Quantitative determination of disopyramide, verapamil and flecainide enantiomers in rat plasma and tissues by high-performance liquid chromatography

Development and Validation of a Chiral Liquid Chromatographic Assay for Enantiomeric Separation and Quantification of Verapamil in Rat Plasma: Stereoselective Pharmacokinetic Application

A novel, fast and sensitive enantioselective HPLC assay with a new core-shell isopropyl carbamate cyclofructan 6 (superficially porous particle, SPP) chiral column (LarihcShell-P, LSP) was developed and validated for the enantiomeric separation and quantification of verapamil (VER) in rat plasma. The polar organic mobile phase composed of acetonitrile/methanol/trifluoroacetic acid/triethylamine (98:2:0.05: 0.025, v/v/v/v) and a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min was applied. Fluorescence detection set at excitation/emission wavelengths 280/313 nm was used and the whole analysis process was within 3.5 min, which is 10-fold lower than the previous reported HPLC methods in the literature. Propranolol was selected as the internal standard. The S-(-)- and R-(+)-VER enantiomers with the IS were extracted from rat plasma by utilizing Waters Oasis HLB C18 solid phase extraction cartridges without interference from endogenous compounds. The developed assay was validated following the US-FDA guidelines over the concentration range of 1-450 ng/mL (r2 ≥ 0.997) for each enantiomer (plasma) and the lower limit of quantification was 1 ng/mL for both isomers. The intra- and inter-day precisions were not more than 11.6% and the recoveries of S-(-)- and R-(+)-VER at all quality control levels ranged from 92.3% to 98.2%. The developed approach was successfully applied to the stereoselective pharmacokinetic study of VER enantiomers after oral administration of 10 mg/kg racemic VER to Wistar rats. It was found that S-(-)-VER established higher Cmax and area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) values than the R-(+)-enantiomer. The newly developed approach is the first chiral HPLC for the enantiomeric separation and quantification of verapamil utilizing a core-shell isopropyl carbamate cyclofructan 6 chiral column in rat plasma within 3.5 min after solid phase extraction (SPE).

Stereoselective analysis of flecainide enantiomers using reversed-phase liquid chromatography for assessing CYP2D6 activity

Stereoselective analyses of flecainide enantiomers were performed using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with a polysaccharide-based chiral column (Chiralpak AS-RH) and fluorescence detector. Excitation and emission wavelengths were set at 300 and 370 nm, respectively. Flecainide enantiomers in serum and urine were extracted using diethyl ether. The mobile phase solution, comprising 0.1 m potassium hexafluorophosphate and acetonitrile (65:35, v/v), was pumped at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. The recoveries of flecainide enantiomers were greater than 94%, with the coefficients of variation (CVs) <6%. The calibration curves of flecainide enantiomers in serum and urine were linear in the concentration range 5-500 ng/mL and 0.75-15 µg/mL (r > 0.999), respectively. CVs in intra-day and inter-day assays were 1.8-5.8 and 3.4-7.5%, respectively. In a pharmacokinetic study, the ratios of (S)- to (R)-flecainide (S/R ratio) in the area under the curve and the amount of flecainide enantiomers excreted in urine were lower in a subject carrying CYP2D6*10/*10 than in subjects carrying CYP2D6*1/*2. The S/R ratio of trough serum flecainide concentration ranged from 0.79 to 1.16 in patients receiving oral flecainide. The present HPLC method can be used to assess hepatic flecainide metabolism in a pharmacokinetic study and therapeutic drug monitoring.

Electrochemical behavior of disopyramide and its adsorptive stripping determination in pharmaceutical dosage forms and biological fluids

Electrochemical behavior of disopyramide (DPA) and optimum conditions to its quantitative determination were investigated using voltammetric methods. Some electrochemical parameters such as diffusion coefficient, surface coverage of adsorbed molecules, electron transfer coefficient, standard rate constant and number of electrons were calculated using the results of cyclic and square-wave voltammetry. All studies were based on the quasi-reversible and adsorption-controlled electrochemical reduction signal of DPA at about –1.60 V vs Ag|AgCl at pH 10.0 in Britton–Robinson buffer. This adsorptive character of molecule was used to develop fully validated, new, rapid, selective and simple square-wave cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetric (SWCAdSV) method to the direct determination of DPA in pharmaceutical dosage forms and biological samples without time-consuming steps prior to drug assay. Peak current of electrochemical reduction of DPA was found to change linearly with the concentration in the range from 7.15 × 10–8 mol l–1 (0.024 mg l–1) to 1.43 × 10–6 mol l–1 (0.49 mg l–1). Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were found to be 5.65 × 10–8 mol l–1 (0.019 mg l–1) and 1.88 × 10–7 mol l–1 (0.064 mg l–1), respectively. The method was successfully applied to assay the drug in tablets, human serum and human urine with good recoveries at about 100%.

Reduction of enantioselectivity in the kinetic disposition and metabolism of verapamil in rats exposed to toluene

Toluene and verapamil are subject to extensive oxidative metabolism mediated by CYP enzymes, and their interaction can be stereoselective. In the present study we investigated the influence of toluene inhalation on the enantioselective kinetic disposition of verapamil and its metabolite, norverapamil, in rats. Male Wistar rats (n = 6 per group) received a single dose of racemic verapamil (10 mg/kg) orally at the fifth day of nose-only toluene or air (control group) inhalation for 6 h/day (25, 50, and 100 ppm). Serial blood samples were collected from the tail up to 6 h after verapamil administration. The plasma concentrations of verapamil and norverapamil enantiomers were analyzed by LC-MS/MS by using a Chiralpak AD column. Toluene inhalation did not influence the kinetic disposition of verapamil or norverapamil enantiomers (p > 0.05, Kruskal-Wallis test) in rats. The pharmacokinetics of verapamil was enantioselective in the control group, with a higher plasma proportion of the S-verapamil (AUC 250.8 versus 120.4 ng x h x mL(-1); p < or = 0.05, Wilcoxon test) and S-norverapamil (AUC 72.3 versus 52.3 ng x h x mL(-1); p < or = 0.05, Wilcoxon test). Nose-only exposure to toluene at 25, 50, or 100 ppm resulted in a lack of enantioselectivity for both verapamil and norverapamil. The study demonstrates the importance of the application of enantioselective methods in studies on the interaction between solvents and chiral drugs.

Design and Evaluation of a Dry Coated Drug Delivery System with Floating–Pulsatile Release

The objective of this work was to develop and evaluate a floating-pulsatile drug delivery system intended for chronopharmacotherapy. Floating-pulsatile concept was applied to increase the gastric residence of the dosage form having lag phase followed by a burst release. To overcome limitations of various approaches for imparting buoyancy, we generated the system which consisted of three different parts, a core tablet, containing the active ingredient, an erodible outer shell and a top cover buoyant layer. The dry coated tablet consists in a drug-containing core, coated by a hydrophilic erodible polymer which is responsible for a lag phase in the onset of pulsatile release. The buoyant layer, prepared with Methocel K4M, Carbopol 934P and sodium bicarbonate, provides buoyancy to increase the retention of the oral dosage form in the stomach. The effect of the hydrophilic erodible polymer characteristics on the lag time and drug release was investigated. Developed formulations were evaluated for their buoyancy, dissolution and pharmacokinetic, as well gamma-scintigraphically. The results showed that a certain lag time before the drug released generally due to the erosion of the dry coated layer. Floating time was controlled by the quantity and composition of the buoyant layer. Both pharmacokinetic and gamma-scintigraphic data point out the capability of the system of prolonged residence of the tablets in the stomach and releasing drugs after a programmed lag time.

Simultaneous analysis of the enantiomers of verapamil and norverapamil in rat plasma by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

An enantioselective micromethod for the simultaneous analysis of verapamil (VER) and norverapamil (NOR) in plasma was developed, validated and applied to the study of the kinetic disposition of VER and NOR after the administration of a single oral dose of racemic-VER to rats. VER, NOR and the internal standard (paroxetine) were extracted from only 100-microL plasma samples using n-hexane and the enantiomers were resolved on a Chiralpak AD column using n-hexane:isopropanol:ethanol:diethylamine (88:6:6:0.1) as the mobile phase. The analyses were performed in the selected reaction monitoring mode. Transitions 456>166 for VER enantiomers, 441>166 for NOR enantiomers and 330>193 for the internal standard were monitored and the method had a total chromatographic run time of 12 min. The method allows the determination of VER and NOR enantiomers at plasma levels as low as 1.0 ng/mL. Racemic VER hydrochloride (10mg/kg) was given to male Wistar rats by gavage and blood samples were collected from 0 to 6.0 h (n=6 at each time point). The concentration of (-)-(S)-VER was three folds higher than (+)-(R)-VER, with an AUC ratio (-)/(+) of 2.66. Oral clearance values were 12.17 and 28.77 L/h/kg for (-)-(S)-VER and (+)-(R)-VER, respectively. The pharmacokinetic parameters of NOR were not shown to be enantioselective.

Pharmacokinetic behavior and tissue distribution of verapamil and its enantiomers in rats by HPLC

The differences in pharmacokinetic behavior and tissue distribution of verapamil and its enantiomers were investigated in rats. In high-performance liquid chromatographic method, an achiral ODS column (150 mm x 4.6 mm i.d.) with the mobile phase consisting of methanol-water (73:30, v/v) was used for the determination of the concentration for racemic verapamil, and a Chiralcel OJ column (250 mmx4.6 mm i.d.) with the mixture of n-haxane-ethanol-triethylamine (85:15:0.2, v/v/v) as mobile phase was used to determine the concentrations of verapamil enantiomers. A fluorescence detector in the analytical system was set at excitation and emission wavelengths of 275 nm and 315 nm. The differences between enantiomers were apparent in the pharmacokinetics in rats. The area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) of S-(-) verapamil was higher than that of R-(+) verapamil. The half-distribution time (T 1/2(alpha)) of S-(-) verapamil which distributing to tissue from blood was shorter than that of R-(+) verapamil, but the elimination half-time (T 1/2(beta)) was longer in rat following oral administration of racemic verapamil. At 1.3 h after oral administration of racemic verapamil, however, there were no significant differences between enantiomers for the distributions in major tissues such as heart, cerebrum, cerebellum, liver, spleen and kidney.

Stereoselective chromatography of cardiovascular drugs: an update

This review reports the latest achievements in chromatographic enantioseparations of various classes of cardiovascular drugs and selected applications of these methods in pharmaceutical and clinical analysis. The use of these drugs as test compounds for new chiral stationary phases and different parameters of chromatographic processes is also presented.

Stereoselective pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of verapamil and norverapamil in rabbits

We have estimated the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions of verapamil (VP) enantiomers and also the interaction between VP and its metabolite, norverapamil (NVP). ECGs of conscious rabbits were studied to determine the pharmacokinetics of VP enantiomers and racemic NVP in relation to their prolongation effect on PR intervals, which were used as an index of VP's antiarrhythmic effect. Plasma free fractions of VP enantiomers showed constant values at concentrations ranging from 0.022 to 1.10 microm. There were no interactions between enantiomers or between VP and NVP. The pharmacological effect of the S-enantiomer (S-VP), which was determined by linear regression analysis, showed it was about 20 times more potent than that of the R-enantiomer (R-VP). The effect of racemic VP was the simple sum of those elicited by both enantiomers. These relationships were not significantly different between intravenous infusion and bolus injection. Simultaneous intravenous infusion of NVP had no influence on the PR intervals. In conclusion, we demonstrated that the relationship between plasma unbound concentration of VP enantiomers and their pharmacological effect was the simple sum of two enantiomers.

A validated method for the determination of verapamil and norverapamil in human plasma

The aim of the study was to develop a simple and sensitive analytical method to determine verapamil (V) and its metabolite norverapamil (N) in human plasma with use of an HPLC isocratic system with fluorescence detection, following fast extraction of the investigated compounds. Extraction recovery was 92.12% and 89.58% for V and N, respectively. Internal standard in HPLC was propranolol. Its recovery was 82.50% on the average. Limit of detection was 0.924 ng/ml and limit of determination was 3,080 ng/ml for V, what corresponds concentration in plasma 1.232 ng/ml. For N limit of detection was 0.030 ng/ml and limit of determination was 1.001 ng/ml what corresponds 0,4 ng/ml in plasma. Parameters of validation prove that precision of the presented method is very good. The method is fast and one chromatogram separation lasts about 8 minutes. 30-40 manual (without autosampler) analyses per day were done. It was used successfully in pharmacokinetic and bioavailability studies of verapamil administration in drug formulations alternative to tablets: buccal and flotation ones.

Enantioselective analysis of disopyramide and mono-N-dealkyldisopyramide in plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography on an amylose-derived chiral stationary phase

An enantioselective high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed for the simultaneous determination of disopyramide (DP) and mono-N-dealkyldisopyramide (MND) enantiomers in plasma and urine. The drugs were extracted from plasma samples by liquid-liquid extraction with dichloromethane after protein precipitation with trichloroacetic acid; the urine samples were processed by liquid-liquid extraction with dichloromethane. The enantiomers were resolved on a Chiralpak AD column using hexane-ethanol (91:9, v/v) plus 0.1% diethylamine as the mobile phase and monitored at 270 nm. Under these conditions the enantiomeric fractions of the drug and of its metabolite were analyzed within 20 min. The extraction procedure was efficient in removing endogenous interferents and low values for the relative standard deviations were demonstrated for both within-day and between-day assays. The method described in this paper allows the determination of DP and MND enantiomers at plasma levels as low as 12.5 ng/ml and can be used in clinical pharmacokinetic studies.

Effects of disopyramide and verapamil on renal disposition and nephrotoxicity of cisplatin in rats

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of disopyramide and verapamil on the renal handling of cisplatin (CDDP) and nephrotoxicity in rats. The stereoselective effect of verapamil was also studied.

METHODS

CDDP was administered to rats by i.v. bolus injection or by infusion at a constant rate with or without concomitant administration of racemic disopyramide, racemic verapamil, or each verapamil enantiomer. The concentrations of CDDP in plasma and in the kidney and liver were determined by HPLC. In separate experiments, CDDP was administered as described above, and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) was monitored for 7 days.

RESULTS

The BUN level after administration of CDDP was significantly reduced by coadministration of either disopyramide or verapamil. Renal accumulation of CDDP was significantly reduced by these drugs, whereas accumulation into the liver was not significantly changed. The relationship between the BUN levels and the area under the curve of CDDP concentration in the kidney versus time (AUCk) was analyzed using a sigmoid Emax model; this showed that the reduced BUN levels were explained by the AUCk. Furthermore, verapamil showed stereoselective inhibition of the renal accumulation of CDDP.

CONCLUSIONS

The renal accumulation of CDDP was inhibited by disopyramide and verapamil, and this inhibition resulted in the amelioration of nephrotoxicity.

Enantioselective tissue distribution of the basic drugs disopyramide, flecainide and verapamil in rats: role of plasma protein and tissue phosphatidylserine binding

PURPOSE

The stereoselective distribution of three basic drugs, disopyramide (DP), flecainide (FLC) and verapamil (VP), was studied to clarify the relationship between the tissue-to-unbound plasma concentration ratio (Kpf) and drug lipophilicity and binding to phosphatidylserine phs), which are possible factors determining the tissue distribution of these drug enantiomers.

METHODS

The drug enantiomer or racemate was administered to rats by intravenous constant infusion. Their concentrations in plasma and tissues were determined using enantioselective high-performance liquid chromatography. Plasma protein binding, and buffer-octanol and buffer-hexane containing PhS partition coefficients were also determined.

RESULTS

The stereoselectivity of the tissue-to-plasma concentration ratio (Kp) was partly associated with that of serum protein binding. However, the Kpf value of R(+)-VP in the lung was significantly higher than that of S(-)-VP. A linear correlation was observed between the Kpf values of these drug enantiomers in brain, heart, lung and muscle, and their buffer-hexane containing PhS partition coefficients. The in vitro data for the binding of these drugs to PhS suggest that stereoselective binding of VP to PhS may correspond to its stereoselective tissue binding.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings provide some evidence for a role of tissue PhS in the tissue distribution of basic drugs with respect to stereoselectivity of drug enantiomers distribution.