Sensitive detection of topiramate degradation products by high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry using ion-pairing reagents and polarity switching

An isotope dilution-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (ID-LC-MS/MS)-based candidate reference measurement procedure for the quantification of topiramate in human serum and plasma

OBJECTIVES

Topiramate is an antiepileptic drug (AED) used for the monotherapy or adjunctive treatment of epilepsy and for the prophylaxis of migraine. It has several pharmacodynamic properties that contribute to both its clinically useful properties and observed adverse effects. Accurate measurement of its concentration is therefore essential for dose adjustment/optimisation of AED therapy. Our aim was to develop and validate a novel reference measurement procedure (RMP) for the quantification of topiramate in human serum and plasma.

METHODS

An isotope dilution-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (ID-LC-MS/MS) method in combination with a protein-precipitation-based sample preparation allows for quantification of topiramate in human serum and plasma. To assure traceability to SI units, quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR) was applied to characterize the reference material used as primary calibrator for this RMP. Matrix effects were determined by performing a post-column infusion experiment and comparing standard line slopes. Accuracy and precision was evaluated performing an extensive five day precision experiment and measurement uncertainty was evaluated according Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM).

RESULTS

The method enabled topiramate quantification within the range of 1.20-36.0 μg/mL without interference from structurally related compounds and no evidence of a matrix effect. Intermediate precision was ≤3.2 % and repeatability was 1.4-2.5 % across all concentration levels. The relative mean bias was -0.3 to 3.5 %. Expanded measurement uncertainties for target value assignment (n=6) were found to be ≤2.9 % (k=2) independent of the concentration level and the nature of the sample.

CONCLUSIONS

In human serum and plasma, the RMP demonstrated high analytical performance for topiramate quantification and fulfilled the requirements on measurement uncertainty. Traceability to SI units was established by qNMR content determination of the topiramate, which was used for direct calibration of the RMP. This RMP is, therefore, fit for purpose for routine assay standardization and clinical sample evaluation.

Mini Review on Forced Degradation Studies on Anti-Epileptic Drugs and Beyond

In this review on the forced degradation studies on anti-epileptic drugs and the development of validated stability-indicating assay methods for drug substances and products at a condition more severe than accelerated condition (i.e. 40 ± 2°C, 75 ± 5% relative humidity), the drug substance and drug product undergo degradation is known as forced or stress degradation. To know about the impurities developed during the storage of drug products in various environmental conditions. The limit of degradation allowable is 5-20%. More than 20% of degradation is abnormal and must be investigated. Any regulatory guidelines do not mention the pH conditions for acid or base hydrolysis, the temperature for thermal degradation or the concentration of the oxidation agent. Only International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines Q1B photostability stability and states that light sources must be a combination of UV and visible light. The shortcomings of mentioned techniques with appreciation to regulatory necessities are highlighted. A systematic method for the forced degradation studies on anti-epileptic drugs such as "Topiramate, Vigabatrin, Lacosamide, Tiagabine, Levetiracetam and Zonisamide" is discussed. This review helps researchers to get an idea about stability-indicating methods of development and validation for newer antiepileptic drugs and the characteristics of drug products that degrade under specific degradation conditions.

Electromembrane Extraction and Dual-Channel Nanoelectrospray Ionization Coupled with a Miniature Mass Spectrometer: Incorporation of a Dicationic Ionic Liquid-Induced Charge Inversion Strategy

Green analytical chemistry aims at developing analytical methods with minimum use and generation of hazardous substances for the protection of human health and the environment. To address this need, a green analytical protocol has been developed for the analysis of anionic compounds integrating electromembrane extraction (EME), dual-channel nanoelectrospray ionization (nanoESI), and a miniature mass spectrometer. Haloacetic acids (HAAs) have attracted considerable public concern due to their adverse effects on human health and were selected as model analytes for method development. A flat membrane EME device was developed and assembled in-house. Optimization of fundamental operational parameters was performed using single-factor test and response surface methodology. Both the EME acceptor phase and an imidazolium-based dicationic ionic liquid (DIL), 1,1-bis(3-methylimidazolium-1-yl) butylene difluoride (C₄(MIM)₂F₂), were subjected to dual-channel nanoESI and miniature mass spectrometry analysis based on a charge inversion strategy, where positively charged complexes were formed. Enhancement in signal intensity by as much as 2 magnitudes was achieved in the positive-ion mode compared to the negative-ion mode in the absence of the dicationic ion-pairing agent. The developed protocol was validated, obtaining good recoveries ranging from 82.7 to 109.9% and satisfactory sensitivity with limits of detection (LODs) and quantitation (LOQs) in the ranges of 1-5 and 2-10 μg/L, respectively. The greenness of the analytical procedure was assessed with a calculated score of 0.71, indicating a high degree of greenness. The developed method was applied to the analysis of real environmental or municipal water samples (n = 16), exhibiting appealing potential for outside-the-laboratory applications.

Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Based GCE for Ultra-sensitive Voltammetric and Potentiometric Bio Sensing of Topiramate

Topiramate (TOP) drug is classified as one of the most commonly used human drugs for anticonvulsants and antiepileptic, so its rapid detection and monitoring is of great importance. In this work, new potentiometric (MIP/PVC/GCE) and voltammetric (MIP/GO/GCE) sensors for the selective and sensitive determination of TOP were fabricated based on the molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) approach. The MIP was synthesized by the polymerization of acrylamide and methacrylic acid as monomers, in the presence of TOP as a template and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a cross-linker. The obtained products were characterized by FT-IR, SEM, BET, and EDX. The MIP was embedded in a plasticized polyvinyl chloride membrane and used as a potentiometric sensor for sensing TOP. Alternatively, the synthesized MIP and graphene oxide (GO) were deposited layer-by-layer on the surface of GCE to construct a voltammetric sensor for studying the electrochemical behavior of the drug. Under optimized conditions, both electrochemical sensors showed excellent linear relationships between the concentration of TOP and the response signals of MIP/GO/GCE or MIP/PVC/GCE sensors in the 2.7 × 10^-10 to 4.9 × 10^-3 M and 1 × 10^-9 to 3.4 × 10^-3 M ranges, respectively. Also, both sensors have good reproducibility and high stability for up to 15 days for a voltammetric sensor and 28 days for a potentiometric sensor. The utility of these sensors was checked for TOP analysis in different real samples with good recovery (92.8 - 99%).

Post-Chromatographic Dicationic Ionic Liquid-Based Charge Complexation for Highly Sensitive Analysis of Anionic Compounds by Ultra-High-Performance Supercritical Fluid Chromatography Coupled with Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

A green analytical strategy has been developed for the analysis of 10 perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) incorporating supramolecular solvent (SUPRAS)-based extraction and ultra-high-performance supercritical fluid chromatography (UHPSFC)-tandem mass spectrometry. The SUPRAS was prepared through self-assembly of reverse micelles by mixing heptanol, tetrahydrofuran, and water at optimized volume ratios. An imidazolium-based germinal dicationic ionic liquid (DIL), 1,1-bis(3-methylimidazolium-1-yl) butylene difluoride ([C₄(MIM)₂]F₂), was dissolved in the make-up solvent of UHPSFC and introduced post-column but before the electrospray ionization source. After chromatographic separation on a Torus DIOL analytical column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm), the PFC analytes associated with the DIL reagent through charge complexation. The formation of positively charged complexes resulted in improved ionization efficiency and analytical sensitivity. Enhancement in signal intensity by one to two magnitudes was achieved in the positive ionization mode compared to the negative ionization mode without using the dicationic ion-pairing reagent. The developed protocol was applied to 32 samples of real textiles and 6 samples of real food packaging materials, which exhibited great potential for the analysis of anionic compounds.

Sulfamate in environmental waters

Although sulfamate (the anion of sulfamic acid) has been in use for decades in various industrial and other applications, there is no previously published information about its occurrence and fate in environmental waters. In this study sulfamate was widely detected in environmental waters in Ontario, Canada, ranging up to 128,000ng/L. It was always detected (>100ng/L) in bulk precipitation samples and streams, it was usually detected in samples of lake water, and often detected in groundwater. Spatial and temporal variations suggest that both widespread atmospheric deposition and localized land-based anthropogenic sources of sulfamate may be important. Lower concentrations or non-detections of sulfamate in waters that had relatively low dissolved oxygen (e.g. some groundwaters) suggest that sulfamate may be degraded in the environment under suboxic or anoxic conditions. Given our findings of a wide distribution of sulfamate in environmental waters, including precipitation, it is not likely to be very useful as a wastewater tracer.