Use of online-dual-column extraction in conjunction with chiral liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry for determination of terbutaline enantiomers in human plasma

An HPLC-SEC-based rapid quantification method for vesicular stomatitis virus particles to facilitate process development

Virus particle (VP) quantification plays a pivotal role in the development of production processes of VPs for virus-based therapies. The yield based on total VP count serves as a process performance indicator for evaluating process efficiency and consistency. Here, a label-free particle quantification method for enveloped VPs was developed, with potential applications in oncolytic virotherapy, vaccine development, and gene therapy. The method comprises size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) separation using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) instruments. Ultraviolet (UV) was used for particle quantification and multi-angle light scattering (MALS) for particle characterization. Consistent recoveries of over 97% in the SEC were achieved upon mobile phase screenings and addition of bovine serum albumin (BSA) as sample stabilizer. A calibration curve was generated, and the method's performance and applicability to in-process samples were characterized. The assay's repeatability variation was <1% and its intermediate precision variation was <3%. The linear range of the method spans from 7.08 × 108 to 1.72 × 1011 VP/mL, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 7.72 × 107 VP/mL and a lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) of 4.20 × 108 VP/mL. The method, characterized by its high precision, requires minimal hands-on time and provides same-day results, making it efficient for process development.

Chirality of β2-agonists. An overview of pharmacological activity, stereoselective analysis, and synthesis

β2-Agonists (β2-adrenergic agonists, bronchodilatants, and sympathomimetic drugs) are a group of drugs that are mainly used in asthma and obstructive pulmonary diseases. In practice, the substances used to contain one or more stereogenic centers in their structure and their enantiomers exhibit different pharmacological properties. In terms of bronchodilatory activity, (R)-enantiomers showed higher activity. The investigation of stereoselectivity in action and disposition of chiral drugs together with the preparation of pure enantiomer drugs calls for efficient stereoselective analytical methods. The overview focuses on the stereoselectivity in pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of β2-agonists and summarizes the stereoselective analytical methods for the enantioseparation of racemic beta-agonists (HPLC, LC-MS, GC, TLC, CE). Some methods of the stereoselective synthesis for β2-agonists preparation are also presented.

Effect of chromatographic conditions on liquid chromatographic chiral separation of terbutaline and salbutamol on Chirobiotic V column

In this study, a method for enantioseparation of terbutaline and salbutamol was established using Chirobiotic V column as a stationary phase. Polar ionic mode applying mobile phase containing ammonium nitrate in 100% ethanol, pH 5.1 was found to give the best separation. The salt concentration in the mobile phase and pH value were found to be the most important chromatographic factors affecting separation. Separation of enantiomers of these two basic analytes was complete in less than 10 min without applying ammonium trifluoroacetate (ATFA) or triethylamine (TEA) salts.

Transient isotachophoresis with field-amplified sample injection for on-line preconcentration and enantioseparation of some β-agonists

Transient isotachophoresis with field-amplified sample injection (FASI), using β-CD as the chiral selector and tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (TBAOH) as the additive, was applied for on-line preconcentration and enantioseparation of three β-agonists, namely, cimaterol, clenbuterol and terbutaline. The experimental conditions for both simultaneous enantioseparation and on-line preconcentration methods have been investigated in detail. Under the optimum conditions, the detection limits (defined as S/N = 3) of this method were found to be 1 ng mL-1 for all three pairs of β-agonists enantiomers. Compared with conventional electrokinetic injection, the enhancement factors were greatly improved to be 250-fold. Finally, the proposed method has been applied for the analysis of human urine samples.

Recent advances in high-throughput quantitative bioanalysis by LC–MS/MS

Liquid chromatography linked to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has played an important role in pharmacokinetics and metabolism studies at various drug development stages since its introduction to the pharmaceutical industry. This article reviews the most recent advances in sample preparation, separation, and the mass spectrometric aspects of high-throughput quantitative bioanalysis of drug and metabolites in biological matrices. Newly introduced techniques such as ultra-performance liquid chromatography with small particles (sub-2 microm) and monolithic chromatography offer improvements in speed, resolution and sensitivity compared to conventional chromatographic techniques. Hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) on silica columns with low aqueous/high organic mobile phase is emerging as a valuable supplement to the reversed-phase LC-MS/MS. Sample preparation formatted to 96-well plates has allowed for semi-automation of off-line sample preparation techniques, significantly impacting throughput. On-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) utilizing column-switching techniques is rapidly gaining acceptance in bioanalytical applications to reduce both time and labor required to produce bioanalytical results. Extraction sorbents for on-line SPE extend to an array of media including large particles for turbulent flow chromatography, restricted access materials (RAM), monolithic materials, and disposable cartridges utilizing traditional packings such as those used in Spark Holland systems. In the end, this paper also discusses recent studies of matrix effect in LC-MS/MS analysis and how to reduce/eliminate matrix effect in method development and validation.

Tracking problems and possible solutions in the quantitative determination of small molecule drugs and metabolites in biological fluids using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

During the last decade, quantification of low molecular weight molecules using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in biological fluids has become a common procedure in many preclinical and clinical laboratories. This overview highlights a number of issues involving "small molecule drugs", bioanalytical liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, which are frequently encountered during assay development. In addition, possible solutions to these issues are proposed with examples in some of the case studies. Topics such as chromatographic peak shape, carry-over, cross-talk, standard curve non-linearity, internal standard selection, matrix effect, and metabolite interference are presented. Since plasma is one of the most widely adopted biological fluid in drug discovery and development, the focus of this discussion will be limited to plasma analysis. This article is not intended to be a comprehensive overview and readers are encouraged to refer to the citations herein.

Quantification of Terbutaline in Pharmaceutical Formulation and Human Serum by Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry at a Glassy Carbon Electrode

The electrochemical oxidative behavior of terbutaline at the glassy carbon electrode was studied in a series of the Britton-Robinson buffer of pH 2--11. Cyclic and square-wave voltammograms of terbutaline at the pH values </=9 exhibited a single irreversible anodic peak. A fully validated, simple, sensitive and precise square-wave adsorptive anodic stripping voltammetric procedure was described for the determination of terbutaline in bulk form, tablets and human serum. For 5x10(-8) M bulk terbutaline a mean recovery of 98.78+/-0.94% (n=5) was achieved following its preconcentration by adsorptive accumulation onto the glassy carbon electrode at a +0.15 V (vs. Ag/AgCl/KCl(s)) for 180 s. Limit of detection of 6x10(-9) M and limit of quantitation of 2x10(-8) M terbutaline were achieved in the bulk form or its formulations (Bricanyl tablets). The described square-wave adsorption anodic stripping voltammetric procedure was successfully applied for the determination of terbutaline in human serum following medium exchange. Limit of detection of 1.41x10(-8) M (3.173 ng ml(-1)) and limit of quantitation of 4.70x10(-8) M (10.575 ng ml(-1)) were achieved in human serum with a mean recovery of 98.11+/-1.13%.

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.

Enantiomeric separation and quantification of pindolol in human plasma by chiral liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry using staggered injection with a CTC Trio Valve system

Pindolol is a non-selective beta-adrenergic antagonist (beta-blocker) for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and angina pectoris. It has one chiral center, and, therefore, two optical isomers. It was essential to develop an enantioselective assay to measure each enantiomer in human plasma. However, separation of enantiomers using chiral chromatography usually requires relatively long retention times. This can pose a problem for rapid turnaround of a large number of samples (i.e., clinical studies). In the present study, a simple and sensitive chiral liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the determination of S-(-)- and R-(+)-pindolol in human plasma. To increase throughput, staggered sample injection was employed using a CTC Trio Valve system on a CTC HTS PAL autosampler. The method exhibited good intra- and inter-day accuracy and precision, and was linear over a dynamic range of 250 pg/mL to 250 ng/mL for each pindolol enantiomer. Intra- and inter-day accuracy ranged between 90.0-106% and 91.6-104% for both quality control (QC) samples of S-(-)- and R-(+)-pindolol, respectively. The respective intra- and inter-day precision ranged between 4.24-7.86% and 4.98-10.4%.

Evaluation of ethoxynonafluorobutane as a safe and environmentally friendly solvent for chiral normal-phase LC-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry

Coupling normal-phase LC separation methods to atmospheric pressure ionization (API)-mass spectrometry (MS) for detection can be problematic because of the possible detonation hazard and because nonpolar solvents do not support ionization of the analyte. Unlike achiral separations, enantiomeric separations can be very sensitive to small changes in the separation environment. Thus, completely substituting the main mobile phase component of a normal-phase LC solvent for an environmentally friendly, nonflammable fluorocarbon-ether as a safe and effective solvent must be thoroughly evaluated before it can be recommended for enantioselective separations with API-MS detection. Ethoxynonafluorobutane (ENFB) was used as a normal-phase solvent for the enantioselective separation of 15 compounds on two macrocyclic glycopeptide chiral stationary phases (CSPs) and a new polymeric chiral stationary phase. The chromatographic figures of merit were compared between results obtained with the ENFB mobile phases and traditional heptane-based mobile phases. In addition, the limits of detection (LOD) using the API-MS compatible ENFB were examined, as well as flow rate sensitivities and compatibilities with common polar organic modifier. ENFB is a safe and effective solvent for enantioselective normal-phase/API-MS analyses.

Simple determination of terbutaline in dog plasma by column-switching liquid chromatography

Terbutaline is a beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist that acts as a bronchodilator in the treatment of asthma and chronic bronchitis. In the present work, a column-switching high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed to monitor terbutaline sulphate in dog plasma. The system consists of a C2 pre-column (PC) and a C18 analytical column connected in series via a switching valve. Atenolol was used as the internal standard. Good linearity was achieved in the range of 5-800 ng/ml plasma. The mean intra- and inter-assay variation coefficients for this analysis were 2.3 and 4.7%, respectively. The average recovery for terbutaline was 87.4% from plasma. The mean concentration after three freeze-thaw cycles was 99.4% of the normal value. The analytical sensitivity and accuracy of this assay is adequate for characterisation of the pharmacokinetics of oral administration of terbutaline to dogs and has been successfully used to provide pharmacokinetic data using pulsatile and immediate-release tablets.

Transforming chiral liquid chromatography methodologies into more sensitive liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization mass spectrometry without losing enantioselectivity

LC-electrospray ionization (ESI) MS conditions were optimized for the individual chiral separation of 19 compounds of pharmaceutical interest using the macrocyclic glycopeptide-based chiral stationary phases in both polar organic and reversed-phase modes (RPM). The influence of mobile phase composition and MS additive type on sensitivity was investigated for all classes of compounds tested. Compounds with amine or amide groups were efficiently separated, ionized, and detected with the addition of 0.1% (w/w) ammonium trifluoroacetate to the solvent system in either the reversed-phase or polar organic mode (POM). Macrocyclic glycopeptide coupled column technology was initially used to screen all chiral compounds analyzed. Baseline resolution of enantiomers was then achieved with relatively short retention times and high efficiencies on Chirobiotic T, Chirobiotic V or Chirobiotic R narrow bore chiral stationary phases. The polar organic mode offered better limits of detection (as low as 100 pg/ml) and sensitivity over reversed-phase methods. An optimum flow-rate range of 200-400 microl/min was necessary for sensitive chiral LC-ESI-MS analysis.

High-throughput chiral analysis of albuterol enantiomers in dog plasma using on-line sample extraction/polar organic mode chiral liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric detection

An automated chiral chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry bioanalytical method for the determination of albuterol in dog plasma was developed. The method employed on-line sample extraction using turbulent flow chromatography coupled to a Chirobiotic T column for chiral separation using a polar organic mobile phase consisting of methanol, 0.02% formic acid, and 0.1% ammonium formate. The analytes were detected by a tandem mass spectrometer operated in positive ion mode. The (S)- and (R)-isomers were resolved chromatographically with retention times of 5.1 and 5.6 min, respectively. The analytical run time was 8 min. The enantiomers did not interconvert either in mobile phase or in dog plasma at room temperature over the course of at least 2 h. The assay has a linear dynamic range from 2.5-2500 nM for both enantiomers. The lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) was 2.5 nM for both enantiomers using 50 microL of plasma. The accuracy and precision of intraday validation were determined at five concentration levels of six replicates. The accuracy of the method for the (R)-isomer ranged from 94-103% of nominal concentrations, and the precision (%CV) ranged from 3.6-12%. The accuracy of the method for the (S)-isomer ranged from 94.5-108% of nominal concentrations, and the precision ranged from 3.2-9.3%. Interday accuracy and precision were evaluated for three days at five concentrations for one replicate. The accuracy of the method for the (R)-isomer ranged from 98-110% of nominal concentrations, and the precision ranged from 1.5-10.6%. The accuracy of the method for the (S)-isomer ranged from 96-104% of nominal concentrations, and the precision ranged from 1.5-8.7%. The combination of turbulent flow on-line sample extraction with polar organic mode chiral chromatography provided a specific, rugged, and high-throughput method for the chiral analysis of albuterol in biological fluids.

Automated online dual-column extraction coupled with teicoplanin stationary phase for simultaneous determination of (R)- and (S)-propranolol in rat plasma using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

An automated online sample extraction method for rat plasma was developed and validated for the quantification of (R)- and (S)-propranolol following the intravenous administration of either the racemate or the individual enantiomers at 5 mg/kg. A dual-column extraction system coupled to a chiral stationary phase (CSP) was used in conjunction with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. In this method, two Oasis HLB extraction columns (50x1.0 mm) in parallel were used for online plasma sample purification and teicoplanin CSP (Chirobiotic T) was used for the enantiomeric separation. This method allowed the use of one of the extraction columns for purification while the other was being equilibrated. Hence, the time required for re-conditioning the extraction columns did not contribute to the total analysis time per sample, which resulted in a relatively shorter run time and higher throughput. The lower limit of detection was 0.5 ng/ml and the lower limit of quantification was 2 ng/ml for each enantiomer using 25 microl of rat plasma. The method was validated with a linear calibration curve between 2 and 2000 ng/ml for (R)- and (S)-propranolol, respectively. The intra- and inter-day precision (C.V.) was no more than 7.6% and the accuracy of the assay was between 92 and 103%. The teicoplanin CSP proved to be rugged with excellent reproducibility of chromatographic parameters.

Quantitative high-throughput analysis of drugs in biological matrices by mass spectrometry

To support pharmacokinetic and drug metabolism studies, LC-MS/MS plays more and more an essential role for the quantitation of drugs and their metabolites in biological matrices. With the new challenges encountered in drug discovery and drug development, new strategies are put in place to achieve high-throughput analysis, using serial and parallel approaches. To speed-up method development and validation, generic approaches with the direct injection of biological fluids is highly desirable. Column-switching, using various packing materials for the extraction columns, is widely applied. Improvement of mass spectrometers performance, and in particular triple quadrupoles, also strongly influences sample preparation strategies, which remain a key element in the bioanalytical process.