Evolution of regulatory aspects of genotoxic impurities in pharmaceuticals: Survival of the fittest

The genotoxic impurities (GIs) are carcinogenic hence its management during synthesis of pharmaceuticals is very important to be detected even in trace level for the safe use of the drugs. The presence of drug substance/drug product DNA-reactive impurities poses a significant problem for drug regulators as well as industry. There are several regulatory guidelines and position papers focused on controlling the amount of impurities within the specified limits. The present compilation gives an account of updated information about GIs and reviews the regulatory aspects for GIs in active pharmaceutical ingredients/drug formulations. A detailed discussion about control strategies in the context of GIs is also described precisely. The analysis of GIs is a challenging and complex aspect of the drug development process. Control and determination of these impurities at ppm or ppb levels are significant challenges for analysts, therefore the approaches for the analysis of GIs have also been discussed.     

Characterization of imatinib mesylate formulations distributed in South American countries: Determination of genotoxic impurities by UHPLC–MS/MS and dissolution profile

Imatinib mesylate (IM) is an anti‐neoplasic drug used for the treatment of cancer. Recent new guidelines specify daily doses and concentration limits for genotoxic impurities (GTIs) in pharmaceutical final products. Therefore, in this work an analytical method using UHPLC–MS/MS was developed, validated and applied to characterize IM tablets for two GTIs: N‐(2‐methyl‐5‐aminophenyl)‐4‐(3‐pyridyl)‐2‐pyrimidine amine (Imp. 1), and N‐[4‐methyl‐3‐(4‐methyl‐3‐yl‐pyrimidin‐2‐ylamino)‐phenyl]‐4‐ chloromethyl benzamide (Imp. 2), simultaneously. Additionally, dissolution data of IM tablets were compared using a methodology recommended by the US Food and Drug Administration. The UHPLC method utilized an Acquity BEH C₁₈ (150 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) maintained at 40°C. The mobile phase consisted of ammonium formate 0.063% (phase A) and acetonitrile plus 0.05% formic acid (phase B) in gradient elution. A sensitive method for determination of previously mentioned GTIs in IM tablets was successfully developed and applied. Overall, the formulations analyzed in this work showed low levels of Imp. 1 and Imp. 2. However, the sample named D1 showed very high levels of Imp. 1 and failed to meet the requirements established by the US Food and Drug Administration for dissolution data. Periodic verification of GTIs in pharmaceutical formulations is important to minimize safety risks, so analytical methods to determine it need be available and implemented in routine analysis.     

Achiral and chiral separation and analysis of antifungal drugs by HPLC and CE: A comparative study: Mini review

The chromatographic and electrophoretic methods developed for the chiral and achiral analyses if antifungal agents are reviewed. The aim of this review is to compare different methodologies of analytical methods and to explore still the existing analytical problems. Last decade is characterized by dynamic development of instrumental methods that results in advance and diversity of applied analytical procedures. The enantiomeric separation of several compounds, including an antifungal drug and several of its precursors, using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) is described in this work. The main focus was given to HPLC, the technique of choice in the analysis of most of the pharmaceutical formulations and biological samples. The columns used were based on polysaccharide derivatives. However, the results show that most of the separations obtained by CE are better, in terms of high resolution and short analysis time. The review discusses the chromatographic analysis of the following triazole antifungal drugs: fluconazole, itraconazole, and terconazole from the first generation and posaconazole, voriconazole, ravuconazole, isavuconazole, and albaconazole from the second generation in their pharmaceutical formulations and biological samples.     

Identification,control strategies,and analytical approaches for the determination of potential genotoxic impurities in pharmaceuticals: A comprehensive review

Potential genotoxic impurities in pharmaceuticals at trace levels are of increasing concern to both pharmaceutical industries and regulatory agencies due to their possibility for human carcinogenesis. Molecular functional groups that render starting materials and synthetic intermediates as reactive building blocks for small molecules may also be responsible for their genotoxicity. Determination of these genotoxic impurities at trace levels requires highly sensitive and selective analytical methodologies, which poses tremendous challenges on analytical communities in pharmaceutical research and development. Experimental guidance for the analytical determination of some important classes of genotoxic impurities is still unavailable in the literature. Therefore, the present review explores the structural alerts of commonly encountered potential genotoxic impurities, draft guidance of various regulatory authorities in order to control the level of impurities in drug substances and to assess their toxicity. This review also describes the analytical considerations for the determination of potential genotoxic impurities at trace levels and finally few case studies are also discussed for the determination of some important classes of potential genotoxic impurities. It is the authors’ intention to provide a complete strategy that helps analytical scientists for the analysis of such potential genotoxic impurities in pharmaceuticals.     

Determination of ethambutol in pharmaceutical preparations by atomic absorption spectrometry,spectrophotometry and potentiometry

Simple methods are described for the determination of ethambutol in pharmaceutical preparations. They are based on the reaction of the drug with copper phosphate suspension in a borate buffer of pH 9.2, whereby a blue 11 water-soluble copper-ethambutol complex is quantitatively formed. Four portions of the reaction solution are used for (i) measurement of copper by atomic-absorption spectrometry at 324.7 nm; (ii) potentiometric titration with EDTA with use of a solid-state copper ion-selective electrode; (iii) visual titration with EDTA (copper-PAN indicator); and (iv) spectrophotometric measurement of the copper-ethambutol complex at 640 nm. The results obtained are in good agreement and are better than those of the British Pharmacopoeia (BP) method.     

Determination of carbonyl compounds in air by HPLC using on-line analyzed microcartridges,fluorescence and chemiluminescence detection

Summary Sensitive and selective detection of dansylhydrazones of atmospheric carbonyl compounds (aldehydes and ketones) can be achieved using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence or chemiluminescence detection. The carbonyl compounds are derivatized by drawing air through small glass cartridges packed with porous glass particles impregnated with dansylhydrazine. After sampling, the contents of the cartridges are analyzed on-line by using a small plug of water (200 L) to transfer and focus the hydrazone derivatives at the head of a HPLC column. Greatly increased sensitivity over traditional methods derives from 1) analysis of the entire contents of the sampling cartridge, and 2) detection by fluoresence or peroxyoxalate chemilum-inescence. Results are compared for photo-initiated and H₂O₂-initiated peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence. This novel and practical system enables the detection of sub-ppbv concentrations of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone and higher carbonyls in air using relatively short sampling times.     

Simple and fast analysis of tetrabromobisphenol A,hexabromocyclododecane isomers,and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in serum using solid‐phase extraction or QuEChERS extraction followed by tandem mass spectrometry coupled to HPLC and GC

Two simplified sample preparation procedures for simultaneous extraction and clean‐up of tetrabromobisphenol A, α‐, β‐, and γ‐hexabromocyclododecane and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in human serum were developed and validated. The first procedure was based on solid‐phase extraction. Sample extraction, purification, and lipid removal were carried out directly on an Oasis HLB cartridge. The second procedure was a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe‐based approach using octadecyl‐modified silica particles as a sorbent. After sample extraction and cleanup, tetrabromobisphenol A/hexabromocyclododecane was separated from polybrominated diphenyl ethers by using a Si‐based cartridge. Tetrabromobisphenol A and hexabromocyclododecane were then detected by high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry, while polybrominated diphenyl ethers were detected by gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. The results of the spike recovery test using fetal bovine serum showed that the average recoveries of the analytes ranged from 87.3 to 115.3% with relative standard deviations equal to or lower than 13.4 %. Limits of detection of the analytes were in the range of 0.4–19 pg/mL except for decabromodiphenyl ether. The developed method was successfully applied to routine analysis of human serum samples from occupational workers and the general population. Extremely high serum polybrominated diphenyl ethers levels up to 3.32 × 10⁴ ng/g lipid weight were found in occupational workers.     

Recent advances in synthesis and analysis of Fe(VI) cathodes: solution phase and solid-state Fe(VI) syntheses,reversible thin-film Fe(VI) synthesis,coating-stabilized Fe(VI) synthesis,and Fe(VI) analytical methodologies

Fe(VI) batteries based on unusual ferrate cathodic charge storage have been studied for quite a few years. So far, a class of Fe(VI) compounds have been successfully synthesized and studied as the cathodic materials in both alkaline and nonaqueous battery systems. This paper provides a summary of the syntheses of a range of Fe(VI) cathodes including the alkali Fe(VI) salts Li₂FeO₄, K _x Na_(2?x)FeO₄, K₂FeO₄, Rb₂FeO₄, Cs₂FeO₄, as well as alkali earth Fe(VI) salts CaFeO₄, SrFeO₄, BaFeO₄, and a transition metal Fe(VI) salt Ag₂FeO₄. Two synthesis routes summarized in this paper are the solution phase synthesis and the solid-state synthesis. Preparation of coating-stabilized (coated with KMnO₄, SiO₂, TiO₂, or ZrO₂) Fe(VI) cathodes and preparation of thin-film reversible Fe(VI/III) cathodes are also presented. Fe(VI) analytical methodologies summarized in this paper include Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, titrimetric (chromite), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy, Mössbauer spectrometry, potentiometric, galvanostatic, and cyclic voltammetry. Cathodic charge transfer of Fe(VI) is also briefly presented.     

Simultaneous speciation analysis of glutathione peroxidase,selenoprotein P and selenoalbumin in human serum by tandem anion exchange-affinity HPLC and on-line isotope dilution ICP-quadrupole MS

A method based on anion exchange (AE) and affinity (AF)-HPLC (AE-AF-HPLC) hyphenated to inductively coupled plasma-(quadrupole) mass spectrometry (ICP-QMS) was developed for the speciation analysis of selenoprotein P (SelP), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and selenoalbumin (SeAlb) in human serum. AE-HPLC is proposed here for the on-line alleviation of Cl and Br spectral interferences on ⁷⁷Se (⁴⁰Ar³⁷Cl) and ⁸²Se (⁸¹Br¹H). Separation of GPx, SelP and SeAlb by AE-AF-HPLC was obtained within a total chromatographic runtime of <20 min. On-line (post-column) isotope dilution (ON-ID) and on-line external calibration (ON-EC)-ICP-QMS were used for the quantification of Se in GPx, SelP and SeAlb. ON-EC using a Se-L-cystine standard was shown to be a suitable approach for the routine simultaneous speciation analysis of serum GPx, SelP and SeAlb. The method validation was carried out by direct ICP-sector field MS determination of Se in GPx, SelP and SeAlb fractions collected after AE-AF-HPLC separation. In addition, the method accuracy for the determination of total protein-bound Se was assessed by analyzing a human serum reference material (BCR-637) certified for total Se content. Figure A methodology for the alleviation of Cl and Br interferences in the accurate simultaneous speciation analysis of glutathione peroxidase, selenoprotein P and selenoalbumin in human serum by affinity HPLC coupled on-line with ICP-quadrupole MS is proposed. This approach may be particularly useful for clinical laboratories that only have an ICP-quadrupole MS without a collision cell, or that lack an expensive ICP-SFMS (high-resolution) instrument     

Determination of chlorogenic acid,polyphenols and antioxidants in green coffee by thin‐layer chromatography,effect‐directed analysis and dot blot – comparison to HPLC and spectrophotometry methods

The great prevalence of thin‐layer chromatography over high‐performance liquid chromatography is connected with the possibility of analyzing many samples in parallel. Therefore, the method is often used in screening and/or effect directed analysis to compare composition and chemical/biological properties of many samples in one run. It was already proved, that high performance thin‐layer chromatography, in many cases, can replace high‐performance liquid chromatography for quantitative analysis. The main aim of the paper is to show that simple thin‐layer chromatography can also be used as a quantitative or at least as a semi‐quantitative method, even when it concerns effect directed analysis e.g. direct bioautography. Chlorogenic acid content was measured in four methanol extracts of various green coffees and in one extract of black coffee using thin‐layer chromatography with ultraviolet detection and thin‐layer chromatography with effect directed detection. High‐performance liquid chromatography was used as a reference method. Additionally, total contents of polyphenols and antioxidants were estimated using thin‐layer chromatography or dot‐blot on chromatography plates. These results were compared to spectrophotometric methods. It was proved that thin‐layer chromatography can be used as a quantitative (using densitometry) or semi‐quantitative method (using other detection methods including effect directed detection) as well as for estimating total antioxidants or polyphenols content.     

实时直接分析-串联质谱法快速筛查火锅底料、牛肉面汤及调味料中罂粟壳生物碱

建立了采用实时直接分析-串联质谱(DART-MS/MS)对火锅底料、牛肉面汤及调味料中5种非法添加的罂粟壳生物碱进行快速筛查的方法。样品经乙腈提取净化后,在离子化温度为300℃、栅极电压为150 V、进样速率为0.8 m m/s的DART离子源正离子模式条件下进样,以电喷雾离子源正离子多反应监测(MRM)模式进行检测,实现了样品经简单预处理后使用DART-MS/MS进行检测的新方法。该方法简便、快速,能满足大批量非法添加样品的快速筛查分析要求。     

Investigation of ICP-MS spectral interferences in the determination of Rh, Pd and Pt in road dust: Assessment of correction algorithms via uncertainty budget analysis and interference alleviation by preliminary acid leaching

A method for classification of the potential spectral interferences in inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was proposed based on statistical assessment of the interfering signals. The concept was applied to investigate the variety of spectral interferences over the isotopes of Rh, Pd and Pt concerning their analysis in road dust samples. For the significant interferences the applicability of mathematical corrections using two alternative algorithms were studied by uncertainty budget analysis and the approach resulting in lower combined uncertainty of the corrected signals was selected. Further the uncertainty evaluation was used for assessment of the most appropriate Pd isotope to be measured. The adequateness of the mathematical corrections for Rh and Pd was highly relevant to the number of elements causing spectral interferences and the relative analyte/interferent concentrations. This was overcome by preliminary road dust leaching with 0.35 mol l⁻¹ hydrochloric acid. Interferents present as easily soluble salts were substantially removed form the samples while the platinum group metals were not leached which allowed a relative analyte preconcentration to be obtained. For the leached samples the isotopes of Rh and Pd were still spectrally interfered from Sr, Y and Pb but at considerably lesser degree thus after mathematical correction the ICP-MS analysis of Rh, Pd and Pt was reliable and robust using the isotopes 103, 105 and 195, respectively. The method was validated via an alternative analysis based on selective separation of the platinum group metals by microwave-assisted cloud point extraction.