Derivatization reagent-assisted enantioseparation of 3-hydroxyaspartate with two chiral centers in rat cerebrospinal fluid by capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry

Applications of electrophoresis for small enantiomeric drugs in real-world samples: Recent trends and future perspectives

Separation and identification of chiral molecules is a topic widely discussed in the literature and of fundamental importance, especially in the pharmaceutical and food fields, both from industrial and laboratory points of view. Several techniques are used to carry out these analyses, but high-performance liquid chromatography is often the "gold standard." The high costs of chiral columns, necessary for this technique, led researchers to look for an alternative, and capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a technique capable of overcoming some of the disadvantages of liquid chromatography, often providing comparable results in terms of sensitivity and robustness. We addressed this topic, already widely discussed in the literature, providing an overview of the last 6 years of the most frequent and recent applications of CE. To make the manuscript more effective, we decided to divide it into paragraphs that represent the main field of application, from enantioseparation in complex matrices (pharmacokinetic studies or toxicological dosage of drugs, analysis of environmental pollutants, and analyses of foods) to quality control analyses on pharmaceutical formulas. About these, which are the fields of most meaningful use, we mentioned some of the most innovative and performing methods, with a look to the future on the application of new materials used, such as chiral selectors, that can make these types of analyses accessible to all, reducing cost, time, and excessive use of toxic solvents.

How are N-methylcarbamates encapsulated by β-cyclodextrin: insight into the binding mechanism

Guest molecules containing chromophore groups encapsulated by β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) generate circular dichroism (CD) signals, which enables a preliminary prediction of their binding modes. However, the accurate determination of the representative binding conformation (RC) remains a challenging task due to the complex conformational space of these host-guest systems. Here, we combine a molecular dynamics/quantum mechanics/continuum solvent model (MD/QM/CSM) with induced circular dichroism (ICD) data (N. L. Pacioni, A. B. Pierini and A. V. Veglia, Spectrochim. Acta A Mol. Biomol. Spectrosc., 2013, 103, 319-324.) to explore the binding mechanism of β-CD with four N-methylcarbamate molecules: promecarb (PC), bendiocarb (BC), carbaryl (CY) and carbofuran (CF). In aqueous solution, their stability decreases as: PC > BC > CY > CF. Comparing the ECD spectra computed from TD-DFT with the ICD data can help eliminate many common binding configurations and identify the RC. The host-guest binding affinities (BAs) estimated using a ONIOM2(B971:PM6)/SMD model reproduce the measured binding trend, reveal the competition between the non-covalent interaction and solvent effect and explain the large difference in their binding modes. We also examine the fluctuations in the computed BA using similar structures.

Capillary Electrophoresis Mass Spectrometry: Developments and Applications for Enantioselective Analysis from 2011–2020

It is now more than 25 years since the first report of enantioselective analysis by capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS) appeared. This article reviews the power of chiral CE-MS in resolving issues on the use of chiral selector incompatibility with MS and poor detectability encountered for chiral compounds by UV detection. The review begins with the general principles, requirements, and critical aspects of chiral CE-MS instrumentation. Next, the review provides a survey of MS-compatible chiral selectors (CSs) reported during the past decade, and the key achievements encountered in the time period using these CSs. Within the context of the strategies used to combine CE and MS, special attention is paid to the approaches that feature partial filling technique, counter-migration techniques, and direct use of CS, such as molecular micelles. In particular, the development and application of moving and fixed CS for EKC-MS, MEKC-MS, and CEC-MS demonstrate how various chiral compounds analyses were solved in a simple and elegant way during the 2010–2020 review period. The most noteworthy applications in the determination of chiral compounds are critically examined. The operating analytical conditions are detailed in the Tables, and the authors provide commentary on future trends of chiral separations by CE-MS.

Open Tubular Capillary Electrochromatography-Mass Spectrometry for Analysis of Underivatized Amino Acid Enantiomers with a Porous Layer-Gold Nanoparticle-Modified Chiral Column

By developing a novel chiral column, we integrate open tubular capillary electrochromatography into sheathless mass spectrometry (MS) for efficient analysis of underivatized amino acid enantiomers. The chiral column is easily fabricated by modifying the inner surface of a capillary with a three-dimensional porous layer (PL, thickness ∼ 90 nm, pore size ∼ 30 nm) and gold nanoparticles and by introducing a chiral selector, thiol β-cyclodextrin (SH-β-CD), onto the modified surface via Au-S bonds. This approach greatly enhances the specific surface area and thus the ratio of the stationary phase to mobile phase and interaction between the stationary phase and analytes. The proposed PLOT@Au@CD column is coupled to the sheathless CE-ESI-MS system for chiral analysis of amino acid enantiomers. No derivatization of amino acids is required for chiral analysis, and baseline separation of a total of 15 pairs of amino acid enantiomers is achieved within 17 min with high column efficiencies of 5.60 × 10⁴ to 1.82 × 10⁶ N/m, high resolutions of 1.51-10.0, and low limits of detection between 0.02 and 0.09 μg/mL. The separation efficiency and MS intensity are only slightly decreased over 60 runs or after usage for 15 days, showing excellent repeatability and stability of the PLOT@Au@CD column. The proposed method is successfully applied to the determination of amino acid enantiomers in vinegar samples with satisfactory accuracy. Our study provides a new approach for developing a chiral stationary phase in the chromatographic separation technique, which can be easily coupled to sensitive MS detection, thus it would be of value for various applications in the fields of chiral analysis.

Advances in chiral separation and analysis by capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry

目前使用的绝大多数药物为手性化合物,它们具有相似的物理和化学性质,但药理活性不同,且常以外消旋混合物的形式存在,因此对手性化合物的分离在生物、环境、食品和医药等领域一直备受关注。与广泛使用的液相色谱-质谱(LC-MS)相比,毛细管电泳-质谱(CE-MS)作为一种新型分离分析技术,具有分离效率高、样品和试剂消耗量低、选择性高和分离模式多样化等诸多优势,已经发展成为手性分析领域中有广阔应用前景的分析方法之一。CE-MS结合了CE的高分离效率和低样品消耗以及MS的高灵敏度和强结构解析能力,在蛋白质组学和代谢组学等领域发挥了重要作用。CE杰出的手性拆分能力与MS优势的结合,亦使CE-MS成为实现手性化合物高效分离分析的完美组合。在过去的十几年里,基于不同CE-MS分离模式的高性能手性分析体系层出不穷,如电动色谱-质谱(EKC-MS)、胶束电动色谱-质谱(MEKC-MS)和毛细管电色谱-质谱(CEC-MS)等,并成功应用于医药、生物、食品和环境科学等领域的手性化合物分析。该文主要综述了2011~2021年,CE-MS在手性化合物分析领域的技术、手性选择剂(如改性环糊精和聚合物表面活性剂等)的使用以及在医药等领域应用方面的研究进展,并讨论了不同手性分析模式的局限性,为未来的CE-MS手性分离分析技术发展及应用提供借鉴。

Separation and determination of 3-hydroxyaspartate by online concentration capillary electrophoresis/laser-induced fluorescence with microwave-assisted derivatization

A chiral analytical method was proposed based on capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection coupled with microwave-assisted derivatization for the simultaneous baseline separation and sensitive detection of four stereoisomers of 3-hydroxyaspartate. The derivatization reaction of 3-hydroxyaspartate with 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole was greatly accelerated by microwave irradiation. Under the optimized conditions, the derivatization yield was increased by 20% and the derivatization time was shortened by 20 min when compared with those from conventional water bath heating. In addition, the sensitivity was improved by online sample concentration methods. The detection limit of l-threo-3-hydroxyaspartate obtained by large-volume sample stacking with polarity switching was 5.3 nmol/L, which was around 1000-fold lower than that of the capillary electrophoresis/laser-induced fluorescence without stacking. The excellent analytical performance in terms of linearity and precision was also achieved. Furthermore, the developed method was successfully applied to the determination of 3-hydroxyaspartate in the spiked urine, and satisfactory recoveries were obtained ranging from 90.5 to 107.0%.

An appraisal of experimental designs: Application to enantioselective capillary electromigration techniques

Enantioresolution processes are vital tools for investigating the enantioselectivities of chiral compounds. An analyst resolves to optimize enantioresolution conditions once they are determined. Generally, optimization is conducted by a one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) approach. Although this approach may determine an adequate condition for the method, it does not often allow the estimation of the real optimum condition. Experimental designs are conducive for the optimization of enantioresolution methods via capillary electromigration techniques (CETs). They can efficiently extract information from the behavior of a method and enable the estimation of the real optimum condition. Furthermore, the application of the analytical quality by design (AQbD) approach to the development of CET-based enantioselective methods is a trend. This article (i) offers an overview of the application of experimental designs to the development of enantioselective methods from 2015 to mid-2020, (ii) reveals the experimental designs that are presently employed in CET-based enantioresolutions, and (iii) offers a critical point of view on how the different experimental designs can aid the optimization of enantioresolution processes by considering the method parameters.

Past, present, and future developments in enantioselective analysis using capillary electromigration techniques

Enantioseparation of chiral products has become increasingly important in a large diversity of academic and industrial applications. The separation of chiral compounds is inherently challenging and thus requires a suitable analytical technique that can achieve high resolution and sensitivity. In this context, CE has shown remarkable results so far. Chiral CE offers an orthogonal enantioselectivity and is typically considered less costly than chromatographic techniques, since only minute amounts of chiral selectors are needed. Several CE approaches have been developed for chiral analysis, including chiral EKC and chiral CEC. Enantioseparations by EKC benefit from the wide variety of possible pseudostationary phases that can be employed. Chiral CEC, on the other hand, combines chromatographic separation principles with the bulk fluid movement of CE, benefitting from reduced band broadening as compared to pressure-driven systems. Although UV detection is conventionally used for these approaches, MS can also be considered. CE-MS represents a promising alternative due to the increased sensitivity and selectivity, enabling the chiral analysis of complex samples. The potential contamination of the MS ion source in EKC-MS can be overcome using partial-filling and counter-migration techniques. However, chiral analysis using monolithic and open-tubular CEC-MS awaits additional method validation and a dedicated commercial interface. Further efforts in chiral CE are expected toward the improvement of existing techniques, the development of novel pseudostationary phases, and establishing the use of chiral ionic liquids, molecular imprinted polymers, and metal-organic frameworks. These developments will certainly foster the adoption of CE(-MS) as a well-established technique in routine chiral analysis.

Synchronous measuring of triptolide changes in rat brain and blood and its application to a comparative pharmacokinetic study in normal and Alzheimer's disease rats

Triptolide, a major active ingredient of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, provides anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activities. In this study, a microwave-assisted stable isotope labeling derivatization-magnetic dispersive solid phase extraction (MA-SILD-MDSPE) combined with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method has been developed for the determination of the triptolide in rat microdialysates. A pair of SILD reagents (d₀-/d₃-3-N-methyl-2'-carboxyl Rhodamine 6G, d₀-/d₃-MCR6G) were used to label triptolide in real samples and standards under mild conditions. The introduction of SILD reagents enhanced the sensitivity of MS/MS detection and ensured accurate quantification. A novel molecularly imprinted polymer coating with d₀-MCR6G labeled triptolide as template was firstly synthesized by precipitation polymerization method, and used to selectively extract the labeled triptolides from complex matrices. The purified d₀-/d₃-MCR6G-triptolides were determined by UHPLC-MS/MS analysis. Using the proposed method, a good linearity (R²>0.995), low limits of detection (LOD, 0.45-0.50 pg/mL) and quantification (LOQ, 3.0 pg/mL) were achieved. The intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy were within the acceptable ranges. No significant matrix effect was observed. The derivatization efficiency was more than 96 %. The validated method was successfully applied to a comparative pharmacokinetic study of triptolide synchronously in brain and blood of normal and Alzheimer's disease rats by in vivo microdialysis sampling technique.

Characterization of Amino Acid Based Molecular Micelles with Molecular Modeling

The enantiomers of chiral drugs often have different potencies, toxicities, and biochemical properties. Therefore, the FDA and other worldwide regulatory agencies require manufactures to test and prove the enantiomeric purity of chiral drugs. Amino acid based molecular micelles (AABMM) have been used in chiral CE separations since the 1990's because of their low environmental impact and because their properties can easily be tuned by changing the amino acids in the chiral surfactant headgroups. Using molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the structures and properties of AABMM is part of an ongoing study focusing on investigating and elucidating the factors responsible for chiral recognition with AABMM. The results will be useful for the proper design and selection of more efficient chiral selectors. The micelles investigated contained approximately twenty covalently linked surfactant monomers. Each monomer was in turn composed of an undecyl hydrocarbon chain bound to a dipeptide headgroup containing of all combinations of L-Alanine, L-Valine, and L-Leucine. These materials are of interest because they are effective chiral selectors in capillary electrophoresis separations. Molecular dynamics simulation analyses were used to investigate how the sizes and positions of the headgroup amino acid R-groups affected the solvent accessible surface areas of each AABMM chiral center. In addition, headgroup dihedral angle analyses were used to investigate how amino acid R-group size and position affected the overall headgroup conformations. Finally, distance measurements were used to study the structural and conformational flexibilities of each AABMM headgroup. All analyses were performed in the context of a broader study focused on developing structure-based predictive tools to identify the factors responsible for (a) self-assembly, (b) function, (c) higher ordered structure and (d) molecular recognition of these amino acid based molecular micelles.

Identification and Quantitation of Enantiomers by Capillary Electrophoresis and Circular Dichroism Independent of Single Enantiomer Standard

Identification and quantitation of enantiomers is a critical and challenging step in the process of chiral capillary electrophoresis (CE) analysis, especially when the optically pure enantiomers are expensive or commercially unavailable. Herein, a method of CE in combination with circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy for the identification of enantiomeric peak independent of single enantiomer standard was proposed. By comparing the theoretical CD spectrum of the single enantiomer calculated by time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) with the experimental CD spectrum of the enantiomeric mixture, the configuration of the dominant enantiomer in the nonracemic mixture was determined. Considering that the dominant enantiomer showed bigger peak area on the CE electrophoretogram, the enantiomeric peak was easily identified. Three kinds of enantiomers including seven chiral compounds (i.e., tryptophan, tyrosine, phenylalanine, Boc-valine, Boc-leucine, ibuprofen, and naproxen) were used to evaluate the reliability of the method. The concentration of the single enantiomer in the mixture can be further accurately quantified based on the total concentration of the mixture and the peak area ratio of a couple of enantiomers, and the accuracy was assessed by taking ibuprofen as an example. The developed CE-CD method provides an alternative tool for the analysis of nonracemic mixture with good ECD signals.

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction coupled with pressure-assisted electrokinetic injection for simultaneous enrichment of seven phenolic compounds in water samples followed by determination using capillary electrophoresis

Offline dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction combined with online pressure-assisted electrokinetic injection was developed to simultaneously enrich seven phenolic compounds in water samples, followed by determination using capillary electrophoresis, namely phenol, 4-chlorophenol, pentachlorophenol, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol, 2-chlorophenol, and 2,6-dichlorophenol. Several parameters affecting separation performance of capillary electrophoresis and the enrichment efficiency of pressure-assisted electrokinetic injection and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction were systematically investigated. Under the optimal conditions, seven phenolic compounds were completely separated within 14 min and good enrichment factors were obtained of 61, 236, 3705, 3288, 920, 86, and 1807 for phenol, 4-chlorophenol, pentachlorophenol, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol, 2-chlorophenol, and 2,6-dichlorophenol, respectively. Good linearity was attained in the range of 0.1-200 μg/L for 2,4-dichlorophenol, 0.5-200 μg/L for 4-chlorophenol, pentachlorophenol, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, 2-chlorophenol, and 2,6-dichlorophenol, as well as 1-200 μg/L for phenol, with correlation coefficients (r) over 0.9905. The limits of detection and quantification ranging from 0.03-0.28 and 0.07-0.94 μg/L were attained. This two step enrichment method was potentially applicable for the rapid and simultaneous determination of phenolic compounds in water samples.