Rapidly profiling blood–brain barrier penetration with liposome EKC

Determination of lipid-water partition coefficient of neutral and ionic drugs by liposome electrokinetic chromatography

Profiling of lipid-water partition coefficients (K_L/W ) of drugs is an essential issue during the early stage of drug development. In this study, two liposomes, including 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DSPC) + cholesterol (Chol) (DSPC/Chol liposomes) and soybean lecithin (SPC) + Chol (SPC/Chol liposomes), were prepared for the liposome electrokinetic chromatography (LEKC) analysis, and the logarithm of lipid-water partition coefficients (log K_L/W ) of neutral and ionic drugs were determined based on an iterative method. The log K_L/W values determined by the SPC/Chol or DSPC/Chol liposomes LEKC were linearly fitted, which showed a good fitting coefficient (R² = 0.89). Furthermore, the linear relationship between the data obtained from LEKC system and octanol-water system, immobilized artificial membrane, Caco-2 cell model, and software prediction was analyzed, respectively. Results illustrated that DSPC/Chol liposomes or SPC/Chol liposomes had a good linear relationship with Caco-2 cell model, and R² was 0.81 and 0.72, respectively. Moreover, the linear free energy relationship analysis suggested that the solute volume, hydrogen bond basicity, and J^- were the main descriptors that drove the partition process of solutes in the SPC/Chol or DSPC/Chol LEKC system. In addition, the normalized properties of the SPC/Chol and DSPC/Chol LEKC systems through linear free energy relationship analysis were very close. In short, DSPC/Chol liposomes are more suitable for simulating cell membranes than SPC/Chol liposomes, and the developed LEKC is an effective partitioning model for measuring the log K_L/W of drugs.

Reductive Cleavage of Unactivated Carbon-Cyano Bonds under Ammonia-Free Birch Conditions

A general protocol for the reductive cleavage of unactivated carbon-cyano bonds in aliphatic nitriles has been achieved under single-electron-transfer conditions using Na/15-crown-5/H₂O. Electron is supplied by the electride derived from bench-stable sodium dispersions and recoverable 15-crown-5. H₂O provides the proton source and suppresses the reduction of aromatic moieties. Compared with the Na/NH₃ electride system generated under traditional Birch conditions, this ammonia-free electride system is more practical and features better reactivity and chemoselectivity for the decyanations of a broad range of aliphatic nitriles.

Application of separation methods for in vitro prediction of blood-brain barrier permeability-The state of the art

Despite many efforts, drug discovery pipeline is still a highly inefficient process. Nowadays, when combinatorial chemistry enables to synthesize hundreds of new drugs candidates, methods for rapid assessment of biopharmaceutical parameters of new compounds are highly desired. Over one-third of drugs candidates is rejected because of unsatisfactory pharmacokinetic properties. In the drug discovery process, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability plays a critical role for central nervous system active drugs candidates as well as non-central nervous system active drugs. For this reason, knowledge on the BBB permeability of compounds is essential in the development of new medicines. The review was focused on the application of different separation methods for BBB permeability assessment. Both chromatographic and electrophoretic methods were described. In the article, the advantages and limitations of well-established chromatographic methods like immobilized artificial membrane chromatography or micellar liquid chromatography, and less common techniques were discussed. Special attention was devoted to methods were microemulsion is used as mobile or pseudostationary phases.

Determination of lipid bilayer affinities and solvation characteristics by electrokinetic chromatography using polymer-bound lipid bilayer nanodiscs

Styrene-maleic acid polymer-bound lipid bilayer nanodiscs have been investigated and characterized by electrokinetic chromatography. Linear solvation energy relationship analysis was employed to characterize the changes in solvation environment of nanodiscs of varied belt to lipid ratio, belt polymer chemistry and molecular weight, and lipid composition. Increases in the lipid to belt polymer ratio resulted in smaller, more cohesive nanodiscs with greater electrophoretic mobility. Nanodisc structures with belt polymers of different chemistry and molecular weight were compared and showed only minor changes in solvent characteristics and selectivity consistent with changes in structure of the lipid bilayer. Seven phospholipid and sphingomyelin nanodiscs of different lipid composition were characterized. Changes in lipid head group structure had a significant effect on bilayer-solute interactions. In most cases, changes in alkyl tail structure had no discernible effect on solvation environment aside from those explained by changes in the gel-liquid transition temperature. Comparison to vesicles of similar lipid composition show only minor differences in solvation environment, likely due to differences in lipid composition and bilayer curvature. Together these results provide evidence that the dominant solute-nanodisc interactions are with the lipid bilayer and that head group chemistry has a greater impact on bilayer-solute interactions than alkyl tail or belt polymer structure. Nanodisc electrokinetic chromatography is demonstrated to allow characterization of solute interactions with lipid bilayers of varied composition.

Phospholipid bilayer affinities and solvation characteristics by electrokinetic chromatography with a nanodisc pseudostationary phase

Phospholipid bilayer nanodiscs composed of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and synthetic maleic acid-styrene copolymer belts have been introduced as a pseudostationary phase (PSP) in electrokinetic chromatography and demonstrated good performance. The nanodiscs provide a suitable migration range and high theoretical plate counts. Using this nanodisc pseudostationary phase, the affinity of the bilayer structure for probe solutes was determined and characterized. Good correlation is observed between retention factors and octanol water partition coefficients for particular categories of solutes, but the general correlation is weak primarily because the nanodiscs show stronger affinity than octanol for hydrogen bond donors. This suggests that a more appropriate application of this technology is to measure and characterize interactions between solutes and lipid bilayers directly. Linear solvation energy relationship analysis of the nanodisc-solute interactions in this study demonstrates that the nanodiscs provide a solvation environment with low cohesivity and weak hydrogen bond donating ability, and provide relatively strong hydrogen bond acceptor strength.

Analgesic effects mediated by neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists: correlation with desensitization of α4β2* receptors

Nicotinic α4β2* agonists are known to be effective in a variety of preclinical pain models, but the underlying mechanisms of analgesic action are not well-understood. In the present study, we characterized activation and desensitization properties for a set of seventeen novel α4β2*-selective agonists that display druggable physical and pharmacokinetic attributes, and correlated the in vitro pharmacology results to efficacies observed in a mouse formalin model of analgesia. ABT-894 and Sazetidine-A, two compounds known to be effective in the formalin assay, were included for comparison. The set of compounds displayed a range of activities at human (α4β2)(2)β2 (HS-α4β2), (α4β2)(2)α5 (α4β2α5) and (α4β2)(2)α4 (LS-α4β2) receptors. We report the novel finding that desensitization of α4β2* receptors may drive part of the antinociceptive outcome. Our molecular modeling approaches revealed that when receptor desensitization rather than activation activitiesat α4β2* receptors are considered, there is a better correlation between analgesia scores and combined in vitro properties. Our results suggest that although all three α4β2 subtypes assessed are involved, it is desensitization of α4β2α5 receptors that plays a more prominent role in the antinociceptive action of nicotinic compounds. For modulation of Phase I responses, correlations are significantly improved from an r(2) value of 0.53 to 0.67 and 0.66 when HS- and LS-α4β2 DC(50) values are considered, respectively. More profoundly, considering the DC(50) at α4β2α5 takes the r(2) from 0.53 to 0.70. For Phase II analgesia scores, adding HS- or LS-α4β2 desensitization potencies did not improve the correlations significantly. Considering the α4β2α5 DC(50) value significantly increased the r(2) from 0.70 to 0.79 for Phase II, and strongly suggested a more prominent role for α4β2α5 nAChRs in the modulation of pain in the formalin assay. The present studies demonstrate that compounds which are more potent at desensitization of α4β2* receptors display better analgesia scores in the formalin test. Consideration of desensitization propertiesat α4β2* receptors, especially at α4β2α5, in multiple linear regression analyses significantly improves correlations with efficacies of analgesia. Thus, α4β2* nicotinic acetylcholine receptor desensitization may contribute to efficacy in the mediation of pain, and represent a mechanism for analgesic effects mediated by nicotinic agonists.

Physicochemical characterization of a PEGylated liposomal drug formulation using capillary electrophoresis

In this work, the applicability of using CE to perform a physicochemical characterization of a PEGylated liposomal drug formulation of the anti-cancer agent oxaliplatin was examined. Characterization of the liposomal drug formulation using CE instrumentation encompassed: determination of the electrophoretic mobilities, size determination by Taylor dispersion analysis and interaction studies. Electrophoretic mobilities determined by CE were compared with the results obtained by laser Doppler electrophoresis, which were found to be subject to larger variation. Average hydrodynamic diameters of the liposome preparations, as determined by Taylor dispersion analysis, were in the range of 61-84 nm and were compared with the results obtained by dynamic light scattering. Interactions between oxaliplatin (and paracetamol) and the PEGylated liposome were non-detectable by CE frontal analysis as well as by liposome electrokinetic chromatography. In contrast, for the more lipophilic compound propranolol, apparent liposome-aqueous phase distribution coefficients (D(lip) ) were successfully determined by both electrokinetic chromatography (log D(lip) =2.10) and by CE frontal analysis (log D(lip) =2.14). It is envisioned that CE and capillary-based techniques, including Taylor dispersion analysis, will be useful tools for the characterization of nanoparticulate (e.g. liposomal) drug formulations.

Selective extraction of emerging contaminants from water samples by dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction using functionalized ionic liquids

Functionalized ionic liquids containing the tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate (FAP) anion were used as extraction solvents in dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) for the extraction of 14 emerging contaminants from water samples. The extraction efficiencies and selectivities were compared to those of an in situ IL DLLME method which uses an in situ metathesis reaction to exchange 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BMIM-Cl) to 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide (BMIM-NTf(2)). Compounds containing tertiary amine functionality were extracted with high selectivity and sensitivity by the 1-(6-amino-hexyl)-1-methylpyrrolidinium tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate (HNH(2)MPL-FAP) IL compared to other FAP-based ILs and the BMIM-NTf(2) IL. On the other hand, polar or acidic compounds without amine groups exhibited higher enrichment factors using the BMIM-NTf(2) IL. The detection limits for the studied analytes varied from 0.1 to 55.1 μg/L using the traditional IL DLLME method with the HNH(2)MPL-FAP IL as extraction solvent, and from 0.1 to 55.8 μg/L using in situ IL DLLME method with BMIM-Cl+LiNTf(2) as extraction solvent. A 93-fold decrease in the detection limit of caffeine was observed when using the HNH(2)MPL-FAP IL compared to that obtained using in situ IL DLLME method. Real water samples including tap water and creek water were analyzed with both IL DLLME methods and yielded recoveries ranging from 91% to 110%.

Lipophilicity and its relationship with passive drug permeation

In this review, we first summarize the structure and properties of biological membranes and the routes of passive drug transfer through physiological barriers. Lipophilicity is then introduced in terms of the intermolecular interactions it encodes. Finally, lipophilicity indices from isotropic solvent systems and from anisotropic membrane-like systems are discussed for their capacity to predict passive drug permeation across biological membranes such as the intestinal epithelium, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) or the skin. The broad evidence presented here shows that beyond the predictive power of lipophilicity parameters, the various intermolecular forces they encode allow a mechanistic interpretation of passive drug permeation.