Immobilized penicillin G acylase as reactor and chiral selector in liquid chromatography

In this paper, the use of penicillin G acylase (PGA) as a biocatalyst and as a chiral selector is described. Penicillin G-acylase is an interesting enzyme used in the manufacture of semisynthetic antibiotics and, in particular, in the production of 6-APA by hydrolysis of penicillin G. Five PGA-based HPLC columns have been prepared by using two different silica supports by employing two immobilization methods, namely "in situ" and "in batch". The effects of the immobilization techniques and of different silica pore size on the catalytic properties of the enzyme as well as the applicability of the PGA-bonded stationary phases as chiral selectors for a number of chiral drugs have been investigated. The HPLC columns based on immobilized PGA combine the hydrolytic activity and the chiral recognition properties of PGA, therefore they have been used for the development of a combined reaction-separation system for chiral and achiral substrates.     

Azithromycin as a new chiral selector in capillary electrophoresis

In capillary electrophoresis (CE), separation of enantiomers of a chiral compound can be achieved through the chiral interactions and/or complex formation between the chiral selector and the enantiomeric analytes on leaving their diastereomeric forms with different stability constants and hence different mobilities. A great number of chiral selectors have been employed in CE and among them macrocyclic antibiotics exhibited excellent enantioselective properties towards a wide number of racemic compounds. The use of azithromycin (AZM) as a chiral selector has not been reported previously. This work reports the use of AZM as a chiral selector for the enantiomeric separations of five chiral drugs and one amino acid (tryptophan) in CE. The enantioseparation is carried out using polar organic mixtures of acetonitrile (ACN), methanol (MeOH), acetic acid and triethylamine as run buffer. The influences of the chiral selector concentration, ACN/MeOH ratio, applied voltage and capillary temperature on enantioseparation are investigated. The results show that AZM is a viable chiral selector in CE for the enantioseparation of the type of chiral drugs investigated.     

Investigation of beta-CD-derivatized erythromycin as chiral selector in CE

A novel water-soluble beta-CD-derivatized erythromycin (EM) was synthesized and used as an effective chiral selector for the resolution of chiral compounds in CZE. The purpose of substitution at the primary hydroxyl site of beta-CD with 1-oxygen-2,3-epoxypropane is to produce a compound having functions of both beta-CD and EM. beta-CD-derivatized EM exhibited excellent enantioselectivities compared with single beta-CD and EM for chiral separation in CE. We also investigated the influence of pH and concentration of BGE, concentration of chiral selector, applied potential, and organic modifier on chiral compounds' separation.     

Enantiomeric separation by capillary electrophoresis using a crown ether as chiral selector.

This paper reviews chiral separations of primary amines by capillary electrophoresis and crown ether as chiral selector. Two possible mechanisms of chiral recognition by host-guest complexation are discussed: (i) The substituents of the crown ether act as barriers for the guest compounds, and (ii) lateral electrostatic interactions between host and guest occur. Experimental conditions affecting the separation are discussed in detail. A literature overview of practical applications is presented as well. More than 80 different primary amines were analyzed, whereupon the majority could be resolved using a screening method. It is shown that a synergistic effect on the resolution of chiral amines is observed when the chiral crown ether and cyclodextrins are simultaneously used in the same buffer system. This approach opens interesting perspectives for further method optimization.     

Comparative studies of various run buffers for chiral capillary electrophoresis using chiral crown ether as a chiral selector

In the capillary electrophoretic separation of primary amine enantiomers using (+)-(18-crown-6)-tetracarboxylic acid (18C6H4) as a chiral selector, the presence of run buffer constituents such as tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris) or Na+ competing with analytes for 18C6H4, diminishes the effectiveness of 18C6H4. In order to determine appropriate buffer systems for 18C6H4, various run buffer cationic components including Tris, 1,3-bis[tris(hydroxymethyl)methylamino]propane, bis(2-hydroxyethyl)iminotris(hydroxymethyl)methane, triethanolamine, tetramethylammonium, and Na+ were compared. Quantitative studies of the effects of the competitive constituents were carried out by measuring the electrophoretic mobilities of histidine as a function of the 18C6H4 concentration. We also derived a simple equation to estimate the optimal chiral selector concentration for a maximum mobility difference in the presence of a competitive inhibitor.     

Hydroxyethylammonium monosubstituted cyclodextrin as chiral selector for capillary electrophoresis

A novel cationic cyclodextrin, mono-6^A-(2-hydroxyethyl-1-ammonium)-6^A-β-cyclodextrin chloride (HEtAMCD) has been successfully synthesized and applied as chiral selector in capillary electrophoresis. The NMR study revealed this chiral selector has three recognition sites: β-CD, ammonium cation and hydroxy group in the sidearm to contribute three corresponding driving forces including inclusion complexation, electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonding. The effect of buffer pH and HEtAMCD concentration (2.5–10 mM) on enantioselectivity, chiral resolution as well as effective mobility of analytes was investigated. This elegantly designed CD exhibits outstanding enantioselectivities toward the studied hydroxyl acids and ampholytic racemates in CE with the aid of extra hydrogen bonding. Under optimum pH 6.0, chiral resolutions over 5 can be readily obtained for hydroxy acids with CD concentration below 5 mM. The comparison study between HEtAMCD and our earlier reported ammonium CDs indicates the hydroxyethylammonium group of HEtAMCD significantly increased the enantioselective capability.     

Optimization of the chiral resolution of baclofen by capillary electrophoresis using beta-cyclodextrin as the chiral selector

The chiral resolution of baclofen was achieved by capillary electrophoresis using a fused-silica capillary (60 cm x 75 microm ID). The background electrolyte (BGE) was phosphate buffer (pH 7.0, 50 mM)-acetonitrile (95:5 v/v) containing 10 mM beta-cyclodextrin. The applied voltage was 15 kV. The values of alpha and R(s) were 1.06 and 1.00, respectively. The electrophoretic conditions were optimized varying the pH and the ionic strength of the BGE, concentrations of beta-cyclodextrin and acetonitrile and the applied voltage.     

Enantioseparation in capillary electrophoresis using 2-O-(2-hydroxybutyl)-beta-CD as a chiral selector

The resolving ability of 2-O-(2-hydroxybutyl)-beta-CD (HB-beta-CD) with different degrees of substitution (DS = 2.9 and 4.0) as a chiral selector in CZE is reported in this work. Fourteen chiral drugs belonging to different classes of compounds of pharmaceutical interest such as beta-agonists, antifungal agents, ageneric agents, etc., were resolved. The effects of the DS of HB-beta-CD on separations were also investigated. The chiral resolution (R(s)) was strongly influenced by the concentrations of the CD derivative, the BGE, and the pH of the BGE. Under the conditions of 50 mmol/L Tris-phosphate buffer at pH 2.5 containing 5 mmol/L HB-beta-CD, all 14 analytes were separated. The very low concentration necessary to obtain separation was particularly impressive. The DS had a significant effect on the resolution of the chiral drugs and the ionic strength of the separation media; hence, the use of a well-characterized CD derivative is crucial.     

Enantioselective separation in capillary electrophoresis using a novel mono-6-propylammonium-β-cyclodextrin as chiral selector

The chiral resolving ability of a novel single-isomer cationic β-cyclodextrin (CD), mono-6^A-propylammonium-6^A-deoxy-β-cyclodextrin chloride (PrAMCD), as a chiral selector in capillary electrophoresis (CE) is reported in this work for the enantioseparation of hydroxy, carboxylic acids and amphoteric analytes. The effect of chiral selector concentration on the resolution was studied. Good resolutions were achieved for hydroxy acids. Optimum resolutions were obtained even at 3.5 mM CD concentration for carboxylic acids. The electrophoretic method showed good linearity and reproducibility in terms of migration times and peak areas, which should make it suitable for routine analysis. In addition, baseline chiral separation of a six-acid mixture was achieved within 20 min. PrAMCD proved to be an effective chiral selector for acidic analytes.     

Enantiorecognition of profens by capillary electrophoresis using a novel chiral selector eremomycin

The evaluation of a macrocyclic glycopeptide antibiotic, eremomycin, as a chiral selector in capillary electrophoresis (CE) has been performed. The stability of eremomycin in solution and capillary electrolyte, as well as its optical and electrophoretic properties have been discussed. The effect of experimental parameters influencing the enantioseparation of several profens has been studied. Excellent enantioseparation of profens has been achieved and migration order has been validated. Comparison of enantioseparations of profens in CE by using eremomycin-mediated electrolytes and in HPLC with eremomycin immobilized on silica has revealed similar trends for both methods.     

Evaluation of balhimycin as a chiral selector for enantioresolution by capillary electrophoresis

The glycopeptide antibiotic balhimycin and its haloanalogue bromobalhimycin were evaluated as chiral selectors for enantioresolution by capillary electrophoresis. In order (i) to eliminate the adsorption of the glycopeptide antibiotics on the capillary wall, (ii) to shorten the separation time and (iii) to improve the detection sensitivity, a combined approach of the dynamic surface coating technique, the co-electroosmotic flow electrophoresis technique and the partial filling technique was employed for the enantioresolution of 16 acidic racemates. The effect of experimental parameters (plug length of the partial filling solution containing the chiral selector, selector concentration and buffer pH) on enantiorecognition was investigated. Furthermore, the enantiorecognition ability imparted by balhimycin, bromobalhimycin and vancomycin were compared. For most tested compounds, the highest enantiorecognition was obtained with balhimycin as chiral selector. Only in the case of the enantioresolution of tiaprofenic acid, vancomycin showed a superior enantiorecognition.     

Chiral separation of gemifloxacin in sodium-containing media using chiral crown ether as a chiral selector by capillary and microchip electrophoresis

Chiral crown ether, (+)-(18-crown-6)-tetracarboxylic acid (18C6H(4)), is an effective chiral selector for resolving enantiomeric primary amines owing to the difference in affinities between 18C6H(4) and each of the amine enantiomers. In addition to the destacking effect of sodium ion in the sample solution, the strong affinity of sodium ion to the polyether ring of crown ether is unfavorable to chiral capillary electrophoresis using 18C6H(4) as a chiral selector. In this report, the chiral separation of gemifloxacin dissolved in a saline sample matrix using 18C6H(4) was investigated. Adding a chelating agent, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), to the run buffer greatly improved the separation efficiencies and peak shapes. The successful chiral separation of gemifloxacin in a urinary solution was demonstrated for both capillary and microchip electrophoresis.     

Chiral separation of four fluoroquinolone compounds using capillary electrophoresis with hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin as chiral selector

A capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) investigation on the enantiomeric separation of lomefloxacin, gatifloxacin, pazufloxacin and ofloxacin was undertaken. Resolution of the enantiomers was achieved using hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-beta-CD) as the chiral selector. Parameters influencing separation include cyclodextrin concentration, separational potential, pH and organic additive are discussed. A buffer consisting of 70 mM phosphate and 40 mM HP-beta-CD at pH 3.96 was found to be highly efficient for the separation of lomefloxacin, at pH 3.90 for gatifloxacin, at pH 5.04 for pazufloxacin and at pH 2.16 for ofloxacin. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the enantiomeric resolution of lomefloxacin and gatifloxacin applying CE.     

Enantioseparation of amino acid derivatives by capillary zone electrophoresis using vancomycin as chiral selector

The separation of racemic derivatized amino acids (N-acetyl) into their enantiomers was achieved using capillary zone electrophoresis employing vancomycin as a chiral selector. Due to the strong absorption properties of the chiral selector at the low wavelengths used, the partial-filling countercurrent method was adopted in order to improve method sensitivity. In the separation system studied, the chiral selector filled only a part of the capillary and, due to the appropriate selection of the pH, was moving in the opposite direction of the analytes keeping the detector free from absorbing compounds. The effect of several experimental parameters on the enantioresolution of analytes was studied, e.g., vancomycin concentration (0-5 mM), pH of the background electrolyte (pH 4-7), capillary temperature (15-35 degrees C), and the presence of an organic modifier in the run buffer (methanol or ethanol or n-propanol). N-Acetyl glutamic acid, serine, cystine, tyrosine, and proline were all baseline-resolved into their enantiomers and the enantioresolution factor (R(s)) was increased by raising the vancomycin concentration. pH 4 allowed the baseline resolution of the five studied analytes in the presence of 2.5 mM of chiral selector and an increase in pH caused a decrease of R(s).     

Simultaneous chiral resolution of monosaccharides as 8-aminonaphthalene-1,3,6-trisulfonate derivatives by ligand-exchange CE using borate as a central ion of the chiral selector

Six reducing monosaccharides (mannose, galactose, fucose, glucose, xylose, and arabinose) were derivatized with 8-aminonaphthalene-1,3,6-trisulfonate (ANTS). Based on the chiral ligand-exchange principle using borate as a central ion of the chiral selector and (S)-3-amino-1,2-propanediol (SAP) as a chiral selector ligand, all of the six ANTS-monosaccharides were simultaneously enantioseparated using absorbance at 245 nm for detection. The optimum conditions for both high resolution and moderately short migration time consisted of 200 mM SAP-200 mM borate buffer (pH 9.2) containing 10% ACN as a BGE at 30 degrees C with an applied voltage of +30 kV. It was revealed that the proposed chiral ligand-exchange CE using the SAP-borate system was applicable to enantioseparation of not only diols but also polyols.     

Immobilization-stabilization of Penicillin G acylase fromEscherichia coli

We have developed a strategy for immobilization-stabilization of penicillin G acylase from E. coli, PGA, by multipoint covalent attachment to agarose (aldehyde) gels. We hve studied the role of three main variables that control the intensity of these enzyme-support multiinteraction processes: 1. surface density of aldehyde groups in the activated support; 2. temperature; and 3. contact-time between the immobilized enzyme and the activated support prior to borohydride reduction of the derivatives. Different combinations of these three variables have been tested to prepare a number of PGA-agarose derivatives. All these derivatives preserve 100% of catalytic activity corresponding to the soluble enzyme that has been immobilized but they show very different stability. The less stable derivative has exactly the same thermal stability of soluble penicillin G acylase and the most stable one is approximately 1,400 fold more stable. A similar increase in the stability of the enzyme against the deleterious effect of organic solvents was also observed. On the other hand, the agarose aldehyde gels present a very great capacity to immobilize enzymes through multipoint covalent attachment. In this way, we have been able to prepare very active and very stable PGA derivatives containing up to 200 International Units of catalytic activity per mL. of derivative with 100% yields in the overall immobilization procedure.     

Chiral separation of anionic and neutral compounds using a hepta-substituted cationic beta-cyclodextrin as a chiral selector in capillary electrophoresis

Enantiomeric separations of six anionic and two neutral racemates were achieved using a fully substituted heptakis(6-hydroxyethylamino-6-deoxy)-beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD-EA) as a chiral selector. As beta-CD-EA provides a dynamic coating on the capillary wall, reverse-polarity capillary electrophoresis (CE) configuration is applied for separations of anionic and neutral chiral compounds. Chiral separations of various classes of anionic and neutral enantiomers were found to be highly dependent on pH because the degree of protonation of beta-CD-EA can alter the shape of the CD cavity by charge repulsion, altering complexation, aiding selectivity, and leading to better enantiomeric separation. In general, the chiral resolution of anionic enantiomers was enhanced at higher pH. This suggests that carboxylate or phosphate groups on the analyte may interact with the protonated amine groups of cationic CD. The successful enantioseparation was achieved in a pH range of 6.6-7.8 for all six anionic analytes, in the presence of 10 mM beta-CD-EA.     

Glycogen: A novel branched polysaccharide chiral selector in CE

Various chiral selectors have been employed in CE and among them linear polysaccharides exhibited powerful enantioselective properties. Different from linear polysaccharides, the use of branched polysaccharides as chiral selectors in CE has not been reported previously. In this study glycogen belonging to the class of branched polysaccharides was used as a novel chiral selector for the enantiomeric separations for the first time. Since glycogen is electrically neutral, the method is applicable to ionic compounds. Eighteen chiral compounds including 12 basic drugs and six acidic drugs have been tested to demonstrate the potential of this chiral selector. BGE and selector concentrations and buffer pH were systematically optimized in order to obtain successful chiral separations. Among the tested compounds, the enantiomers of ibuprofen, which is an acidic drug, were successfully recognized by 3.0% w/v glycogen with 90 mM Tris‐H₃PO₄ buffer (pH 7.0). The enantiomers of basic drugs such as citalopram, cetirizine and nefopam were also baseline‐resolved with 50 mM Tris‐H₃PO₄ buffer (pH 3.0) containing 3.0% glycogen. Amlodipine belonging to basic compound only gave partial enantioseparation under the above‐mentioned condition.     

Infinite enantiomeric resolution of basic compounds using highly sulfated cyclodextrin as chiral selector in capillary electrophoresis

Four chiral basic analytes, namely methadone, fluoxetine, venlafaxine, and tramadol, were selected as model compounds for investigating their stereoselective separation with highly sulfated gamma-cyclodextrin (HS gamma-CD) by capillary electrophoresis (CE)-UV and CE-mass spectrometry (MS). At high concentration of chiral selector, the preferentially bonded enantiomer migrated faster in the anodic mode to the detector and high resolutions were obtained for all analytes. In the cathodic mode, at lower highly sulphated cyclodextrin (HS-CD) concentration, basic compounds could be detected, with the weakly bonded enantiomer migrating first (enantiomeric migration order inversion). It was also then possible, at intermediate HS-CD concentration, that only one enantiomer migrated to the detector as cation while the other enantiomer complexed with the CD was negatively charged and presented an opposite mobility. The latter never reached the detector achieving a perfect enantiomeric selectivity. Infinite chiral resolutions were thus achieved by CE-UV as well as by CE-electrospray ionisation (ESI)-MS where concentrations of HS-CD were adapted according to the negative contribution of the nebulization gas pressure of the interface.     

Enantioselective separations in capillary electrophoresis with dextran sulfate as the chiral selector

Dextran sulfate, a polyanionic polysaccharide, was evaluated as a chiral additive in capillary electrophoresis. Structurally related compounds having a variety of functional groups were utilized to probe the selectivity of the chiral selector. The effects of pH, chiral selector concentration, and chiral selector composition on resolution were also studied. At low pH, the reversed polarity mode was employed to achieve separation of the probe compounds. The electrophoretic results provided insight into the chiral recognition of dextran sulfate in capillary electrophoresis. Several factors, including hydrophobic, steric, and electrostatic interactions, appeared to play a role in the observed enantioseparations.