Solvent effects on chemical processes. 8. Demethylation kinetics of aspartame in binary aqueous-organic solvents

A model to represent solvent effects on the chemical stability of solutes in mixed solvent systems

The applicability of the combined nearly ideal binary solvent/Redlich-Kister (CNIBS/R-K) equation for quantification of solvent effects on the stability of a solute is shown employing the experimental data of three solutes in different aqueous binary solvents. The proposed model provides a simple computational method to correlate/predict the instability rate constant of a drug in mixed solvent systems. The accuracy of the model is compared with that of a model proposed by Connors and co-workers employing various methods including mean percentage deviation (MPD) as comparison criteria. The obtained overall MPD values for the proposed model to correlate and predict the instability rate constants are 2.05 +/- 1.44 and 4.41 +/- 3.21%, respectively, where the corresponding values for Connors' model are 4.34 +/- 3.28 and 10.74 +/- 9.86%. The results suggest that by using only five experimental instability rate constants at different concentrations of the cosolvent in a binary mixture, it is possible to predict unmeasured values falling between data points within an acceptable error range.

Simultaneous formation and detection of the reaction product of solid-state aspartame sweetener by FT-IR/DSC microscopic system

The solid-state stability of aspartame hemihydrate (APM) sweetener during thermal treatment is important information for the food industry. The present study uses the novel technique of Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy equipped with differential scanning calorimetry (FT-IR/DSC microscopic system) to accelerate and determine simultaneously the thermal-dependent impurity formation of solid-state APM. The results indicate a dramatic change in IR spectra from 50, 110 or 153 degrees C, which was respectively attributed to the onset temperature of water evaporation, dehydration and cyclization processes. It is suggested that the processes of dehydration and intramolecular cyclization occurred in the solid-state APM during the heating process. As an impurity, 3-carboxymethyl-6-benzyl-2,5-diketopiperazine (DKP) degraded from solid state APM via intramolecular cyclization and liberation of methanol. This was evidenced by this novel FT-IR/DSC microscopic system in a one-step procedure.

Solution stability of linear vs. cyclic RGD peptides

Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptides contain an aspartic acid residue that is highly susceptible to chemical degradation and leads to the loss of biological activity. Our hypothesis is that cyclization of RGD peptides via disulphide bond linkage can induce structural rigidity, thereby preventing degradation mediated by the aspartic acid residue. In this paper, we compared the solution stability of a linear peptide (Arg-Gly-Asp-Phe-OH; 1) and a cyclic peptide (cyclo-(1, 6)-Ac-Cys-Arg-Gly-Asp-Phe-Pen-NH2; 2) as a function of pH and buffer concentration. The decomposition of both peptides was studied in buffers ranging from pH 2-12 at 50 degrees C. Reversed-phase HPLC was used as the main tool in determining the degradation rates and pathways of both peptides. Fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB-MS), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) were used to characterize peptides 1 and 2 and their degradation products. In addition, co-elution with authentic samples was used to identify degradation products. Both peptides displayed pseudo-first-order kinetics at all pH values studied. The cyclic peptide 2 appeared to be 30-fold more stable than the linear peptide 1 at pH 7. The degradation mechanisms of linear (1) and cyclic (2) peptides primarily involved the aspartic acid residue. However, above pH 8 the stability of the cyclic peptide decreased dramatically due to disulphide bond degradation. Both peptides also exhibited a change in degradation mechanism upon an increase in pH. The increase in stability of cyclic peptide 2 compared to linear peptide 1, especially at neutral pH, may be due to decreased structural flexibility imposed by the ring. This rigidity would prevent the Asp side chain carboxylic acid from orientating itself in the appropriate position for attack on the peptide backbone.