Direct high-performance liquid chromatographic separation of the enantiomers of venlafaxine and 11 analogs using amylose-derived chiral stationary phases

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.

Efficient resolution of venlafaxine and mechanism study via X-ray crystallography

Numbers of resolving factors were investigated to improve resolution of venlafaxine 1. An effective resolving agent, O,O'-di-p-toluoyl-(R, R)-tartaric acid 2, was screened using similar method of 'Dutch resolution' from tartaric acid derivatives. The resolution efficiency was up to 88.4%, when the ratio of rac-1 and 2 was 1:0.8 in THF with little water (10:1 v/v). Enantiomerically pure venlafaxine was prepared with 99.1% ee in 82.2% yield. The chiral resolution mechanism was first explained through X-ray crystallographic study. One diastereomeric salt with well solubility forms a columnar supramolecular structure as the acidic salt (R)-1·2, while the other diastereomeric salt with less solubility forms a multilayered sandwich supramolecular structure by enantio-differentiation self-assembly as the neutral salt 2(S)-1·2. The water molecules play a key role in the optical resolution, as indicated by the special structures of the diastereomeric salts.