Chiral separation of bupivacaine enantiomers by capillary electrophoresis partial-filling technique with human serum albumin as chiral selector

Advances and challenges in the pharmacokinetics and bioanalysis of chiral drugs

Enantioselective analytical approaches are essential for monitoring pharmacokinetics and acquiring accurate data to better understand the role of stereochemistry in pharmacokinetics. Enantioselectivity significantly impacts the pharmacokinetics of chiral drugs, especially in metabolic profile, leading to toxicity of enantiomer. Consequently, there is a need to study the pharmacokinetics of enantiomerically pure drugs and racemates as they differ in affinity with enzymes and proteins. Combining the best enantioseparation conditions with the specified biological matrix and the intended purpose of the analysis is a challenging task. This review discusses the importance of chirality in stereoselective pharmacokinetics with more relevant examples, various enantioselective analytical techniques, and stationary phases employed. Challenges such as lack of universal chiral columns, biological inversion of the isomers, and others have been discussed. Further presented the recent advances in the screening of chiral drugs and innovative improvements in the analytical approaches for chiral molecule analysis such as supercritical fluid chromatography, simulated moving bed chromatography, and other techniques are discussed.

Chiral Aspects of Local Anesthetics

Thanks to the progress made in chemical technology (particularly in the methodologies of stereoselective syntheses and analyses) along with regulatory measures, the number of new chiral drugs registered in the form of pure enantiomers has increased over the past decade. In addition, the pharmacological and pharmacokinetic properties of the individual enantiomers of already-introduced racemic drugs are being re-examined. The use of the pure enantiomer of a drug that has been used to date in the form of a racemate is called a "chiral switch". A re-examination of the properties of the pure enantiomers of racemates has taken place for local anesthetics, which represent a group of drugs which have long been used. Differences in (R) and (S)-enantiomers were found in terms of pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic activity as well as in toxicity. Levobupivacaine and robivacaine were introduced into practice as pure (S)-(-)-enantiomers, exhibiting more favorable properties than their (R)-(+)-stereoisomers or racemates. This overview focuses on the influence of chirality on the pharmacological and toxicological activity of local anesthetics as well as on individual HPLC and capillary electrophoresis (CE) methods used for enantioseparation and the pharmacokinetic study of individual local anesthetics with a chiral center.

Determination of association constants between steroid compounds and albumins by partial-filling ACE

ACE is a popular technique for evaluating association constants between drugs and proteins. However, ACE has not previously been applied to study the association between electrically neutral biomolecules and plasma proteins. We studied the affinity between human and bovine serum albumins (HSA and BSA, respectively) and three neutral endogenous steroid hormones (testosterone, epitestosterone and androstenedione) and two synthetic analogues (methyltestosterone and fluoxymesterone) by applying the partial-filling technique in ACE (PF-ACE). From the endocrinological point of view, the distribution of endogenous steroids among plasma components is of great interest. Strong interactions with albumins suppress the biological activity of steroids. Notable differences in the association constants were observed. In the case of the endogenous steroids, the interactions between testosterone and the albumins were strongest, and those between androstenedione and the albumins were substantially weaker. The association constants, K(b), for testosterone, epitestosterone and androstenedione and HSA at 37 degrees C were 32 100 +/- 3600, 21 600 +/- 1500 and 13 300 +/- 1300 M(-1), respectively, while the corresponding values for the steroids and BSA were 18 800 +/- 1500, 14 000 +/- 400 and 7800 +/- 900 M(-1). Methyltestosterone was bound even more strongly than testosterone, while fluoxymesterone was only weakly bound by the albumins. Finally, the steroids were separated by PF-ACE with HSA and BSA used as resolving components.

Evaluation of enantioselective binding of basic drugs to plasma by ACE

The present paper deals with the evaluation of the stereoselective binding of antihistamines (brompheniramine, chlorpheniramine, hydroxyzine, orphenadrine and phenindamine), phenothiazines (promethazine and trimeprazine) and a local anesthetic (bupivacaine) to human plasma proteins. Since all of them are drugs highly bound to proteins, a methodology to determine the bound fraction of each drug enantiomer was proposed. This methodology includes the incubation of samples containing plasma and racemic drug, ultrafiltration of the mixture and the chiral separation of enantiomers in the bound drug fraction using affinity EKC (AEKC)-partial filling technique and HSA as chiral selector. The results shown in this paper represent the first evidence of the enantioselective binding of some antihistamines such as brompheniramine, hydroxyzine, orphenadrine and phenindamine and the phenothiazines, promethazine and trimeprazine, to human plasma proteins. The binding of phenindamine to plasma presented the highest enantioselectivity (ES) (ES = 2.5) followed by trimeprazine (ES = 1.5) and promethazine (ES = 1.4).

Evaluation of enantioselective binding of antihistamines to human serum albumin by ACE

The drug binding to plasma and tissue proteins is a fundamental factor in determining the overall pharmacological activity of a drug. HSA, together with alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein, are the most important plasma proteins, which act as drug carriers, with implications on the pharmacokinetic of drugs. Among plasma proteins, HSA possesses the highest enantioselectivity. In this paper, a new methodology for the study of enantiodifferentiation of chiral drugs with HSA is developed and applied to evaluate the possible enantioselective binding of four antihistamines: brompheniramine, chlorpheniramine, hydroxyzine and orphenadrine to HSA. This study includes the determination of affinity constants of drug enantiomers to HSA and the evaluation of the binding sites of antihistamines on the HSA molecule. The developed methodology includes the ultrafiltration of samples containing HSA and racemic antihistaminic drugs and the analysis of the free or bound drug fraction using the affinity EKC-partial filling technique and HSA as chiral selector. The results shown in this paper represent the first evidence of the enantioselective binding of antihistamines to HSA, the major plasmatic protein.

Enantiomeric quality control of antihistamines in pharmaceuticals by affinity electrokinetic chromatography with human serum albumin as chiral selector

The present paper deals with the enantiomeric separation of six antihistaminic enantiomers by affinity electrokinetic chromatography (AEKC)-partial filling technique using human serum albumin (HSA) as chiral selector. A multivariate optimization approach of the most critical experimental variables in enantioresolution, running pH, HSA concentration and HSA plug length (SPL) was carried out since there are interactions between variables that could not be considered in an univariate optimization. The estimated and experimental resolution values obtained for antihistaminic enantiomers varied from 1.13 (for orphenadrine) to 2.15 (for brompheniramine). The optimum experimental conditions for enantioresolution of each compound were: brompheniramine, pH 8.5, [HSA] 180 microM, SPL 180 s; chlorcyclizine, pH 6.5, [HSA] 180 microM, SPL 150 s; chlorpheniramine, pH 8.25, [HSA] 160 microM, SPL 150 s; hydroxyzine, pH 7.0, [HSA] 180 microM, SPL 150 s; and orphenadrine, pH 7.8, [HSA] 160 microM, SPL 150 s. pH and the quadratic term of pH seem to be the most critical factors that determine enantioresolution of antihistamines. The validity of the developed methodologies to enantiomeric quality control of antihistamines in pharmaceutical formulations is demonstrated analyzing the content of brompheniramine, chlorpheniramine and hyroxyzine enantiomers in commercially available pharmaceutical formulations containing racemic mixtures of compounds. Resolution, accuracy, reproducibility, cost and sample throughput of the proposed methodologies make them suitable for quality control of the enantiomeric composition of antihistamines in pharmaceutical preparations.

Penicillin G acylase as chiral selector in CE using a pullulan-coated capillary

In the present study, penicillin G acylase (PGA), an enzyme belonging to the family of hydrolases, has been investigated as chiral selector in CE using the partial filling technique. Owing to the strong disposition of PGA to be adsorbed by the inner capillary wall, permanently coated capillaries were used to diminish both the protein-wall interactions and the EOF. In particular, the silica surface of the capillary was chemically coated by an antiadhesive and an hydrophilic layer of pullulan, a high-molecular-mass homopolysaccharide. The coating procedure consisted in the silanization with glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane and the subsequent coupling of the hydroxyl groups of pullulan onto the silanized capillary. Using this approach, a significant EOF suppression was obtained within a wide pH range (pH 3.0-9.0); this result was very important in order to find the suitable conditions for the application of partial filling technique. The optimization of partial filling was carried out by considering the effects of different experimental conditions (buffer pH, PGA concentration, and loading duration), on the migration time and enantioresolution of rac-ketoprofen. Under the selected conditions as: 100 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 5.5) containing 240 microM of PGA (partial filling of 120 s at a pressure of 50 mbar), a series of acidic compounds resulted to be enantioresolved in about 10 min. The long-term stability of the proposed coating was evaluated; more than 100 injections were performed without significant loss of reproducibility.

Enantioseparation of phenotiazines by affinity electrokinetic chromatography using human serum albumin as chiral selector: application to enantiomeric quality control in pharmaceutical formulations

Nowadays, there is a special interest within the pharmaceutical laboratories to develop single enantiomer formulations and consequently a need for analytical methods to determine the enantiomeric purity of drugs. The present paper deals with the enantiomeric separation of promethazine and trimeprazine enantiomers by affinity electrokinetic chromatography (AEKC)-partial filling technique using human serum albumin (HSA) as chiral selector. A multivariate optimization of the most critical experimental variables in enantioresolution, running pH, HSA concentration and plug length, is carried out to obtain enantioresolution of promethazine and trimeprazine. The estimated maximum and optimum resolution of trimeprazine and prometazine enantiomers (Rs=1.74 and 2.01, respectively) corresponded to the following experimental conditions: pH 7.5; [HSA] 170 microM and plug length 190 s and pH 7.6; [HSA] 170 microM and plug length 170 s, for trimeprazine and prometazine, respectively. The developed methodologies were applied for the enantiomeric quality control of promethazine and trimeprazine enantiomers in commercially available pharmaceutical formulations. Resolution, accuracy, reproducibility, cost and sample throughput of the proposed methodologies make it suitable for quality control of the enantiomeric composition of promethazine and trimeprazine in pharmaceutical preparations.

Chiral separations by capillary electrophoresis: Recent developments and applications

This paper provides an overview of the different classes of chiral selectors that are used in CE. The main properties of every class are described, together with the mechanism of enantioseparation. Newly introduced selectors are also discussed. Pharmaceutical and biomedical applications published from January 2004 till March 2005 are summarized.

Recent advances in pharmaceutical applications of chiral capillary electrophoresis

This review article summarizes developments and applications of chiral capillary electrophoresis (CE) in the pharmaceutical field published from January 2004 to June 2005. Due to the tremendous number of publications, this article is aimed to focus on major developments in chiral separations and some selected applications rather than to provide a descriptive overview of all published papers. Valuable information is also collected from several excellent reviews published during this period. Developments are classified according to CE modes, namely capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC), microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC). In the CZE section, different types of chiral selectors including cyclodextrins, oligo- and polysaccharides, crown ethers, macrocyclic antibiotics, ligand exchange systems and proteins are described. Nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis is also included in this section. Coupling CE to MS is discussed in a separate part, followed by a summary of selected pharmaceutical applications of enantioselective CE. Finally, some conclusions are drawn and prospects of CE in chiral analysis are also drafted.

Chiral separation of salbutamol and bupivacaine by capillary electrophoresis using dual neutral cyclodextrins as selectors and its application to pharmaceutical preparations and rat blood samples assay

An attempt for the simultaneous separation of salbutamol (Sal) and bupivacaine (Bup) enantiomers was performed by capillary elecytrophoresis with a dual mixture of neutral cyclodextrins as chiral selector. The influence on the separation of several parameters such as buffer composition, pH, the concentration ratio of 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-beta-CD) to dimethyl-beta-cyclodextrin (DM-beta-CD) was investigated. A better separation was obtained for Sal and Bup with the CD mixtures compared to the use of HP-beta-CD or DM-beta-CD alone. The best simultaneous separation of Sal and Bup enantiomers was achieved with a 20 mM HP-beta-CD and 20 mM DM-beta-CD at pH 2.5 in a triethanolamine (TEA)/phosphate buffer. This method-utilized chlorphenamine (Chl) as an internal standard was found to be linear in the range 0.5-100 microg/mL and 0.5-150 microg/mL for Sal and Bup enantiomers, respectively. The limits of detection for both enantiomers of Sal and Bup were 0.18 and 0.24 microg/mL, respectively. The proposed method was applied to monitor Sal and Bup enantiomers concentration change in rat blood samples obtained from a male rat after celiac doses administration 0-30 min of Sal and Bup racemate. The method could also be used to determine Sal enantiomers in a pharmaceutical aerosol.

Multivariate optimization approach for chiral resolution of drugs using human serum albumin in affinity electrokinetic chromatography-partial filling technique

The enantiomeric resolution of chiral compounds using HSA by means of affinity EKC (AEKC)-partial filling technique is the result of a delicate balance between different experimental variables such as protein concentration, running pH (background electrophoretic buffer, protein and compound solutions) and protein solution plug length. In this paper multivariate optimization approaches for chiral separation of four basic drugs (alprenolol, oxprenolol, promethazine and propranolol) using HSA as chiral selector in AEKC-partial filling technique are studied. The experimental conditions to achieve maximum resolution are optimized using the Box-Behnken experimental design. Partial least squares and pareto charts are used to analyse the main effects on the resolution. The experimental resolutions observed for all compounds studied in optimum conditions agree with the estimated values based on response surface models. The results obtained show that the range of experimental conditions that provided enantioresolution narrows as hydrophobicity of analytes decreases. This fact can be explained by assuming that hydrophobicity controls the interaction of basic compounds with HSA.