Sensitive liquid chromatographic/tandem mass spectrometric method for the determination of beclomethasone dipropionate and its metabolites in equine plasma and urine

Beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) is a potent pro-drug to beclomethasone (BOH) and is used in the treatment of chronic and acute respiratory disorders in the horse. The therapeutic dose of BDP (325 microg per horse) by inhalation results in very low plasma and urinary concentrations of BDP and its metabolites that pose a challenge to detection and confirmation by equine forensic laboratories. To solve this problem, a method involving the use of a liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) was developed for the detection, confirmation and quantification of the analytes in equine samples. Ammonium formate or acetate buffer added to LC mobile phase favored the formation of [M + H](+) ions from BDP and its metabolites, whereas formic acid led to the formation of sodium and potassium adduct ions ([M + Na](+), [M + K](+)) together with [M + H](+) ions. Acetonitrile, on the other hand, favored the formation of abundant solvent adduct ions [M + H + CH(3)CN](+) with the analytes under electrospray ionization (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization conditions. In contrast, methanol formed much less solvent adduct ions than acetonitrile. The solvent adduct ions were thermally stable and could not be completely desolvated under the experimental conditions, but they were very fragile to collision-induced dissociation (CID). Interestingly, these solvent adduct ions were observed on a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry but not on an ion trap instrument where helium used as a damping gas in the ion trap might cause the solvent adduct ions desolvated by collision. By CID studies on the [M + H](+) ions of BDP and its metabolites, their fragmentation paths were proposed. In equine plasma at ambient temperature over 2 h, BDP and B21P were hydrolyzed in part to B17P and BOH, respectively, but B17P was not hydrolyzed. Sodium fluoride added to equine plasma inhibited the hydrolysis of BDP and B21P. The matrix effect in ESI was evaluated in equine plasma and urine samples. The method involved the extraction of BDP and its metabolites from equine plasma and urine samples by methyl tert-butyl ether, resolution on a C(8) column with a mobile phase gradient consisting of methanol and ammonium formate (2 mmol l(-1), pH 3.4) and multiple reaction monitoring for the analytes on a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer. The detection limit was 13 pg ml(-1) for BDP and B17P, 25 pg ml(-1) for BOH and 50 pg ml(-1) for B21P in plasma and 25 pg ml(-1) for BOH in urine. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of equine plasma and urine samples for the analytes following administration of BDP to horses by inhalation. B17P, the major and active metabolite of BDP, was detected and quantified in equine plasma up to 4 h post-administration by inhalation of a very low therapeutic dose (325 microg per horse) of BDP.     

On-line high-performance liquid chromatography method for analyte quantitation from pressurized metered dose inhalers

A sensitive and rapid, on-line reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method for quantitation of compounds at low concentrations in pressurized metered dose inhaler (MDI) systems was developed. Traditional methods for the quantitation of compounds in MDI formulations involve the opening of the MDI vial along with sample dilution prior to quantitation. The new method, reported in this study, involves a direct injection from the MDI vial into the needle injector port of a manual injector. Since there is no dilution step involved, this method can be used to quantitate low concentrations of compounds in MDIs with excellent precision. In addition, since the method requires a small injection volume of 5 microl, repeated analyses can be performed in order to generate multiple data points using the same MDI vial. Validation of the method was performed using ethanol-1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (134a)-based MDIs. Beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP), a corticosteroid used for the treatment of asthma, was used as a model compound. Phase separation studies were conducted to investigate the miscibility of the ethanol-134a mixtures with different mobile phase solvent compositions. For the MDI systems in this study, an acetonitrile-water (90:10, v/v) mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.9 ml/min was found to give acceptable chromatography for BDP on a Apollo C18 5 microm, 150 mm x 4.6 mm column (Alltech Associates, Deerfield, IL, USA). Ultraviolet detection was done at 240 nm and the retention time of BDP was 2.7 min. The on-line HPLC method was characterized to be accurate, precise, sensitive, and specific.     

New composites of betulin esters with arabinogalactan as highly potent anti-cancer agents

Betulin and its esters are the natural compounds with high in vitro cytotoxicity toward many cancer cells. However, the poor water solubility of these compounds has limited their applications. We prepared new composites of betulin esters using two methods, namely ball-milling of the mixtures of betulin esters with arabinogalactan and preparation of thin films of these mixtures by evaporating the aqueous solutions. These composites revealed higher water solubility as compared with the initial substances without losing the structural integrity and functionality. As a result, the new composites have shown much higher inhibitory effects against different cancer cell lines such as Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells and lung carcinoma cells (A549) in comparison with the initial substances. The cell viability studies based on Annexin V and Propidium iodide probes have confirmed the high proapoptotic effect of betulin ester derivatives against cancer cells.     

乙二醇二丙酸酯的合成与溶剂性能研究

以乙二醇二丙酸酯为重点,研究了乙二醇二羧酸酯的合成与性能。用乙二醇和丙酸直接酯化合成乙二醇二丙酸酯,在单因素实验的基础上,用正交法探讨较佳合成条件。采用红外、核磁对产物进行表征。结果表明,n(丙酸)∶n(乙二醇)=2.5∶1,对甲苯磺酸和甲苯分别占反应物总质量的1.0%和10%,反应时间3 h,乙二醇二丙酸酯收率可达87.4%。并结合其他乙二醇二羧酸酯,通过与常见高沸点溶剂性能的比较分析,表明该产物溶解力强,相对环保安全,在涂料、塑料等工业中具有潜在的应用价值。     

Catalytic C-phenylation of methyl acrylate with triphenylantimony(v) dicarboxylates

Triphenylantimony dicarboxylates Ph₃Sb(OAc)₂ and Ph₃Sb(O₂CEt)₂ are efficient C-phenylating agents for methyl acrylate. In the presence of the Pd(OAc)₂, Li₂PdCl₄ or Pd₂(dba)₃(CHCl₃) catalysts in MeCN at 50 °C, methyl cinnamate forms in 70—150% yield with respect to Sb^V. Copper(ii) salts do not increase the reaction yield.     

Development of a simple method for simultaneous determination of tazarotene and betamethasone dipropionate and their metabolites using LC–MS method and its application to dermatopharmacokinetic study

In our study, a method for the determination for tazarotene and betamethasone dipropionate in human tissue‐engineered skin was established. Tazarotene gel, betamethasone dipropionate cream or a combination cream was administered to the skin. Then the skin was taken off at 0.25, 0.75, 1.75, 3, 5, 8, 12, 24, 36, 48 h time points after the residual drug was removed. The concentrations of tazarotene, betamethasone dipropionate and their major metabolites in skin were determined by LC–MS. Tazarotene and tazarotenic acid were detected in the concentration range of 2–200 μg/mL with an LLOQ of 2 μg/mL. Betamethasone dipropionate was detected in the concentration range 0.5–300 μg/mL with an LLOQ of 0.5 μg/mL, and betamethasone was detected at 2–200 μg/mL with an LLOQ of 2 μg/mL. The intra‐ and inter‐day precisions of the four analytes in the skin homogenate were all <15% (RSD, %). The results showed that tazarotene could be metabolized to tazarotenic acid and betamethasone dipropionate could be metabolized to betamethasone in tissue‐engineered skin. The results also revealed that this method was suitable for the simultaneous determination of tazarotene, betamethasone dipropionate and their metabolites in tissue‐engineered skin.     

A variation of Mattox rearrangement mechanism under alkaline condition

A variation of the Mattox rearrangement, a key degradation pathway under acidic conditions for corticosteroids possessing the 1,3-dihydroxyacetone side chain, has been found to occur for the 17,21-diesters of these corticosteroids but under the alkaline condition. The mechanism of this variation of the original Mattox rearrangement is proposed.     

Polarographic behaviour and determination of beclomethasone dipropionate

The polarographic behaviour of beclomethasone dipropionate in Britton-Robinson buffers containing 40% methanol as a solubilizer has been studied. Over the pH range 1.8–12, a cathodic wave was produced, which was characterised as being irreversible, diffusion controlled and free from adsorption phenomena. The number of electrons involved in the reduction was found through comparative study with spironolactone. Using direct current polarographic mode, the limiting current concentration plot is rectilinear over the range 2.5 × 10^–5 to 4 × 10^–4 mol/1 with a detection limit of 2.5 × 10^–6 mol/1. A method has been developed for the determination of the drug in aerosols and creams, the results being in agreement with those obtained by the official method.