On-line capillary electrophoresis-electrospray mass spectrometry for the stereoselective analysis of drugs and metabolites

Enantioselective analysis of venlafaxine and its active metabolites: A review on the separation methodologies

Venlafaxine (VFX) is a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor chiral drug used in therapy as an antidepressant in the form of a racemate consisting of R- and S-VFX. The two enantiomers of VFX exhibit different pharmacological activities: R-VFX inhibits both norepinephrine and serotonin synaptic reuptake, whereas S-VFX inhibits only the serotonin one. R- and S-VFX are metabolized in the liver to the respective R- and S-O-desmethylvenlafaxine (ODVFX), R- and S-N-desmethylvenlafaxine (NDVFX), and R- and S-N,O-didesmethylvenlafaxine (NODVFX). The pharmacological profile of ODVFX is close to that of VFX, whereas the other two chiral metabolites (NDVFX and NODVFX) have lower affinity for the receptor sites. The pharmacokinetics of the VFX enantiomers appear stereoselective, including the metabolism process. In the past 20 years, several studies describing the enantioselective analysis of R- and S-VFX in pharmaceutical formulations and its chiral metabolites in biological matrices were published. These methods encompass liquid chromatography coupled with UV detection, mass spectrometry, or tandem mass spectrometry, and capillary electrophoresis. This paper reviews the published methods used for the determination of the individual enantiomers of VFX and its chiral metabolites in different matrices.

Chiral Capillary Electrophoresis-Mass Spectrometry: Developments and Applications in the Period 2010-2015: A Review

The sensitive detection of chiral compounds by capillary electrophoresis (CE) in biological samples remains a significant challenge and is currently considered a bottleneck in many chiral analysis projects. Chiral CE-MS can significantly improve the limit of detection and provide high sensitivity compared with chiral CE-UV. Chiral selectors such as modified cyclodextrins (CDs) and polymeric surfactants (a.k.a. molecular micelles, M_oM_s) in electrokinetic chromatography (EKC), micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) and capillary electrochromatography (CEC) have been developed to address the need for high sensitivity by CE-MS. However, several problems remain to be investigated to fully understand the potential of these hyphenation modes. This review provides introduction to major chiral CE-MS modes for the novice and highlights the important working principles of each mode of chiral CE-MS. Next, recent practical developments and progress in chiral CE-MS dating from January 2010 to September 2015 are described. The achievements in clinical and biomedical sciences using a variety of chiral selectors such as CDs and M_oM_s in EKC-MS, MEKC-MS and CEC-MS are discussed. Finally, conclusions and future prospects of CE-MS in chiral analysis are drafted.

Electromigrative separation techniques in forensic science: combining selectivity, sensitivity, and robustness

In this review we introduce the advantages and limitations of electromigrative separation techniques in forensic toxicology. We thus present a summary of illustrative studies and our own experience in the field together with established methods from the German Federal Criminal Police Office rather than a complete survey. We focus on the analytical aspects of analytes' physicochemical characteristics (e.g. polarity, stereoisomers) and analytical challenges including matrix tolerance, separation from compounds present in large excess, sample volumes, and orthogonality. For these aspects we want to reveal the specific advantages over more traditional methods. Both detailed studies and profiling and screening studies are taken into account. Care was taken to nearly exclusively document well-validated methods outstanding for the analytical challenge discussed. Special attention was paid to aspects exclusive to electromigrative separation techniques, including the use of the mobility axis, the potential for on-site instrumentation, and the capillary format for immunoassays. The review concludes with an introductory guide to method development for different separation modes, presenting typical buffer systems as starting points for different analyte classes. The objective of this review is to provide an orientation for users in separation science considering using capillary electrophoresis in their laboratory in the future.

Chiral CE-MS

This review article addresses the developments and applications of capillary electromigration methods coupled on-line with MS for chiral analysis. The multiple enantiomeric applications of this hyphenated technology are covered including chiral analysis of drugs, food compounds, pesticides, natural metabolites, etc. in different matrices such as plasma, urine, medicines, foods, etc. This work intends to provide an updated overview (including works published till September 2009) on the principal chiral applications carried out by CZE-MS, CEC-MS and MEKC-MS, discussing their main advantages and drawbacks in all their different areas of application as well as their foreseeable development in the not too distant future.

Advanced CE for chiral analysis of drugs, metabolites, and biomarkers in biological samples

An analysis of recent trends indicates that CE can show real advantages over chromatographic methods in ultratrace enantioselective determination of biologically active compounds in complex biological matrices. It is due to high separation efficiency and many applicable in-capillary electromigration effects in CE (countercurrent migration, stacking effects) enhancing significantly (enantio)separability and enabling effective sample preparation (preconcentration, purification, analyte derivatization). Other possible on-line combinations of CE, such as column coupled CE-CE techniques and implementation of nonelectrophoretic techniques (extraction, membrane filtration, flow injection) into CE, offer additional approaches for highly effective sample preparation and separation. CE matured to a highly flexible and compatible technique enabling its hyphenation with powerful detection systems allowing extremely sensitive detection (e.g. LIF) and/or structural characterization of analytes (e.g. MS). Within the last decade, more as well as less conventional analytical on-line approaches have been effectively utilized in this field and their practical potentialities are demonstrated on many new application examples in this article. Here, three basic areas of (enantioselective) drug bioanalysis are highlighted and supported by a brief theoretical description of each individual approach in a compact review structure (to create integrated view on the topic), including (i) progressive enantioseparation approaches and new enantioselective agents, (ii) in-capillary sample preparation (preconcentration, purification, derivatization), and (iii) detection possibilities related to enhanced sensitivity and structural characterization.

Enantiomeric separation of chiral dipeptides by CE-ESI-MS employing a partial filling technique with chiral crown ether

Enantiomer of chiral dipeptides were separated by CE-ESI-MS in a bare fused-silica capillary using (+)-(18-crown-6)-2,3,11,12-tetracarboxylic acid (18C6H4) as the chiral selector. As 18C6H4 is a kind of nonvolatile chiral selector, in order to prevent from 18C6H4 into the ion-source of CE-ESI-MS, a partial filling technique was employed in this study. Some dipeptides with one chiral center or two chiral centers, such as DL-Leu-DL-Leu, D-Ala-D-Ala and L-Ala-L-Ala, Gly-D-Phe and Gly-L-Phe were used to evaluate this CE-ESI-MS system. Optimized conditions were achivevd with 2.0 mol/L acetic acid (pH 2.15) as the running electrolyte, 5 mM 18C6H4 in 3.0 mol/L acetic acid (pH 2.00) was injected hydrodynamically (50 mbar for 960 s) before sample injection. In total 7.5 mM acetic acid in 80% v/v methanol-water was used as the sheath liquid, and 20 kV applied voltage was used. Under the optimum conditions, these dipeptides were separated and detected. LODs (defined as S/N=3) of this method were 0.20, 0.10, 0.05 and 0.10 micromol/L for D-Ala-D-Ala, L-Ala-L-Ala, DL-Leu-DL-Leu, Gly-L-Phe and Gly-D-Phe, respectively. The RSDs (n=7) of the method were 0.68-2.08% for migration times and 2.32-5.24% for peak areas. The proposed method was also successfully applied to the enantioselective analysis of these dipeptides in the spiked serum samples with satisfactory results.

Coupling of non-aqueous electrokinetic chromatography using cationic cyclodextrins with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Non-aqueous electrokinetic chromatography (NAEKC) using cationic cyclodextrins (CDs) was coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). A methanolic background electrolyte (BGE) was used which contained the hydrochloride salts of the single-isomer derivative cyclodextrins 6-monodeoxy-6-mono(2-hydroxy)propylamino-beta-cyclodextrin (IPA-beta-CD) or 6-monodeoxy-6-mono(3-hydroxy)propylamino-beta-cyclodextrin (PA-beta-CD). Applying a reversed capillary electrophoresis (CE) polarity (-30 kV), efficient separation of negatively charged compounds was achieved with plate numbers of up to 190,000. PA-beta-CD appeared to be the most suitable for the separation of various acidic drugs while also providing a high chiral selectivity. Analyte detection was achieved by ESI-MS in the negative-ion mode using a sheath-liquid interface. In order to prevent current drops caused by the cathodic electroosmotic flow, a pressure of 15 mbar was applied on the inlet vial during NAEKC/MS analysis. The effect of the cationic CDs on the MS signal intensities of acidic test drugs was thoroughly studied. When a voltage is applied across the CE capillary, the overall mobility of the cationic CDs is towards the inlet vial so that no CD molecules enter the ion source. The chloride counter ions of the CDs, which migrated towards the capillary outlet, were found to cause ionization suppression, although significant analyte signals could still be detected. Depending on the CD concentration in the BGE, limits of detection for acidic drugs were in the 50-400 ng/mL range in full-scan mode.

A fast CE method for the achiral separation of methadone and its major metabolites, 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine and 2-ethyl-5-methyl-3,3-diphenyl-1-pyrroline

The utilization of dynamic doubly coated capillaries for a fast separation of methadone and its two major metabolites, 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine (EDDP) and 2-ethyl-5-methyl-3,3-diphenyl-1-pyrroline (EMDP) was investigated. The coated capillaries were prepared using a polycation of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) and a polyanion of dextran sulfate. A fast achiral separation was developed using the coated capillaries with a BGE of 100 mM phosphate buffer at pH 2.6. Complete achiral separation of methadone, EDDP and EMDP was achieved, with migration times of approximately 4 min. The method offers considerable advantages with respect to BGE simplicity and analysis time compared to previously published CE methods for methadone and its related analytes.

Quantitative analysis of methadone in human urine samples by microextraction in packed syringe-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (MEPS-GC-MS)

A method for the simultaneous analysis of methadone in urine samples by microextraction in a packed syringe online with GC-MS (MEPS-GC-MS) is described. The new method reduced the sample handling and the detection limit by two- to seven-fold compared to published methods. Using a quantitation method based on the calculation of analyte concentration by comparison to an internal standard, we were able to measure methadone levels consistent with values reported for healthy individuals. The intra-assay precisions (RSD) of the method using quality control (QC) samples at three different concentration levels were about 11-14% (n = 6). The interassay precisions (RSD) were 11-15% for methadone in urine samples (n = 18). The accuracy varied from 89 to 109% for intra-assay (n = 6), and 97 to 107% for inter-assay (n = 18). The regression correlation coefficients (r(2)) were over 0.99 in all experiments.

Enantioseparation of chiral tropa alkaloids by means of cyclodextrin-modified microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography

CD-modified microemulsion EKC as a CE technique has been applied to the chiral separation of atropine, scopolamine, ipratropium and homatropine. Enantioseparations of these tropa alkaloids were optimized by using a standard oil-in-water (O/W) microemulsion and varying the nature and concentration of CD additives as well as of the organic modifier (methanol, 2-propanol or ACN) whilst keeping the applied voltage of 15 kV and capillary temperature of 30 degrees C constant. The standard (O/W) microemulsion BGE solution consisted of 0.8% w/w octane, 6.6% w/w 1-butanol, 2.0% w/w SDS and 90.6% w/w 10 mM sodium tetraborate buffer (pH 9.2). Enantioseparations with high resolution and short migration times of all tropa alkaloids were achieved by using heptakis(2,3-di-O-methyl-6-O-sulfo)-beta-CD and sulfated beta-CD in the microemulsion BGE and were superior to corresponding CD-modified CE methods.

Current role of capillary electrophoretic/electrokinetic techniques in forensic toxicology

The current application of capillary electrophoresis in forensic toxicology has been critically reviewed with special focus on the areas where this technique has shown real advantages over chromatographic methods. For example, capillary electrophoresis has been most successfully applied to the chiral analysis of some drugs of forensic interest, including amphetamines and their congeners. Another typical application field of capillary electrophoresis is represented by protein analysis. Recently, special interest has been paid to carbohydrate deficient transferrin (CDT), the most important biological marker of chronic alcohol abuse. Other specific applications of capillary electrophoresis of potential forensic toxicological concern are also discussed. The review includes 62 references.

Separation and determination of warfarin enantiomers in human plasma using a novel polymeric surfactant for micellar electrokinetic chromatography-mass spectrometry

Warfarin is a widely used oral anticoagulant which is mostly administrated as a racemic mixture containing equal amount of R- and S-enantiomers. The two enantiomers are shown to exhibit significant differences in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. In this study, a new chiral micellar electrokinetic chromatography-mass spectrometry (MEKC-MS) method has been developed using a polymeric chiral surfactant, polysodium N-undecenoyl-L,L-leucyl-valinate (poly-L,L-SULV), as a pseudostationary phase for the chiral separation of (+/-)-warfarin (WAR) and (+/-)-coumachlor (COU, internal standard). Under optimum MEKC-MS conditions, the enantio-separation of both (+/-)-WAR and (+/-)-COU was achieved within 23 min. Calibration curves were linear (R=0.995 for (R)-WAR and R=0.989 for (S)-WAR) over the concentration range 0.25-5.0 microg/mL. The MS detection was found to be superior over the commonly used UV detection in terms of selectivity and sensitivity with LOD as low as 0.1 microg/mL in human plasma. The method was successfully applied to determine WAR enantiomeric ratio in patients' plasma undergoing warfarin therapy.

Polymeric sulfated amino acid surfactants: a class of versatile chiral selectors for micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) and MEKC-MS

In this work, three amino acid-derived (l-leucinol, l-isoleucinol, l-valinol) sulfated chiral surfactants are synthesized and polymerized. These chiral sulfated surfactants are thoroughly characterized to determine critical micelle concentration, aggregation number, polarity, optical rotation, and partial specific volume. For the first time the morphological behavior of polymeric sulfated surfactants is revealed using cryogenic high-resolution electron microscopy. The polysodium N-undecenoyl-l-leucine sulfate shows distinct tubular structure, while polysodium N-undecenoyl-l-valine sulfate also shows tubular morphology but without any distinct order of the tubes. On the other hand, polysodium N-undecenoyl-l-isoleucine sulfate (poly-l-SUCILS) displays random distribution of coiled/curved filaments with heavy association of tightly and loosely bound water. All three polymeric sulfated surfactants are compared for enantioseparation of a broad range of structurally diverse racemic compounds at very acidic, neutral, and basic pH conditions in micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC). A small combinatorial library of 10 structurally related phenylethylamines (PEAs) is investigated for chiral separation under acidic and moderately acidic to neutral pH conditions using an experimental design. In contrast to neutral pH conditions, at acidic pH, significantly enhanced chiral resolution is obtained for class I and class II PEAs due to the compact structure of polymeric sulfated surfactants. It is observed that the presence of a hydroxy group on the benzene ring of PEAs resulted in deterioration of enantioseparation. A sensitive MEKC-mass spectrometry (MS) method is developed for one of the PEAs (e.g., (+/-)-pseudoephedrine) in human urine. Very low limit of detection (LOD) is obtained at pH 2.0 (LOD 325 ng/mL), which is approximately 16 times better compared to pH 8.0 (LOD 5.2 microg/mL). Another broad range of chiral analytes (beta-blockers, phenoxypropionic acid, benzoin derivatives, PTH-amino acids, benzodiazepinones) studied also provided improved chiral separation at low pH compared to high-pH conditions. Among the three polymeric sulfated surfactants, poly-l-SUCILS with two chiral centers on the polymer head group provided overall higher enantioresolution for the investigated acidic, basic, and neutral compounds. This work clearly demonstrates for the first time the superiority of chiral separation and sensitive MS detection at low pH over conventional high-pH chiral separation and detection employing anionic chiral polymeric surfactants in MEKC and MEKC-MS.

Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry method for the determination of venlafaxine in human plasma and application to a pharmacokinetic study

A sensitive and selective liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric (LC-MS) method for the determination of venlafaxine in human plasma has been developed. Samples were prepared using liquid-liquid extraction and analyzed on a C(18) column interfaced with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. Positive electrospray ionization was employed as the ionization source. The mobile phase was methanol-water containing 10 mmol/L ammonium acetate, pH 7.9 adjusted with aqueous ammonia (80:20, v/v) at the flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The analyte and internal standard clozapine were both detected by use of selected ion monitoring mode. The method was linear in the concentration range of 1.0-200.0 ng/mL. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 1.0 ng/mL. The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviation across three validation runs over the entire concentration range was less than 10.1%. The accuracy determined at three concentrations (5.0, 50.0 and 150.0 ng/mL for venlafaxine) was within +/-10.0% in terms of relative error (RE). The method was successfully applied for the evaluation of pharmacokinetic profiles of venlafaxine capsule in 20 healthy volunteers. The results show AUC, T(max), C(max) and T(1/2) between the testing formulation and reference formulation have no significant difference (p > 0.05). Relative bioavailability was 103.4 +/- 14.1%.

Simultaneous separation and determination of process-related substances and degradation products of venlafaxine by reversed-phase HPLC

A simple and rapid gradient RP HPLC method for simultaneous separation and determination of venlafaxine and its related substances in bulk drugs and pharmaceutical formulations has been developed. As many as four process impurities and one degradation product of venlafaxine have been separated on a Kromasil KR100-5C18 (4.6 mm x 250 mm; particle size 5 microm) column with gradient elution using 0.3% diethylamine buffer (pH 3.0) and ACN/methanol (90:10 v/v) as a mobile phase. The column was maintained at 40 degrees C and the eluents were monitored with photo diode array detection at 225 nm. The chromatographic behaviour of all the compounds was examined under variable compositions of different solvents, temperatures, buffer concentrations and pH. The method was validated in terms of accuracy, precision and linearity as per ICH guidelines. The inter- and intraday assay precision was < 4.02% (%RSD) and the recoveries were in the range of 96.19-101.14% with %RSD < 1.15%. The correlation coefficients (r2) for calibration curves of venlafaxine as well as impurities were in the range of 0.9942-0.9999. The proposed RP-LC method was successfully applied to the analysis of commercial formulations and the recoveries of venlafaxine were in the range of 99.32-100.67 with %RSD <0.58%. The method could be of use not only for rapid and routine evaluation of the quality of venlafaxine in bulk drug manufacturing units but also for the detection of its impurities in pharmaceutical formulations. Forced degradation of venlafaxine was carried out under thermal, photo, acidic, basic and peroxide conditions and the acid degradation products were characterized by ESI-MS/MS, 1H NMR and FT-IR spectral data.

CE coupling with end-column electrochemiluminescence detection for chiral separation of disopyramide

CE with electrochemiluminescence (ECL) detection technique was successfully applied for the chiral separation of a kind of class IA antiarrhythmic racemic drug. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of ECL detection used in chiral CE. To get better detection sensitivity and good enantioresolution at the same time, the conditions of capillary inlet and outlet buffer were systematically optimized. Unlike the traditional chiral separation method, the buffers we used in the capillary inlet and outlet differed from each other in terms of buffer pH, ionic strength, type of BGE as well as buffer composition. Under the optimum conditions, baseline enantioseparation and highly sensitive detection of the enantiomers were achieved. Wide linear relationship of each enantiomer was achieved in the range of 5 x 10(-7) to 2 x 10(-5) mol/L with relative coefficients of 0.996 and 0.997, respectively. The detection limits were estimated to be 8 x 10(-8) and 1.0 x 10(-7) mol/L (S/N = 3) for the enantiomers, respectively. In addition, a successful application of this new method to the chiral separation of the racemic drug in spiked plasma samples confirmed the validity and applicability of the chiral CE-ECL method.

Determination of methadone, 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine and alprazolam in human plasma by liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

A fast liquid chromatographic assay with mass spectrometric detection (LC/MS) has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of methadone (MT), its primary metabolite, 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine (EDDP) and alprazolam, in human plasma. The extraction procedure was performed with automatic solid phase extraction, and the compounds were separated with a Sunfire column using a gradient mode. Deuterated analogues for all of the analytes of interest were used for quantitation. Limits of detection (LOD) were established between 0.5 and 1 ng/ml. Linearity was obtained over a range of 2-2,000 ng/ml with an average correlation coefficient (R(2)) of >0.99. Intra- and inter-batch coefficients of variation and relative mean errors were less than 10% for all analytes and concentrations. The recoveries were higher than 50.0% in all cases. The method proved to be suitable for evaluation of plasma obtained from patients enrolled in a MT-maintenance program who are frequently treated with alprazolam as a sedative.

Enhanced method performances for conventional and chiral CE-ESI/MS analyses in plasma

Due to its high efficiency, selectivity, and sensitivity, CE-ESI/MS has evolved as an efficient technique for the drugs and metabolites analysis in biological matrices. However, a sample preparation is mandatory prior to CE-ESI/MS analysis. To achieve fast and simplified sample preparation of plasma samples, protein precipitation (PP) and liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) were used with two injection techniques: hydrodynamic (HD) and electrokinetic (EK) injection. CE-ESI/MS analyses of pharmaceutical compounds and amphetamine derivatives were developed. Detection limits of 1 ppm were reached with PP and HD injection whereas 1 ppb was detected when samples were prepared with LLE and injected by EK. Same experiments were performed for stereoselective determinations in partial-filling mode and detection limits achieved were equivalent to conventional analysis (0.5 ppb per enantiomer). When complex matrices are analyzed, MS signal suppression or enhancement effects are generally not reproducible and could compromise results with ESI. Therefore, matrix effect was investigated in CE-ESI/MS with a commercially available coaxial sheath-liquid ESI interface used as postcapillary infusion system to determine MS signal alterations. Matrix effects were differentially evidenced according to the selected sample preparation. With PP, signal suppression was observed out of the analyses migration window, while for LLE no relevant matrix effect occurred in all experiments.

Solid–liquid extraction and cation-exchange solid-phase extraction using a mixed-mode polymeric sorbent of Datura and related alkaloids

Tropane alkaloids solid-liquid extraction methods were developed and comprised ambient pressure ones: extraction with hot solvent, extraction at room temperature, on ultrasonic bath as well as pressurised liquid extraction (PLE) techniques. The highest yields of l-hyoscyamine in methanol PLE method (3 x 5 min, 110 degrees C) and scopolamine extracted with 1% tartaric acid in methanol (15 min, 90 degrees C) were determined. A mixed-mode reversed-phase cation-exchange solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure was optimised for simultaneous recoveries of L-hyoscyamine, scopolamine, scopolamine-N-oxide from plant extracts as well as quaternary alkaloid representative: scopolamine-N-methyl bromide. First three alkaloids were efficiently eluted (recoveries 80-100%) from an Oasis MCX cartridge with methanol-10% ammonia (3:1, v/v) solution, whereas for the quaternary salt tetrahydrofuran-methanol-25% ammonia (6:1:3, v/v) was used with recoveries 52-6%. HPTLC-densitometric assay on silica gel plates was elaborated at 205 nm without derivatization and included: single development (over a distance 9.5 cm) with acetone-methanol-water-25% ammonia (85:5:5:8, v/v) mobile phase for L-hyoscyamine and scopolamine separation, whereas for scopolamine-N-oxide and scopolamine-N-methyl bromide a second development (to a distance 5.5 cm) with acetonitrile-methanol-85% formic acid (120:5:5, v/v) was applied. Newly elaborated RP-HPLC-diode array detection method was performed on Waters XTerra RP-18 column with gradient of acetonitrile in 15 mM ammonia solution and alkaloids were baseline separated within 20 min. Both chromatographic methods were validated and their quantitative results were compared. Good correlation between HPLC and HPTLC quantitative results was measured (correlation coefficients of mean values were 0.92086 and 0.99995 for L-hyoscyamine and scopolamine, respectively). In the RP-HPLC method, which was from 1.5- up to 7-fold more sensitive than HPTLC, limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantitation (LOQ, in bracket) were (in ng/microl) as follows: 0.25 (0.82) for L-hyoscyamine, 0.29 (0.97) for scopolamine, 0.13 (0.45) for scopolamine-N-oxide and 0.58 (1.91) for scopolamine-N-methyl bromide. By the use of the optimised chromatographic methods, 14 various samples from the leaves and fruits of Datura sp. were screened for L-hyoscyamine and scopolamine contents and the most promising samples were established.

Liquid separation techniques coupled with mass spectrometry for chiral analysis of pharmaceuticals compounds and their metabolites in biological fluids

Determination of the chiral composition of drugs is nowadays a key step in order to determine purity, activity, bioavailability, biodegradation, etc., of pharmaceuticals. In this article, works published for the last 5 years on the analysis of chiral drugs by liquid separation techniques coupled with mass spectrometry are reviewed. Namely, chiral analysis of pharmaceuticals including, e.g., antiinflammatories, antihypertensives, relaxants, etc., by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry are included. The importance and interest of the analysis of the enantiomers of the active compound and its metabolites in different biological fluids (plasma, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, etc.) are also discussed.

Sensitive chiral analysis by capillary electrophoresis

In this review, an updated view of the different strategies used up to now to enhance the sensitivity of detection in chiral analysis by CE will be provided to the readers. With this aim, it will include a brief description of the fundamentals and most of the recent applications performed in sensitive chiral analysis by CE using offline and online sample treatment techniques (SPE, liquid-liquid extraction, microdialysis, etc.), on-column preconcentration techniques based on electrophoretic principles (ITP, stacking, and sweeping), and alternative detection systems (spectroscopic, spectrometric, and electrochemical) to the widely used UV-Vis absorption detection.

Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS–MS) method for simultaneous determination of venlafaxine and its active metabolite O-desmethyl venlafaxine in human plasma

A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) method has been developed and validated for simultaneous quantification of venlafaxine (VEN) and O-desmethyl venlafaxine (ODV) in human plasma. The analytes were extracted from human plasma by using solid-phase extraction (SPE) technique. Escitalopram (ESC) was used as the internal standard. A Betasil C18 column provided chromatographic separation of analytes followed by detection with mass spectrometry. The mass transition ion-pair has been followed as m/z 278.27-->121.11 for VEN, m/z 264.28-->107.10 for ODV and m/z 325.00-->262.00 for ESC. The method involves a solid phase extraction from plasma, simple isocratic chromatography conditions and mass spectrometric detection that enables detection at nanogram levels. The proposed method has been validated with linear range of 3-300 ng/ml for VEN and 6-600 ng/ml for ODV. The intrarun and interrun precision and accuracy values are within 10%. The overall recoveries for VEN and ODV were 95.9 and 81.7%, respectively. Total elution time as low as 3 min only.

Quantitation in capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry

CE-MS has evolved into a strong alternative to LC-MS. Most of CE-MS applications deal with characterization and identification. However, quantitative aspects have gained importance in, e.g., pharmaceutical and biotechnological applications. Here we summarize and evaluate various methodological aspects in order to achieve sensitive and reproducible results. Similar to LC-MS, aspects of matrix influence on the electrospray process need to be carefully addressed when quantitative results are intended by CE-MS. Due to a more complicated coupling special emphasis needs to be put on the CE-MS interface. Generally linearity over more than three orders of magnitude can be achieved by CE-ESI-MS. Furthermore, a literature survey has been performed in order to give an overview over quantitative measurements performed by CE-MS. The precision can be doubled when changing from a structural related to an isotopically labeled internal standard. Thus a level of precision better than 5% RSD can be achieved.

Rapid stereoselective separations of amphetamine derivatives with highly sulfated γ-cyclodextrin

The highly sulfated gamma-CD (HS-gamma-CD) is a chiral selector widely used in CE for the enantioseparation of pharmaceutical compounds. This paper investigated different approaches to reduce the stereoselective analysis time of amphetamine (AT) derivatives according to the chiral selector concentration in the BGE. With high HS-gamma-CD concentration, tested analytes were separated in 3.5 min as anionic complexes with short-end injection technique in reversed polarity mode. However, this procedure presented some limitations in terms of efficiency and resolution, excessive Joule heating and poor compatibility with MS detection. With low HS-gamma-CD concentration, compounds were separated as cations. Conventional approaches to reduce CE analysis time demonstrated critical resolution between some analytes. Therefore, the use of the partial-filling technique compatible with MS detection was carried out. Under optimized conditions, the analysis time for the chiral separation of seven AT like compounds was reduced to 6 min. Moreover, sensitivity of CE-MS was sufficient for the determination of ATs in plasma following a simple liquid-liquid extraction.

Recent applications of capillary electrophoresis-electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry in drug analysis

A critical review of applications for the period 2000-2004, taken from the Web of Knowledge database, of the technique capillary electrophoresis-electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry (CE-ESI-MS) in drug analysis is presented. The review is concerned with molecules of mass less than 500 Da, chosen according to selected structural classes in which they give ESI signals primarily as [M+H](+) ions although other ions, such as [M-H](-), [M+Na](+), and [M+NH(4)](+), are also reported. These structural classes are drugs with amine-containing side chains, drugs with N-containing saturated ring structures, 1,4-benzodiazepines, other heterocyclic hypnotics, carbohydrates, sulphonylureas, anthracyclines, sulphonamides, penicillins, cephalosporins, tetracyclines, nitrocatechols, steroids, flavonoids/polyphenols, cannabinols, and miscellaneous molecules. Details are given on the fragmentations, where available, that these ionic species exhibit in-source and in ion-trap, triple quadrupole, and time of flight-mass spectrometers. The review gives a critical evaluation of these recent CE-ESI-MS analytical methods in drug analysis. Analytical information on, for example, sample concentration techniques, CE separation conditions, recoveries from biological media and limits of detection (LODs) are provided. Potential applications of CE-MS to particular drugs or drug classes are also briefly discussed in the text.

Quantification in capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry: long- and short-term variance components and their compensation using internal standards

Different approaches were chosen to examine ionization reproducibility of analytes after separation by capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS) in a commercially available sheath-flow electrospray interface. For this task three different standard samples were examined. Sample 1 contained neostigmine bromide (cationic), paracetamol (PCM) (neutral) and nicotinic acid (anionic component). Results were evaluated using internal standard (IS) calculations. Sample 2 represented an isotopically labelled IS of the quantified substance (PCM/D4-PCM), while sample 3 (neostigmine bromide/scopolamine hydrobromide) provided an IS closely migrating to the tested substance. Furthermore, short-time variations inside the interface were examined by multiple injections of the same substance. For sample 1, the relative standard deviations (RSD%s) were between 8 and 25% (n at least 58) for the peak area ratios. Multiple injected samples gave 5.5-19.4% (n = 25) for peak area RSD%. Using a closely migrating IS, sample 3, RSD%s between 6.5 and 10% (n at least 63) were achieved. With isotopically labelled IS, sample 2, an RSD% of 3-4% was achieved for peak area ratios over long periods (n = 25), for shorter periods (n = 9) even 1-2% RSD% was obtained. Keeping the instrument settings constant, the influence on the ionization efficiency and reproducibility was tested, varying the buffer pH, the organic buffer modifier and the sample concentration. Repeatabilities of migration time and peak area were measured and compared. Two 10 mM ammonium acetate buffers with pH 4.0 and 8.5 were investigated. No influence of buffer pH on peak area reproducibility was found. Isopropanol as organic buffer modifier significantly improved the ionisation leading to larger peak areas, but reduced reproducibility. The basic buffer produced slightly better RSD%s for migration times (2.5-4.0%) (n = 180) and faster analysis for the different test analytes of sample 1, while with the acetic buffer, RSD%s from 3.9 to 6.0% were obtained (n at least 163). The positioning of the capillary turned out to be the crucial parameter to ensure reproducible results. Thus, a procedure was established to ensure a defined ion-intensity level after capillary changes. The investigation of the different sample concentrations gave negligible differences in RSD%, showing that the signal-to-noise ratio was not the crucial parameter for reproducibility here, in contrast to CE-UV detection.

Analysis of drugs, natural and bioactive compounds containing phenolic groups by capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry

This review summarizes the use of capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) for the analysis of phenolic compounds and its latest developments. Special attention is paid to the different interfaces. The instrumental setups are discussed and demonstrated in a high number of real applications.

Development of capillary zone electrophoresis-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry for the determination of lamotrigine in human plasma

A method of coupling capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) detection has been developed for monitoring an antiepileptic drug, lamotrigine (LTG) in human plasma. The CZE-MS was developed in three stages: (i) CZE separation and ESI-MS detection of LTG and tyramine (TRM, internal standard) were simultaneously optimized by studying the influence of CZE background electrolyte (BGE) pH, BGE ionic strength, and nebulizer pressure of the MS sprayer; (ii) sheath liquid parameters, such as pH, ionic strength, organic modifier content, and flow rate of the sheath liquid, were systematically varied under optimum CZE-MS conditions developed in the first stage; (iii) MS sprayer chamber parameters (drying gas temperature and drying gas flow rate) were varied for the best MS detection of LTG. The developed assay was finally applied for the determination of LTG in plasma samples. The linear range of LTG in plasma sample assay was between 0.1-5.0 microg/mL with a limit of detection as low as 0.05 microg/mL and run time less than 6 min. Finally, the concentration-time profile of LTG in human plasma sample was found to correlate well when CZE-ESI-MS was compared to a more established method of high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection.

Analysis of tropane and related alkaloids

The current methods for tropane alkaloid chromatographic separation and determination are summarised. The alkaloids included are: the medicinally applied tropic acid esters hyoscyamine and scopolamine and their derivatives, cocaine and derivatives, the metabolites and degradation products of these compounds occurring in plant material, calystegines as nortropane alkaloids, anatoxins as homonortropane alkaloids, pelletierines and pseudopelletierines as alkaloids with isomeric structures. Developments in GC, HPLC, CE and TLC are presented and the advantages of each method for plant analysis are discussed. A summary for each chromatographic method lists the instrumentation and parameters applied for tropane alkaloids.

On-line coupling of packed capillary electrochromatography with coordination ion spray-mass spectrometry for the separation of enantiomers

Pressure-supported packed capillary electrochromatography (CEC) and packed capillary high-performance liquid chromatography (pHPLC) have been coupled on-line to electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and coordination ion spray-mass spectrometry (CIS-MS). Separation of enantiomers of barbiturates and chlorinated alkyl phenoxypropanoates were performed on a permethylated beta-cyclodextrin stationary phase by pressure-supported CEC. For on-line detection with ESI- and CIS-MS, a modified sheath-liquid interface was used. CIS-MS is a universal, novel ionization technique which improves the selectivity as well as the sensitivity. Charged complexes were formed through the addition of central complexing ions such as silver(I), cobalt(II), copper(II), and lithium(I) to the sheath flow. Advantages of CIS-MS detection compared to the ESI-MS mode are discussed. In the CIS-MS mode, increased sensitivity and high selectivity was attained through different possibilities of complexation. The superiority of pressure-supported CEC compared to pHPLC in the hyphenation with CIS-MS is demonstrated.

Use of negatively charged cyclodextrins for the simultaneous enantioseparation of selected anesthetic drugs by capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry

The simultaneous enantioseparation of selected anesthetic drugs was studied by capillary electrophoresis (CE) in presence of three different negatively charged cyclodextrins (CDs). Among the chiral selectors tested, namely carboxymethyl, sulfobutyl ether and sulfated-beta-CD, the latter appeared to be the most effective to achieve the enantiomeric resolution of the investigated compounds. Beside CD type, resolution was greatly influenced by the buffer pH, the molecular structure of the anesthetic compounds, CD concentration and temperature. The optimum electrophoretic conditions for the stereoselective analysis of the studied anesthetics were obtained with a poly(vinyl alcohol) coated capillary (48.5 cm total length x 50 microm I.D.), a 50 mM Tris-phosphate buffer at pH 2.5 containing 6 mg ml(-1) of sulfated-beta-CD, an applied voltage of 30 kV and a temperature of 30 degrees C. Under these optimized conditions, four drugs, namely bupivacaine, mepivacaine, ketamine and prilocaine, were simultaneously enantioresolved in less than 12 min. Furthermore, the method was applied to the stereoselective analysis of mepivacaine in a pharmaceutical preparation. Finally, the method was on-line coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry using the counter current partial-filling technique.