Supercritical fluid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for high throughput bioanalysis of small molecules in drug discovery

Direct infusion-multiple reaction monitoring cubed (DI-MRM3) enables widely targeted bi-omics of Colla Corii Asini (Chinese name: Ejiao)

Food authenticity is extremely important and widely targeted bi-omics is a promising pipeline attributing to incorporating metabolomics and peptidomics. Colla Corii Asini (CCA, Ejiao) is one of the most popular tonic edible materials, with counterfeit and adulterated products being widespread. An attempt was devoted to develop a high-throughput and reliable DI-MRM3 program facilitating widely targeted bi-omics of CCA. Firstly, predictive MRM program captured metabolites and peptides in trypsin-digestive gelatins. After data alignment and structure annotation, primary parameters such as Q1 → Q3 → QLIT, CE, and EE were optimized for all 17 metabolites and 34 peptides by online ER-MS. Though a single run merely consumed 6.5 min, great selectivity was reached for each analyte. Statistical results showed that nine peptides contributed to distinguish CCA from other gelatins. After cross-validation with LC-MRM, DI-MRM3 was justified to be reproducible and high-throughput for widely targeted bi-omics of CCA, suggesting a meaningful tool for food authenticity.

Matrix effect in bioanalytical assay development using supercritical fluid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Matrix effect (ME) is commonly caused by coelution of compounds with target analytes, resulting in either suppression or enhancement of analyte ionization. Thus, to achieve the desired accuracy, precision, and sensitivity, ME needs to be evaluated and controlled during bioanalytical method development. As the application of supercritical fluid chromatography-mass spectrometry (SFC-MS) for analysis of biological samples has increased, ME using SFC-MS has also been investigated with a focus on the difference in ME in SFC-MS compared to other chromatographic techniques used for achiral separation in biological samples. Here, we provide a summary of the status of ME evaluation and mitigation in SFC-MS methods. This review presents an overview of the phenomenon of ME and methods for evaluating ME in bioanalysis. Next, the factors that can impact ME in SFC-MS-based bioanalytical methods are discussed in detail with an emphasis on SFC. A literature review of the evaluation of ME in targeted bioanalytical methods using SFC-MS is included at the end. Robust instrumentation, effective sample preparation, and superb separation selectivity are the foundations of reliable analytical methods as well as the ability to mitigate detrimental ME in SFC-MS methods.

Identification of chemical constituents in pomegranate seeds based on ultra-high-performance supercritical fluid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Pomegranate seeds are a potential source of bioactive compounds. Nonetheless, most pomegranate seeds are discarded in the food processing industry, likely due to the lack of convincing data on their component analysis.

METHODS

To reveal the main chemical constituents of pomegranate seeds, a reliable and sensitive method based on ultra-high-performance supercritical fluid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MS) was developed. A time-dependent MSE data acquisition mode was applied to acquire the mass spectrometric data. The chemical constituents were identified by an automatic retrieval of a traditional Chinese medicine library and relevant literature.

RESULTS

A total number of 59 compounds, including fatty acids, sterols, vitamins, cerebrosides, phospholipids, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, and others, were tentatively identified. Their possible fragmentation pathways and characteristic ions were proposed and elucidated.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study, along with the developed methodology, could provide a reference for basic research on the pharmacodynamic substances of pomegranate seeds and shed light on their potential nutritional and therapeutic applications in the future.

Supercritical fluid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry employed with evaporation-free liquid-liquid extraction for the rapid analysis of cinnarizine in rat plasma

Cinnarizine is a weak base, which can produce supersaturation and precipitation during gastrointestinal transit, affecting its absorption in vivo. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate whether the oral bioavailability of cinnarizine can be improved after co-administration with precipitation inhibitors or not. In order to evaluate the pharmacokinetic behavior of cinnarizine in rats, a simple, rapid, sensitive, and environmentally friendly supercritical fluid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method was established and validated. In this method, flunarizine, a structural analogue of cinnarizine, was selected as the internal standard, and cinnarizine was extracted from rat plasma using evaporation-free liquid-liquid extraction method. The analytes were separated on a Torus 1-AA column (3.0 mm × 100 mm, 1.7 μm) within 2.0 min, using a gradient elution procedure. The transitions of cinnarizine and flunarizine were m/z 369.1 → 167.1 and m/z 405.1 → 203.1, respectively. Cinnarizine showed good linear correlation in the range of 1-500 ng/ml with a lower limit of quantification of 1 ng/ml. The intra- and interday precision and accuracy of all quality control samples were within ±15%. This high-throughput, accurate, sensitive, and reproducible method has been successfully applied to study the effects of the precipitation inhibitor cinnarizine on the pharmacokinetics in rats.

A technical overview of supercritical fluid chromatography-mass spectrometry (SFC-MS) and its recent applications in pharmaceutical research and development

In this paper, we review the growing development and applications of supercritical fluid chromatography-mass spectrometry (SFC-MS) for the analysis of small molecular analytes and biomarkers in drug discovery. As an alternative chromatographic technique, SFC instrumentation and methodology have dramatically advanced over the last decade. Mass spectrometry (MS) provides the powerful detection capability as it couples with SFC. A growing number of SFC-MS/MS applications were reported over the last decade and the application areas of SFC-MS/MS is rapidly expanding. The first part of this review is devoted to the different aspects of SFC-MS development and recent technological advancements. In the second part of this review, we highlight the recent application areas in pharmaceutical research and development.

The simultaneous determination of naringenin and its valine carbamate prodrug in rat plasma using supercritical fluid chromatography -tandem mass spectrometric method

To enhance the oral bioavailability of naringenin, a valine carbamate prodrug was firstly synthesized. It is essential to measure naringenin and its carbamate prodrug simultaneously for evaluating their pharmacokinetic behavior in Sprague-Dawley rats. Here, the samples were analyzed by a supercritical fluid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (SFC-MS/MS) method after extracting by liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate. The analytes were eluted completely on an ACQUITY UPC^2TM BEH 2-EP column (3.0 × 100 mm, 1.7 μm) within 2.5 min by gradient elution. The mass transition ion pairs were m/z 273.2→153.0, 416.0→153.1, and 271.2→91.0 for naringenin, the prodrug, and genistein (the internal standard), respectively. Naringenin and the prodrug had excellent linear correlations over the range of 2-1000 ng/mL (r > 0.995) and 4-2000 ng/mL (r > 0.998), with lower limits of quantification of 2 ng/mL and 4 ng/mL, respectively. The intra-day and inter-day precision and accuracy for all quality control samples were within ± 15 %. The high-throughput, sensitive, and economical SFC-MS/MS method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of naringenin and its carbamate prodrug for the first time. The pharmacokinetic study results showed the total C_max of naringenin in prodrug group was 4.14-fold higher than naringenin group. The higher total AUC value observed with prodrug group indicated increased bioavailability of naringenin as compared to naringenin suspension. The present work provides some helpful information for future studies of naringenin and its carbamate prodrug.

Investigating the use of unconventional temperatures in supercritical fluid chromatography

The use of unorthodox temperatures, ranging from -5 °C up to 80 °C, have been thoroughly investigated in supercritical fluid chromatography. To this purpose, an initial evaluation of the kinetic and thermodynamic performance has been made with a set of 4 analytes eluting at different percentages of organic co-solvent in the mobile phase (3%-10% - 45%-80%). The van Deemter plots have demonstrated how, at low organic modifier presence, the use of low temperatures did not necessarily translate into worse performance, while high temperatures could pose more issues due to the poor handling of the super/subcritical mobile phase by the chromatographic system. With important percentages of co-solvent, however, high temperatures were fundamental in ensuring better profiles of the van Deemter plots, compared to low temperatures. Pressure plots have demonstrated that gradients reaching elevated percentages of organic modifiers can also be used on stationary phases packed with sub 2 μm silica particles if high temperatures are employed. The thermodynamic evaluation, made via the analysis of van't Hoff plots, indicates the presence of three retention behaviors happening in UHPSFC when switching from high to low temperatures, depending on the co-solvent percentage needed to elute one analyte. Finally, an assessment of the stationary phase stability at high temperatures was performed: the retention times variabilities recorded were minimal (RSD < 2.5%), as well as the peak widths and inlet column pressures were somewhat constant throughout the analyses. In the second part of this study, a focus on potential applications benefiting from such unconventional temperatures has been made. A series of challenging analytes have experienced better chromatographic resolution at either high or low temperatures, providing therefore a potentially interesting tool to analysts during the chromatographic method development process. In conclusion, the UV sensitivity at different temperatures was also taken into consideration, with no significant impact on the quality of the UV signal under any condition.

Application of chiral chromatography in radiopharmaceutical fields: A review

Chiral column chromatography (CCC) is a revolutionary analytical methodology for the enantioseparation of novel positron emission tomography (PET) tracers in the primary stages of drug development. Due to the different behaviors of tracer enantiomers (e.g. toxicity, metabolism and side effects) in administrated subjects, their separation and purification is a challenging endeavor. Over the last three decades, different commercial chiral columns have been applied for the enantioseparation of PET-radioligand (PET-RL) or radiotracers (PET-RT), using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The categorization and reviewing of them is a vital topic. This review presents a brief overview of advances, applications, and future prospectives of CCC in radiopharmaceutical approaches. In addition, the effective chromatographic parameters and degravitation trends to enhance enantioseparation resolution are addressed. Moreover, the application and potential of chiral super fluidical chromatography (CSFC) as an alternative for enantioseparation in the field of radiopharmaceutical is discussed. Finally, the crucial application challenges of CCC are explained and imminent tasks are suggested.

Simultaneous determination of naproxen and esomeprazole in beagle dog plasma by supercritical fluid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry coupled with evaporation-free liquid-liquid extraction

In order to avoid a risk of gastrointestinal toxic caused by naproxen (NAP), esomeprazole (ESOM) is generally used clinically in combination. The present work was undertaken to simultaneously determine NAP and ESOM in beagle dog plasma, and evaluated their pharmacokinetic behaviors in beagle dogs. Herein, ethyl acetate was used to extract the samples by using a time-saving evaporation-free liquid-liquid extraction (EF-LLE) method, then the samples were analyzed by supercritical fluid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (SFC-MS/MS). The optimal analysis conditions were achieved with an ACQUITY UPC2™ BEH column maintained at 50℃ and eluted completely within 2 min using supercritical carbon dioxide and methanol with a gradient elution mode. Due to the large differences in plasma concentrations between NAP and ESOM, celecoxib and diazepam were selected as dual-internal standards (IS). The mass transition ion pairs were m/z 231.2 → 185.0, 346.9 → 198.2, 285.1 → 193.1 and 382.2 → 281.2 for NAP, ESOM, diazepam (IS for NAP) and celecoxib (IS for ESOM), respectively. The concentration of NAP and ESOM were linear within the range of 0.1-100 μg/mL (r > 0.993) and 0.005-5 μg/mL (r > 0.996) in beagle dog plasma, and the accuracy and precision of intra-day and inter-day of all quality control samples were within ±15 %. It was a method with the feature of rapid, sensitive and high-throughput, and would be practical for determining NAP and ESOM in biological samples simultaneously and for assessing their pharmacokinetic behaviors in clinical studies.

Technologies to improve the sensitivity of existing chromatographic methods used for bioanalytical studies

Chromatographic method has long been recognized as the most widely used separation method in bioanalytical research. However, the relatively low sensitivity of existing chromatographic methods remains a significant challenge, as the requirements for experimental procedures become more demanding. This review discusses the main causes for the low sensitivity of chromatographic methods and aims to introduce different technologies for enhancing their sensitivity in the following aspects: (i) different pretreatment methods for improving clean-up efficiency and recovery; (ii) derivatization step for altering the chromatographic behavior of analytes and enhancing MS ionization efficiency; (iii) optimal LC-MS conditions and appropriate separation mechanism; and (iv) applications of other chromatographic methods, including miniaturized LC, 2D-LC, 2D-GC, and supercritical fluid chromatography. Altogether, this review is devoted to summarizing the recent technologies reported in the literature and providing new strategies for the detection of bioanalytes.

Pharmacokinetics of the Rac/Cdc42 Inhibitor MBQ-167 in Mice by Supercritical Fluid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

The Rho GTPases Rac and Cdc42 are potential targets against metastatic diseases. We characterized the small molecule MBQ-167 as an effective dual Rac/Cdc42 inhibitor that reduces HER2-type tumor growth and metastasis in mice by ∼90%. This study reports the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of MBQ-167 following intraperitoneal and oral single-dose administrations. We first developed and validated a bioanalytical method for the quantitation of MBQ-167 in mouse plasma and tissues by supercritical fluid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. MBQ-167 was rapidly distributed into the kidneys after intraperitoneal dosing, whereas oral administration resulted in higher distribution to lungs. The elimination half-lives were 2.17 and 2.6 h for the intraperitoneal and oral dosing, respectively. The relative bioavailability of MBQ-167 after oral administration was 35%. This investigation presents the first analysis of the pharmacokinetics of MBQ-167 and supports further preclinical evaluation of this drug as a potential anticancer therapeutic.

Supercritical fluid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry for lipidomics

Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) has experienced a particular revival in recent years thanks to the development of robust and efficient commercial systems. Because of its physico-chemical properties, supercritical carbon dioxide (CO₂ ) mixed with cosolvents and additives is particularly suitable for SFC to allow the elution of compounds of different polarities and more particularly complex lipids. Hyphenation with mass spectrometry (MS) is increasingly described in the literature but still requires many further developments in order to be as user-friendly as coupling with liquid chromatography. The basic concepts of SFC and MS hyphenation will be first considered. Then a representative example of method development in lipidomics will be introduced. In conclusion, the challenges and future needs in this field of research will be discussed.

Evaluation of polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases in modern SFC-MS/MS for enantioselective bioanalysis

Aim: The applicability of polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases in modern supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC)-MS/MS for chiral bioanalysis was evaluated. Materials & methods: Ten popular polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases (CSPs) were tested using a set of 23 drugs against three cosolvents. The effect of temperature and backpressure on separation was examined. Results: The recommended order of CSPs for screening was determined. Methanol with 0.1% NH₄OH is proven to be the first choice of cosolvent. Temperature of 40°C and backpressure of 10 or 15 MPa are recommended starting conditions. Phospholipid elution profiles on the polysaccharide-based CSPs were reported for the first time under SFC conditions. Conclusion: A simplified screening protocol with straightforward method optimization approaches was generated for SFC chiral assay development in a reasonable time frame with a high success rate.