Effect of alcohols and temperature on the direct chiral resolutions of fipronil, isocarbophos and carfentrazone-ethyl

Simultaneous Enantiomeric Separation of Carfentrazone-Ethyl Herbicide and Its Hydrolysis Metabolite Carfentrazone by Cyclodextrin Electrokinetic Chromatography. Analysis of Agrochemical Products and a Degradation Study

The different activity and toxicity that the enantiomers of agrochemicals may have requires the development of stereoselective analytical methodologies enabling the individual determination of each enantiomer. The aim of this work was to develop the first Electrokinetic Chromatography methodology enabling the simultaneous enantiomeric separation of carfentrazone-ethyl herbicide and its hydrolysis metabolite carfentrazone. The use of an anionic cyclodextrin as chiral selector (captisol at 2.5% (w/v)) in a 25 mM acetate buffer, at a temperature of 30 °C, and an applied voltage (reverse polarity) of -30 kV, allowed the simultaneous separation of the four enantiomers of the two compounds studied in 6.8 min with enantiomeric resolutions of 5.0 for carfentrazone-ethyl and 5.1 for carfentrazone. Analytical characteristics of the developed method were evaluated and found adequate to achieve the quantitation of carfentrazone-ethyl and carfentrazone. Analysis of a commercial herbicide formulation showed the potential of the method for the quality control of these agrochemical products. Degradation studies for carfentrazone-ethyl revealed that no significant degradation took place in cleaned sand samples while a significant but not stereoselective degradation took place in soils for the whole period of time considered (seven days).

Enantioselective Acute Toxicity and Bioactivity of Carfentrazone-ethyl enantiomers

The stereoselective herbicidal bioactivity and toxicity toward aquatic organisms of carfentrazone-ethyl enantiomers were investigated. The results showed that there was significant enantioselective acute toxicity toward Selenastrum bibraianum. In addition, S-(-)-carfentrazone-ethyl was 4.8 times more potent than R-(+)-isomer. However, a slight enantioselectivity was observed for Daphnia magna and Danio rerio. The stereoselective herbicidal bioactivity of carfentrazone-ethyl enantiomers was observed by assessing maize root-length inhibition. The results clarified that S-(-)-carfentrazone-ethyl (EC₅₀ 1.94 mg/L) > Rac-carfentrazone-ethyl (EC₅₀ 2.18 mg/L) > R-(+)-carfentrazone-ethyl (EC₅₀ 3.96 mg/L). The herbicidal bioactivity of S-(-)-carfentrazone-ethyl was 2 times higher more than R-(+)-isomer. The mechanism of enantioselective bioactivity was illustrated using molecular simulation software. The GlideScore energies of S-(-)-carfentrazone-ethyl and R-(+)-carfentrazone-ethyl were - 6.15 kcal/mol and - 5.59 kcal/mol, indicating that the S-form has a greater affinity to the active site of protoporphyrinogen oxidase, which is consistent with the results of the bioactive assay. This study can rise the significance of risk assessments for carfentrazone-ethyl herbicide.

Bioaccumulation of isocarbophos enantiomers from laboratory-contaminated aquatic environment by tubificid worms

The benthic fauna is of great importance to assess the environmental fate of contaminations in aquatic ecosystem. In this study, tubificids were exposed to both laboratory-contaminated aqueous phases and spiked sediment to study the bioaccumulation of isocarbophos (ICP). Two types of spiked sediments were used in the spiked sediment experiment. During the exposure period, an enantioselective bioaccumulation was found in spiked water treatment, with concentrations of the (-)-ICP higher than that of the (+)-ICP, but no enantioselectivity was detected in the spiked sediment treatments. However, different bioaccumulation patterns were observed in the two spiked sediment treatments. Results showed that for spiked forest field sediment (FF sediment) incubation, bioaccumulation was governed by the concentrations in soil. Whereas ICP was bioaccumulated dominantly from overlying water in spiked Chagan Lake sediment (CG sediment) test. The dissipation rates were proved different in the two sediments and ICP dissipated much faster in CG sediment than that in FF sediment. Significant difference in ICP's half-life was also observed between worm-present and worm-free treatments in FF sediment. The detections of concentrations in overlying water indicated that much more ICP diffused to aquatic phase with the present of tubificids.

Contribution of carboxylesterase and cytochrome P450 to the bioactivation and detoxification of isocarbophos and its enantiomers in human liver microsomes

Organophosphorus pesticides are the most widely used pesticides in modern agricultural systems to ensure good harvests. Isocarbophos (ICP), with a potent acetylcholinesterase inhibitory effect is widely utilized to control a variety of leaf-eating and soil insects. However, the characteristics of the bioactivation and detoxification of ICP in humans remain unclear. In this study, the oxidative metabolism, esterase hydrolysis, and chiral inversion of ICP in human liver microsomes (HLMs) were investigated with the aid of a stereoselective LC/MS/MS method. The depletion of ICP in HLMs was faster in the absence of carboxylesterase inhibitor (BNPP) than in the presence of NADPH and BNPP, with t1/2 of 5.2 and 90 min, respectively. Carboxylesterase was found to be responsible for the hydrolysis of ICP, the major metabolic pathway. CYP3A4, CYP1A2, CYP2D6, CYP2C9, and CYP2C19 were all involved in the secondary metabolism pathway of desulfuration of ICP. Flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO) did not contribute to the clearance of ICP. The hydrolysis and desulfuration of (±)ICP, (+)ICP, and (-)ICP in HLMs follow Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Individual enantiomers of ICP and its oxidative desulfuration metabolite isocarbophos oxon (ICPO) were found to be inhibitors of acetylcholinesterases at different extents. For example, (±)ICPO is more potent than ICP (IC50 0.031μM vs. 192μM), whereas (+)ICPO is more potent than (-)ICPO (IC50 0.017μM vs. 1.55μM). Given the finding of rapid hydrolysis of ICP and low abundance of oxidative metabolites presence in human liver, the current study highlights that human liver has a greater capacity for detoxification of ICP.

Enantioselective analysis and degradation studies of isocarbophos in soils by chiral liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

An enantioselective method is presented for the determination of isocarbophos in soil by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The pesticide residues in soil samples were extracted with acetonitrile, and complete enantioseparation was obtained on an amylose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) chiral column using acetonitrile/2 mM ammonium acetate solution containing 0.1% formic acid (60:40, v/v) as the mobile phase. The absolute configuration of isocarbophos enantiomers was determined by the combination of experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism spectra. The method was utilized to investigate the degradation of isocarbophos in soils (Changchun, Hangzhou, and Zhengzhou) under sterilized or native conditions. Isocarbophos enantiomers were configurationally stable in the selected soils, and the pesticide degradation was not enantioselective in the sterilized condition. The degradation behavior of rac-isocarbophos was different under native conditions, with no enantioselectivity in the Changchun soil and with the S-(+)-isocarbophos enriched in the Hangzhou and Zhengzhou soils.

High-performance liquid chromatographic separation of rolipram, bupivacaine and omeprazole using a tartardiamide-based stationary phase

Chromatographic separation of the chiral drugs rolipram, bupivacaine and omeprazole on a tartardiamide-based stationary phase commercially named Kromasil CHI-TBB is shown in this work. The effect of temperature on the chromatographic separation of the chiral drugs using the Kromasil CHI-TBB stationary phase was determined quantitatively so as to contribute toward the design for the racemic mixtures of the named compound by using chiral columns. A decrease in the retention and selectivity factors was observed, when the column temperature increased. Van't Hoff plots provided the thermodynamic data. The variation of the thermodynamic parameters enthalpy and entropy are clearly negative meaning that the separation is enthalpy controlled.

Elevated temperature and temperature programming in conventional liquid chromatography – fundamentals and applications

Temperature, as a powerful variable in conventional LC is discussed from a fundamental point of view and illustrated with applications from the author's laboratory. Emphasis is given to the influence of temperature on speed, selectivity, efficiency, detectability, and mobile phase composition (green chromatography). The problems accompanying the use of elevated temperature and temperature programming in LC are reviewed and solutions are described. The available stationary phases for high temperature operation are summarized and a brief overview of recent applications reported in the literature is given.