Development and validation of a reversed-phase liquid chromatographic method with fluorescence detection for the study of Saquinavir pharmacokinetics in rat plasma

Advancing posaconazole quantification analysis with a new reverse-phase HPLC method in its bulk and marketed dosage form

Introduction: Posaconazole is a widely used antifungal drug, and its accurate quantification is essential for quality control and assessment of its pharmaceutical products. This study aimed to develop and validate a reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analytical method for quantifying Posaconazole in bulk and dosage form. Methods: The HPLC method was developed and validated based on International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines. The developed method was then applied to quantify Posaconazole in a marketed tablet formulation. The method's specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, robustness, and stability were evaluated. Results: The developed HPLC method showed good linearity over a 2-20 μg/mL concentration range. The percentage recovery of Posaconazole from the bulk and marketed formulations was found to be 99.01% and 99.05%, respectively. The intra-day and inter-day precisions were less than 1%, and the method was stable under different conditions. The HPLC method was successfully applied to quantify Posaconazole in the marketed formulation. Conclusion: The developed and validated HPLC method is reliable and efficient for analyzing Posaconazole in bulk and dosage forms. The method's accuracy, precision, specificity, linearity, robustness, and stability demonstrate its effectiveness. The method can be used for the quality control and assessment of Posaconazole-containing pharmaceutical products.

Digestion of Lipid-Based Formulations Not Only Mediates Changes to Absorption of Poorly Soluble Drugs Due to Differences in Solubilization But Also Reflects Changes to Thermodynamic Activity and Permeability

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of lipid digestion on the permeability and absorption of orally administered saquinavir (SQV), a biopharmaceutics classification system (BCS) class IV drug, in different lipid-based formulations. Three LBFs were prepared: a mixed short- and medium-chain lipid-based formulation (SMCF), a medium-chain lipid-based formulation (MCF), and a long-chain lipid-based formulation (LCF). SQV was loaded into these LBFs at 26.7 mg/g. To evaluate the pharmacokinetics of SQV in vivo, drug-loaded formulations were predispersed in purified water at 3% w/w and orally administered to rats. A low dose (0.8 mg/rat) was employed to limit confounding effects on drug solubilization, and consistent with this design, presolubilization of SQV in the LBFs did not increase in vivo exposure compared to a control suspension formulation. The areas under the plasma concentration-time curve were, however, significantly lower after administration of SQV as MCF and LCF compared to SMCF. To evaluate the key mechanisms underpinning absorption, each LBF containing SQV was digested, and the flux of SQV from the digests across a dialysis membrane was evaluated in in vitro permeation experiments. This study revealed that the absorption profiles were driven by the free concentration of SQV and that this varied due to differences in SQV solubilization in the digestion products generated by LBF digestion. The apparent first-order permeation rate constants of SQV (k_app,total) were estimated by dividing the flux of SQV in the dialysis membrane experiments by the concentration of total SQV on the donor side. k_app,total values strongly correlated with in vivo AUC. The data provide one of the first studies of the effect of digestion products on the free concentration of a drug in the GI fluid and oral absorption. This simple permeation model may be a useful tool for the evaluation of the impact of lipid digestion on apparent drug permeability from lipid-based formulations. These effects should be assessed alongside, and in addition to, the more well-known effects of lipids on enhancing intestinal solubilization of poorly water-soluble drugs.

Identification of degradation products of saquinavir mesylate by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry and its application to quality control

RATIONALE

Saquinavir mesylate (SQM) is an antiviral drug used for the treatment of HIV infections. The identification and characterization of all degradation products are essential for achieving the quality in pharmaceutical product development and also for patient safety.

METHODS

The drug was subjected to hydrolytic (HCl, NaOH and water), oxidative (H₂ O₂ ), photolytic (UV and fluorescence light) and thermal (dry heat) forced degradation conditions as per ICH guidelines. The best chromatographic separation of the drug and all degradation products (DPs) was achieved on a CSH-Phenyl Hexyl column (100 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) with ammonium acetate (10 mM, pH 5.0) and methanol as mobile phase in gradient mode at a flow rate of 0.28 mL/min.

RESULTS

Nine DPs were obtained under various forced degradation conditions. All the DPs were characterized by using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC/ESI-QTOF MS/MS) and the degradation pathway of the drug was justified by mechanistic explanations. The main DPs were formed by amide hydrolysis, conversion into diastereomers, an N-oxide and dehydration as well as oxidation of the alcohol from the drug. The method was validated and can be used in a quality control (QC) laboratory to assure the quality of SQM in bulk and finished formulations.

CONCLUSIONS

A simple UHPLC/photodiode array (PDA) method was developed and successfully transferred to UHPLC/ESI-Q-TOF MS/MS for the identification and characterization of DPs. Very interestingly, diastereomeric DPs were obtained and successfully resolved by the chromatographic method. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Effects of resveratrol on P-glycoprotein and cytochrome P450 3A in vitro and on pharmacokinetics of oral saquinavir in rats

Background

The intestinal cytochrome P450 3A (CYP 3A) and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) present a barrier to the oral absorption of saquinavir (SQV). Resveratrol (RESV) has been indicated to have modulatory effects on P-gp and CYP 3A. Therefore, this study was to investigate the effects of RESV on P-gp and CYP 3A activities in vitro and in vivo on oral SQV pharmacokinetics in rats.

Methods

In vitro, intestinal microsomes were used to evaluate RESV effect on CYP 3A-mediated metabolism of SQV; MDR1-expressing Madin–Darby canine kidney (MDCKII-MDR1) cells were employed to assess the impact of RESV on P-gp-mediated efflux of SQV. In vivo effects were studied using 10 rats randomly assigned to receive oral SQV (30 mg/kg) with or without RESV (20 mg/kg). Serial blood samples were obtained over the following 24 h. Concentrations of SQV in samples were ascertained using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis.

Results

RESV (1–100 μM) enhanced residual SQV (% of control) in a dose-dependent manner after incubation with intestinal microsomes. RESV (1–100 μM) reduced the accumulation of SQV in MDCKII-MDR1 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. A double peaking phenomenon was observed in the plasma SQV profiles in rats. The first peak of plasma SQV concentration was increased, but the second peak was reduced by coadministration with RESV. The mean AUC_0–∞ of SQV was slightly decreased, with no statistical significance probably due to the high individual variation.

Conclusion

RESV can alter the plasma SQV concentration profiles, shorten the T_max of SQV. RESV might also cause a slight decrease tendency in the SQV bioavailability in rats.

HPLC method development and validation of chromafenozide in paddy

A simple and efficient HPLC-UV method was developed and validated for determination of chromafenozide in paddy as there was no previous report on record in this regard. The residue analysis method of chromafenozide, its dissipation and final residue in paddy along with soil were also studied after field treatment. Residues of chromafenozide were extracted and purified from paddy and soil followed by liquid/liquid partitioning, chromatographic column and determination by HPLC equipped with PDA detector. The separation was performed on a Phenomenex Luna RP C(18) (250 × 4.6 mm i.d, 5 μm particle size) column at room temperature. The mean accuracy of analytical method were 94.92 %, 95.38 %, 94.67 % and 96.90 % in straw, grain, soil and field water respectively. The precision (repeatability) was found in the range of 1.30 %-9.25 % for straw/grain, 1.27 %-11.19 % in soil; 1.0 %-9.25 % in field water. The precision (reproducibility) in straw/grain was ranging from 2.2 % to 12.1 %, in soil it from 2.0 % to 11.7 %. The minimum detectable concentration was 0.01 mg kg(-1). The degradation of chromafenozide formulation in rice, soil and water was determined and results showed that chromafenozide as wettable powder formulation degraded with the half-lives of about 4.4 and 2.9 days in paddy plant and soil respectively for double recommended dose. The results indicated that the developed method is easier and faster then could meet the requirements for determination of chromafenozide in paddy.

Chronic exposure to nicotine and saquinavir decreases endothelial Notch-4 expression and disrupts blood-brain barrier integrity

Since the advent of HAART, there have been substantial improvements in HIV patient survival; however, the prevalence of HIV associated dementia has increased. Importantly, HIV positive individuals who smoke progress to HIV associated neurological conditions faster than those who do not. Recent in vitro data have shown that pharmacological levels of saquinavir causes endothelial oxidative stress and significantly decreases Notch-4 expression, a primary protein involved in maintaining stability of blood-brain barrier (BBB) endothelium. This is concerning as nicotine can also generate reactive oxygen species in endothelium. It is largely unknown if pharmacological doses of these drugs can cause a similar in vivo down-regulation of Notch-4 and if there is a concurrent destabilization of the integrity of the BBB. The data herein show: (i) nicotine and protease inhibitors cause an additive oxidative stress burden in endothelium; (ii) that the integrity of the BBB is disrupted after concurrent chronic nicotine and protease inhibitor administration; and (iii) that BBB endothelial dysfunction is correlated with a decrease in Notch-4 and ZO-1 expression. Considering the high prevalence of smoking in the HIV infected population (3- to 4-fold higher than in the general population) this data must be followed up to determine if all protease inhibitors cause a similar BBB disruption or if there is a safer alternative. In addition, this data may suggest that the induced BBB disruption may allow foreign molecules to gain access to brain and be a contributing factor to the slow progression of HIV associated dementia.

An improved HPLC method with fluorescence detection for the determination of pyrene in rat plasma and its pharmacokinetics

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) for the determination of pyrene in rat plasma was developed and validated. The method used fluorene as internal standard (IS), following a single-step protein precipitation, the analyte and internal standard were separated on a C18 column with a mobile phase containing methanol-water (90:10, v/v) at a flow rate of 1 ml/min. The analytes were detected by using fluorescence detection at an excitation and emission wavelength of 265 and 394 nm, respectively. Two calibration curves were constructed in the range of 2-100 ng/ml and 0.1-5 microg/ml for pyrene with a lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) of 2 ng/ml. Both intra-day and inter-day precision were less than 6% except at LLOQ, for which the precision was 10.6 and 9.8, respectively. Accuracy ranged from 98.3 to 103.6%, except at LLOQ, for which the accuracy was about 85%. The recovery ranged from 84.7 to 95.0% at the low, medium and high concentrations. The present HPLC-FLD method was rapid, sensitive, and reliable. The method described herein had been successfully applied for the pharmacokinetic studies in female Wistar rats after administration of 10mg equivalent pyrene/kg dose of solution of pyrene and 1mg equivalent pyrene/kg dose of pyrene-loaded nanoparticle.