Evaluation of solute hydrophobicity by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography using aqueous binary mobile phases

Mixed-mode retention mechanism for (−)-epigallocatechin gallate on a 12% cross-linked agarose gel media

The adsorption behaviour of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the major polyphenolic substance in green tea extracts, on the cross-linked agarose gel Superose 12 HR 10/30, has been studied using a variety of solvent systems and shown to be based on a mixture of hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction. The hydrogen bonding was studied in acetonitrile in the presence of different co-solvents possessing varying hydrogen bond donor (HBD) and/or hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA) characteristics. The HBA-value of the co-solvent had the highest effect whereas the HBD-value played a subordinate role. Retention due to hydrophobic interaction could be demonstrated when mobile phases containing high water content were applied. The retention of EGCG, and its analogues (-)-epigallocatechin (EGC) and (-)-catechin (C) were thus shown to be dependent on the polarity of the organic modifiers added. However, the elution order of EGC and C, was inversed to that observed in reversed phase chromatography, indicating that some hydrogen bonding was still in effect. The retardation of EGCG in the presence of a wide concentration range of acetonitrile in water confirmed the interpretation that the retention mechanism is of mixed-mode character based on both hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction.

Complete two-dimensional separation for analysis of acidic compounds in plasma using column-switching reversed-phase liquid chromatography

A complete two-dimensional separation technique for the determination of acidic compounds in plasma was developed by using column-switching reversed-phase liquid chromatography. This technique was based on solute peak enrichment at the top of the second column during heart-cutting and an ion-pair chromatographic separation in the second column using tetrabutylammonium ion, where different separation modes in the first and second columns and solute peak enrichment at the top of the second column during heart-cutting were achieved coincidentally. Retention behaviors of two solutes, zidovudine-beta-D-glucuronide (AZT-beta-D-Gluc) and probenecid, in the first and second column and solute peak enrichment at the top of the second column were investigated for establishment of the system. Different retention behaviors of the solutes in the first and second column, which were evaluated by changes in capacity factor versus acetonitrile concentration in the mobile phases, and peak enrichment could be accomplished by using ion-pair chromatography in the second column. System suitability was confirmed by assessing the number of theoretical plates (N) of the second column for the solutes after heart-cutting. The N values in the second column after column switching were almost same as those in the case that the solutes were directly injected onto the second column. These results indicate that complete two-dimensional separation should be achieved by using this system. Furthermore, this technique was applied to method development for the determination of AZT-beta-D-Gluc and probenecid in rat plasma. The peaks of each analyte in the plasma extract obtained by deproteinization were well separated from those of endogenous substances, and easy determination of the analytes could be accomplished at the ng/ml level only by changing the acetonitrile concentration in the mobile phases.

The prediction of the lipophilicity of peptidomimetics. A comparison between experimental and theoretical lipophilicity values of renin inhibitors and their building blocks

In order to test how well the lipophilicity of large and flexible molecules can be predicted by theoretical approaches, renin inhibitors and their building blocks have been investigated. Different experimental methods have been used for the determination of lipophilicity of the selected compounds, including RP-HPLC and a new pH-metric or two-phase titration method. This latter method appears to be well-suited for the log P measurement of lipophilic compounds. The experimental results have been compared to computer-assisted log P calculations (CLOGP and PrologP). Different correction terms have been introduced to correlate the experimental to the calculated results. Finally, in view of the poor oral bioavailability of most renin inhibitors, we have investigated the correlation between aqueous solubility data and their log P values.

Correlation of structure and retention behaviour in reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. II. Methionine-enkephalin-related glycoconjugates

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic elution data for methionine-enkephalin-related glycoconjugates were analysed as a function of the identity and position of the sugar-peptide linkage. It was shown that binding to the column could be correlated with the degree of sugar moiety protection. Replacement of either the phenylalanine or methionine residue in the peptide backbone of the glycoconjugates with its D-enantiomer leads to a considerably stronger retention on a reversed-phase column. The dependence of retention times on the methanol concentration in the mobile phase suggested that, under the conditions studied, there are different retention mechanisms for glycopeptides containing unprotected sugar moieties in the molecule.

Hydrophobicity estimations by reversed-phase liquid chromatography. Implications for biological partitioning processes

Liquid chromatography has long been used for the estimation of "hydrophobicity" of solutes of biological, environmental and agricultural interest. These measurements have taken the form of octanol-water partition coefficient estimation, or less often the more fundamental processes that the octanol-water partition coefficient is intended to model. Here we review both the chromatographic methods used for these estimations, their successes and failures, and discuss pertinent solution thermodynamics of the partitioning of small molecules between bulk phases, such as octanol and water, and between a bulk phase and an interphase, such as partitioning of solute molecules into lipid layers and biological membranes.