Marfey's reagent: Past, present, and future uses of 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrophenyl-5-L-alanine amide

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic enantioresolution of six beta-blockers using dinitrophenyl-L-Pro-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester, N-succinimidyl-(S)-2-(6-methoxynaphth-2-yl) propionate and twelve variants of Sanger's reagent as chiral derivatizing reagents

Twelve chiral derivatizing reagents (CDRs) were synthesized by substituting one of the fluorine atoms in 1,5-difluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DFDNB) with three optically pure amines [(R)-(-)-1-cyclohexylethylamine, (+)-dehydroabietylamine and (S)-(-)-alpha,4-dimethylbenzylamine], six amino acid amides [L-Ala-NH(2), L-Phe-NH(2), L-Val-NH(2), L-Leu-NH(2), L-Met-NH(2) and D-Phg-NH(2)] and three amino acids [L-Ala, L-Val and L-Leu]. In addition, dinitrophenyl-L-Pro-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester and N-succinimidyl-(S)-2-(6-methoxynaphth-2-yl) propionate were also synthesized and used as CDR. Keeping in view the presence of an amino group, diastereomers of six beta-blockers (atenolol, propranolol, bisoprolol, metoprolol, salbutamol, and carvedilol) were synthesized by reaction with these 14 CDRs. The diastereomers were separated by RP-HPLC. The method was validated for linearity, accuracy, limit of detection and limit of quantification.

HPLC determination of acidic D-amino acids and their N-methyl derivatives in biological tissues

D-Aspartate (D-Asp) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) occur in the neuroendocrine systems of vertebrates and invertebrates, where they play a role in hormone release and synthesis, neurotransmission, and memory and learning. N-methyl-d-glutamate (NMDG) has also been detected in marine bivalves. Several methods have been used to detect these amino acids, but they require pretreatment of tissue samples with o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA) to remove primary amino acids that interfere with the detection of NMDA and NMDG. We report here a one-step derivatization procedure with the chiral reagent N-alpha-(5-fluoro-2,4-dinitrophenyl)-(D or L)-valine amide, FDNP-Val-NH2, a close analog of Marfey's reagent but with better resolution and higher molar absorptivity. The diastereomers formed were separated by HPLC on an ODS-Hypersil column eluted with TFA/water-TFA/MeCN. UV absorption at 340 nm permitted detection levels as low as 5-10 pmol. D-Asp, NMDA and NMDG peaks were not obscured by other primary or secondary amino acids; hence pretreatment of tissues with OPA was not required. This method is highly reliable and fast (less than 40 min HPLC run). Using this method, we detected D-Asp, NMDA and NMDG in several biological tissues (octopus brain, optical lobe and bucchal mass; foot and mantle of the mollusk Scapharca broughtonii), confirming the results of other researchers.

Cyclopeptides with anti-inflammatory activity from seeds of Annona montana

Four new cyclopeptides, cyclomontanins A-D (1- 4), annomuricatin C (5), and (+)-corytuberine were isolated from a methanol extract of Annona montana seeds. Their structures were elucidated by 2D NMR analysis, ESIMS/MS fragment evidence, and chemical means. The structure of 1 was confirmed by synthesis. Compounds 1, 3, and 4 exhibited anti-inflammatory activity in vitro using the J774.1 macrophage model.

Chromatographic separation of enantiomers of non-protein alpha-amino acids after derivatization with Marfey's reagent and its four variants

Some non-protein alpha-amino acids were derivatized with 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrophenyl-5-L-alaninamide (Marfey's reagent, MR, FDNP-L-Ala-NH(2),) and four of its structural variants FDNP-L-Phe-NH(2), FDNP-L-Val-NH(2), FDNP-L-Leu-NH(2) and FDNP-L-Pro-NH(2). The resultant diastereomers were separated by normal and reversed phase thin layer chromatography (TLC) and reversed phase HPLC. In normal phase TLC, best resolution was obtained with solvent combination of phenol-water (3:1) while in reversed phase TLC mixtures of acetonitrile with triethylammonium phosphate buffer were found successful for resolution of diastereomers. The separation behavior of diastereomers prepared with different reagents was compared. The diastereomers of most of the amino acids prepared with FDNP-L-Leu-NH(2) were best separated while those prepared with FDNP-L-Pro-NH(2) failed to separate in most of the cases. The diastereomers were also separated on a reversed phase C(8) column with gradient elution using mixture of aqueous-trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and acetonitrile and with detection at 340 nm. The effects of TFA concentration, flow rate and run time on HPLC separation were studied.

Concise, stereoselective route to the four diastereoisomers of 4-methylproline

The full stereochemical characterization of 4-methylproline, a rare amino acid found in a number of peptidic secondary metabolites, has often been hindered by long reaction sequences or low stereoselectivity in the synthesis leading to reference samples. The preparation of the four diastereoisomers of 4-methylproline by a concise and stereoselective route is presented and features a six-step route with late-stage stereodivergence, good stereoselectivity for both cis- and trans-series (75% and 88% de, respectively), and good overall yields (cumulative yields of 30-40%). Additional data on the Marfey's derivatives of the stereoisomers are also presented.

Indirect resolution of enantiomers of penicillamine by TLC and HPLC using Marfey's reagent and its variants

TLC and HPLC methods were developed for indirect chiral separation of penicillamine (3,3-dimethylcysteine) enantiomers after derivatization with Marfey's reagent (FDNP-Ala-NH(2)) and two of its structural variants, FDNP-Phe-NH(2) and FDNP-Val-NH(2). The binary mobile phase of phenol-water (3:1 v/v) and solvent combinations of acetonitrile and triethylamine phosphate buffer were found to give the best separation in normal and reversed-phase TLC, respectively. The diastereomers were also resolved on a reversed-phase C18 HPLC column with gradient elution of acetonitrile and 0.01 m trifluoroacetic acid. The results due to these three reagents were compared. The method was successful for checking the enantiomeric impurity of l-penicillamine in d-penicillamine and to check the enantiomeric purity of pharmaceutical formulations of d-penicillamine. The method was validated for linearity, repeatability, limit of detection and limit of quantification.

Theopapuamide, a cyclic depsipeptide from a Papua New Guinea lithistid sponge Theonella swinhoei

Theopapuamide (1), a new cytotoxic peptide, has been isolated from the lithistid sponge Theonella swinhoei from Papua New Guinea. The structure was established by analysis of NMR, mass spectrometry, and chemical methods. The undecapeptide (1) contains several unusual amino acid residues, of which the occurrence of beta-methoxyasparagine and 4-amino-5-methyl-2,3,5-trihydroxyhexanoic acid (Amtha) is unprecedented in natural peptides. Compound 1 also contains an amide-linked fatty acid moiety, 3-hydroxy-2,4,6-trimethyloctanoic acid (Htoa). Theopapuamide (1) was cytotoxic against CEM-TART and HCT-116 cell lines, with EC50 values of 0.5 and 0.9 microM, respectively.

Selenium speciation analysis using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

Selenium exists in several oxidation states and a variety of inorganic and organic compounds, and the chemistry of selenium is complex in both the environment and living systems. Selenium is an essential element at trace levels and toxic at greater levels. Interest in speciation analysis for selenium has grown rapidly in this last decade, especially in the use of chromatographic separation coupled with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Complete characterization of selenium compounds is necessary to understand selenium's significance in metabolic processes, clinical chemistry, biology, toxicology, nutrition and the environment. This review describes some of the essential background of selenium, and more importantly, some of the currently used separation methodologies, both chromatographic and electrophoretic, with emphasis on applications of selenium speciation analysis using ICP-MS detection.

Carboxylate bioisosteres of gabapentin

A series of carboxylate bioisosteres of structures related to gabapentin 1 have been prepared. When the carboxylate was replaced by a tetrazole, this group was recognized by the alpha2-delta protein. Further characterization of alpha2-delta binding compounds 14a and 14b revealed a similar pattern of functional in vitro and in vivo activity to gabapentin 1.

Chirality determination of unusual amino acids using precolumn derivatization and liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Unusual amino acids such as beta-methoxytyrosine (beta-MeOTyr), allo-threonine (allo-Thr) and allo-isoleucine (allo-Ile) were derivatized with N-alpha-(2,4-dinitro-5-fluorophenyl)-L-alaninamide (FDAA), 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl isothiocyanate (GITC), (S)-N-(4-nitrophenoxycarbonyl)phenylalanine methoxyethyl ester (S-NIFE), or o-phthalaldehyde/isobutyryl-L-cysteine (OPA-IBLC), and then separated via reversed-phase high-performance chromatography followed by UV and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry detection. FDAA generally showed the highest enantioselectivity but the lowest sensitivity among the chiral derivatizing agents (CDAs) investigated. The detection limit of FDAA-derivatized amino acids was in the low picomolar range. Although the enantioselectivity of FDAA derivatives was generally quite high, its selectivity among beta-MeOTyr isomers was poor. The best separation of beta-MeOTyr stereoisomers was achieved with S-NIFE. Due to the complex relationships between the investigated CDAs, stereochemical analyses using a combination of two or more of the CDAs gave the most reliable results for a given separation problem. In general, the methods described are selective and reliable, and are being applied to the analysis of unusual amino acids as they occur in marine peptides.