chromatography on a DB-1 column, with electron-capture detection. The enantiomers of felodipine are quantitatively separated by high-performance liquid chromatography on a Chiralcel OJ column, containing tris(4-methylbenzoate)-modified cellulose coated on silica, and off-line detection using the same gas chromatographic system is applied. The limits of determination in plasma (and the inter-assay coefficient of variation (C.V.) at levels below 1 ng/ml) were 0.1 ng/ml (C.V. 13%) for felodipine, 0.1 ng/ml (C.V. 15%) for the enantiomers of felodipine and 0.3 ng/ml (C.V. 7%) for its pyridine metabolite. The method has proved to be applicable to several other chiral dihydropyridine calcium entry blockers, including nitrendipine, with comparable sensitivities.     

Bioanalysis of drugs and their metabolites by chiral electromigration techniques (2010–2020)

The further development and application of capillary electromigration techniques for the enantioselective determination of drugs and their metabolites in body fluids, tissues, and in vitro preparations during the 2010 to 2020 time period continued to proof their usefulness and attractiveness in bioanalysis. This review discusses the principles and important aspects of capillary electrophoresis- based chiral drug bioassays, provides a survey of the assays reported during the past 10 years and presents an overview of the key achievements encountered in that time period. For systems with charged chiral selectors, special attention is paid on assays that feature field-amplified sample injection to enable the determination of ppb levels of analytes and optimized online incubation procedures for the rapid assessment of a metabolic pathway. Applications discussed encompass the pharmacokinetics of drug enantiomers in vivo and in vitro, the impact of inhibitors on metabolic steps, the elucidation of the stereoselectivity of drug metabolism in vivo and in vitro, and drug enantiomers in toxicological, forensic, and doping analysis.     

Enantioselective analysis of albendazole sulfoxide in cerebrospinal fluid by capillary electrophoresis

Albendazole (ABZ) is a benzimidazole anthelmintic drug used in the treatment of neurocysticercosis. After oral administration, ABZ is rapidly oxidized to albendazole sulfoxide (ABZSO), which has an asymmetric sulfur center, and later to albendazole sulfone (ABZSO2). ABZSO is the active metabolite responsible for the therapeutic effect of the drug. Previous studies have demonstrated pharmacokinetic differences between the two enantiomers, with the predominance of (+)-ABZSO in human biological fluids. This article describes for the first time the enantioselective analysis of ABZSO in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) using capillary electrophoresis. The samples were prepared by liquid-liquid extraction using chloroform:isopropanol (8:2 v/v). The resolution of ABZSO enantiomers was obtained with a fused-silica capillary (60 cm x 75 microm ID) using 20 mmol/L Tris, pH 7.0, with 3.0% w/w sulfated beta-cyclodextrin as running buffer. The coefficient of variations and % relative error obtained for both within-day and between-days assays were lower than 15%. The method was linear over the concentration range of 100 to 2,500 ng/mL for each enantiomer, indicating that it is suitable for the analysis of ABZSO enantiomers in CSF from patients medicated with ABZ.     

Liquid chromatographic-electrospray mass spectrometric determination (LC-ESI-MS) of phase II metabolites of flobufen in rat liver microsomes-Chiral discrimination

Glucuronidation of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory chiral drug flobufen and its major metabolite M17203 has been implicated as an important mechanism of flobufen elimination. To characterize flobufen metabolism by O-glucuronidation, new liquid chromatographic method (LC) coupled with ESI-MS was developed to detect the conjugates of flobufen and its metabolites formed in vitro in rat liver microsomes. Discovery DSC-18 LT cartridge columns were utilized for solid phase extraction (SPE) and Discovery C18 column (150 mm x 2.1 mm, 5 microm particle size) was used for LC separation. Chiral inversion of flobufen and its metabolites enantiomers was checked by special 1-allyl-(5R,8S,10R)-terguride column (150 mm x 4.6 mm). O-Glucuronidation of the S-enantiomer displayed a typical Michaelis-Menten kinetics, whereas the R-enantiomer exhibited a substrate inhibition type of kinetics. The study of glucuronidation of M17203 led to kinetics with sigmoidal characteristics.     

Capillary electrophoresis method for the determination of isradipine enantiomers: stability studies and pharmaceutical formulation analysis

A simple enantioselective method based on CE using CD as chiral selector was developed and validated for the determination of isradipine (IRD) enantiomers in a pharmaceutical formulation and for the determination of IRD enantiomers in degradation studies. After optimization, the best results were obtained using 15 mM borate buffer at pH 9.3 and sulfobutyl ether-β-cyclodextrin (2.5%, w/v) as chiral selector. The applied voltage was +30 kV, and the sample injection was performed in the hydrodynamic mode. All analyses were carried out in a fused-silica uncoated capillary with an id of 50 μm and total length of 60.0 cm. Under these conditions, a complete separation between IRD enantiomers was achieved in less than 7 min. Linearity was obtained in the range 50-300 μg/mL for both enantiomers (r≥0.9978). The RSD (%) and relative errors (%) obtained in precision and accuracy studies (intra-day and inter-day) were lower than 5%. Therefore, this method was found to be appropriate for controlling pharmaceutical formulations containing IRD enantiomers and the assay was considered to be stability indicating. The drug was subjected to oxidation, hydrolysis and photolysis. In all stress conditions the drug presented considerable degradation when compared with a fresh sample (zero time).     

Evaluation of an in-capillary approach for performing quantitative cytochrome P450 activity studies

An automated in-capillary assay requiring very small quantities of reagents was developed for performing in vitro cytochrome P450 (CYP450) drug metabolism studies. The approach is based on the following: (i) hydrodynamic introduction of nanoliter volumes of substrate and enzyme solutions in the sandwich mode, within a capillary; (ii) mixing the reagents by diffusion across the interfaces between the injected solutions; (iii) collection of the capillary content at the end of the in-capillary assay; and (iv) off-line analysis of the incubation mixture by ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). After optimizing the injection sequence of the reagents, the in-capillary approach was applied to the quantitative determination of the kinetics of drug metabolism reactions catalyzed by three CYP450 isozymes involved in human drug metabolism: CYP1A2, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4. It was demonstrated that this in-capillary method was able to provide similar kinetic parameters for CYP450 activity (e.g., Michaelis constants and turnover values) as the classical in vitro method, with a drastic reduction of reagent consumption.     

毛细管电泳分离与测定尿液中扑尔敏对映体

以ＨＰ－β－ＣＤ作为手性分离添加剂,对标样和实际尿液中的扑尔敏进行了手性分离和测定研究。在实际样品的分离测定时,用液液萃取时间样品预处理,并采用电堆集进样以提高检测灵敏度,对于尿液中扑尔敏对映体的检测限为１．５×１０＾－７ｇ／Ｌ。     

Liquid-phase microextraction combined with capillary electrophoresis,a promising tool for the determination of chiral drugs in biological matrices

A disposable device for liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) based on porous polypropylene hollow fibres has recently been introduced. In the present paper, LPME was combined with capillary electrophoresis (CE) and the combination was for the first time evaluated for chiral determination of drugs in biological matrices. The chiral antidepressant drug mianserin was selected as model compound. The mianserin enantiomers were extracted from 0.5 ml of plasma added internal standard and made alkaline with 0.25 ml of 2 M NaOH. The unionised analytes were extracted into di-n-hexyl ether impregnated in the pores of the hollow fibre, and into an acidic solution inside the hollow fibre. This resulted in a three-phase system where the extracts were aqueous, and hence directly compatible with the CE system. Efficient sample clean-up was seen and the extraction recovery was 80% for both enantiomers. Discrimination between the enantiomers in the extraction system was not observed. The limit of quantitation (S/N= 10; 12.5 ng/ml for both enantiomers) and the limit of detection (S/N=3; 4 ng/ml for both enantiomers) were below the therapeutic range for mianserin. The method was validated and successfully applied to determine R- and S-mianserin in plasma samples from seven patients treated with mianserin, indicating that LPME-CE is a promising combination for analysis of racemic drugs present in low concentrations in biological matrices.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of the enantiomers of carvedilol and its O-desmethyl metabolite in human plasma after chiral derivatization

Quantitative methodology for the simultaneous high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) resolution and determination of the enantiomers of carvedilol, a new multiple-action antihypertensive agent exhibiting both vasodilator and beta-blocking activity, and its active metabolite, O-desmethylcarvedilol, in human plasma is described. The method involves reversed-phase solid-phase extraction of the analytes, followed by derivatization of the extract with the chiral reagent, 2,3,4,6,-tetra-O-acetyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl isothiocyanate and injection of the resultant diastereoisomers onto a reversed-phase HPLC column coupled to a fluorescence detector. Both pairs of diastereoisomers formed are completely resolved within 12 min (resolution for the respective pairs is 2.26 and 3.32) and the baseline is clean and free from extraneous peaks. The assay is linear over the range 0.6-80 ng/ml of human plasma with a lower limit of detection of approximately 100 pg on-column for each of the enantiomers. The method can be adapted for a number of structural analogues of carvedilol and is currently applied in support of preclinical and clinical studies of the drug.     

Quantification of Paraquat, MPTP, and MPP+ in brain tissue using microwave-assisted solvent extraction (MASE) and high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

Animal models, consistent with the hypothesis of direct interaction of paraquat (PQ) and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) with specific areas of the central nervous system have been developed to study Parkinson’s disease (PD) in mice. These models have necessitated the creation of an analytical method for unambiguous identification and quantitation of PQ and structurally similar MPTP and 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP⁺) in brain tissue. A method for determination of these compounds was developed using microwave-assisted solvent extraction (MASE) and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Extraction solvent and microwave conditions such as power and time were optimized to produce recoveries of 90% for PQ 78% for MPTP and 97% for its metabolite MPP⁺. The chromatographic separation was performed on a C8, column and detection was carried out using an ion trap as an analyzer with electrospray ionization. Mass spectrometer parameters such as heated capillary temperature, spray voltage, capillary voltage and others were also optimized for each analyte. Analysis was done in selective ion-monitoring (SIM) mode using m/z 186 for PQ, m/z 174 for MPTP, and m/z 170 for MPP⁺. The method detection limit for paraquat in matrix was 100 pg, 40 pg for MPTP, and 20 pg MPP⁺.     

Coupling of acetonitrile deproteinization and salting-out extraction with acetonitrile stacking in chiral capillary electrophoresis for the determination of warfarin enantiomers

Concurrent sample clean-up and enhancement in detection sensitivity for chiral capillary electrophoresis was demonstrated based on the coupling of salting-out extraction with acetonitrile stacking and the use of dimethyl-beta-cyclodextrin as the chiral selector for the sensitive and enantioselective separation of warfarin enantiomers in urine samples. By optimizing the pH of salting-out extraction, warfarin enantiomers can be efficiently extracted from the aqueous sample solution into a smaller volume organic solvent (acetonitrile) phase. The pressure injection of the enriched acetonitrile phase (containing ca. 1% NaCl) into the CE capillary at 10% capillary volume resulted in additional concentration of the warfarin enantiomers. The limit of detection for both warfarin enantiomers was as low as 1.5 ng/mL in urine sample. Our results show that the novel strategy offers improved sensitivity compared to conventional CE analysis, reaching a combined enrichment factor higher than 1000. Calibration curves of warfarin enantiomers in urine samples were found to be linear between 10 and 1000 ng/mL, and intra- and inter-day precision (N=9) for both warfarin enantiomers in terms of migration time and peak area were found to be within the range of 0.1-0.8% and 1.0-6.7%, respectively. The recovery of warfarin enantiomers from urine was ca. 90%.     

Study of the solid phase extraction of pentoxifylline and its major metabolite as a basis of their rapid low concentration gas chromatographic determination in serum.

A gas-liquid chromatographic method for the determination of pentoxifylline and its secondary alcohol metabolite in serum has been developed. The method is based on the combination of solid phase extraction, capillary column separation and nitrogen-phosphorus detection of the analytes. Optimization of the solid phase extraction conditions permitted a low concentration determination, with limits of determination of 2 ng/mL and 10 ng/mL for pentoxifylline and its metabolite, respectively. The simplicity and rapidity of the extraction step was preserved.     

Capillary zone electrophoresis applied to the determination of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor cilazapril and its active metabolite in pharmaceuticals and urine

A capillary zone electrophoresis method has been developed for the quantitation of antihypertensive drug cilazapril and its active metabolite cilazaprilat in pharmaceuticals and urine. The separation of the compounds was performed in a fused-silica capillary filled with the running electrolyte, which consisted of a 60 mM borate buffer solution at pH 9.5. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the separation took less than 5 min. The analysis of urine samples required a previous solid-phase extraction step using C8 cartridges. The method was successfully applied to the determination of the drug and its metabolite in urine samples obtained from three hypertensive patients (detection limits of 115 ng ml(-1) for cilazaprilat and 125 ng ml(-1) for cilazapril) and to pharmaceutical dosage forms. The method was validated in terms of reproducibility, linearity and accuracy.