Determination of dissociation constant of phosphinate group in phosphinic pseudopeptides by capillary zone electrophoresis

Determination of the binding constants and ionic mobilities of diquat complexes with randomly sulfated cyclodextrins by affinity capillary electrophoresis

The enantiomers of diquats (DQs), a new class of functional organic molecules, were recently separated by capillary electrophoresis (CE) with high resolution up to 11.4 within 5-7 min using randomly sulfated α-, β-, and γ-cyclodextrins (CDs) as chiral selectors. These results indicated strong interactions between dicationic diquats and multiply negatively charged sulfated CDs (S-CDs). However, the binding strength of these interactions was not quantified. For that reason, in this study, affinity CE was applied for the determination of the binding constants and ionic mobilities of the complexes of DQ P- and M-enantiomers with CD chiral selectors in an aqueous medium. The non-covalent interactions of 10 pairs of DQ enantiomers with the above CDs were investigated in a background electrolyte (BGE) composed of 22 mM NaOH, 35 mM H3PO4, pH 2.5, and 0.0-1.0 mM concentrations of CDs. The average apparent binding constant and the average actual ionic mobility of the DQ-CD complexes were determined by nonlinear regression analysis of the dependence of the effective mobility of DQ enantiomers on the concentration of CDs in the BGE. The complexes were found to be relatively strong with the averaged apparent binding constants in the range 13 600-547 400 L/mol.

Nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis and quantum chemical calculations applied to investigation of acid-base and electromigration properties of azahelicenes

Nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) using methanol (MeOH) as a solvent of the BGEs and quantum mechanical density functional theory (DFT) have been applied to determine the thermodynamic acidity (ionization) constants (pK_a ) of mono- and diaza[5]helicenes, mono- and diaza[6]helicenes, and their dibenzo derivatives in MeOH and water. First, the mixed acidity constants, p K a , MeOH mix , of ionogenic pyridinium groups of azahelicenes and their derivatives in MeOH were obtained by nonlinear regression analysis of pH dependence of their effective electrophoretic mobilities. The effective mobilities were measured by NACE in a large series of methanolic BGEs within a wide conventional pH range (pH_MeOH 1.6-12.0) and at ambient temperature (21-26°C) in a home-made CE device. Prior to mixed acidity constant calculation, the effective mobilities were corrected to reference temperature (25°C) and constant ionic strength (25 mM). Then, the mixed acidity constants were recalculated to the thermodynamic acidity constants pK_a,MeOH by the Debye-Hückel theory of nonideality of electrolyte solutions. Finally, from the methanolic thermodynamic pK_a,MeOH values, the aqueous thermodynamic p K a , H 2 O constants were estimated using the empirical relations between methanolic and aqueous acidity constants derived for structurally related pyridine derivatives. Depending on the number and position of the nitrogen atoms in their molecules, the analyzed azahelicenes were found to be weak to moderate bases with methanolic pK_a,MeOH in the range 2.01-8.75 and with aqueous p K a , H 2 O in the range 1.67-8.28. The thermodynamic pK_a,MeOH obtained by the DFT calculations were in a good agreement with those determined experimentally by NACE.

Determination of acidity constants at 37 °C through the internal standard capillary electrophoresis (IS-CE) method: internal standards and application to polyprotic drugs

This work provides the pKa at the biorelevant temperature of 37 °C for a set of compounds proposed as internal standards for the internal standard capillary electrophoresis (IS-CE) method. This is a high throughput method that allows the determination of the acidity constants of compounds in a short time, avoiding the exact measurement of the pH of the buffers used. pH electrode calibration at 37 °C can be avoided too. In order to anchor the pKa values obtained through the IS-CE method in the pH scale, the acidity constant at 37 °C of some of the standards has been determined also by the reference potentiometric method. In general, a decrease in the pKa value is observed when changing the temperature from 25 to 37 °C, and the magnitude of the change depends on the nature of the compounds. Once the pKa values at 37 °C of the internal standards have been established, the method is applied to the determination of the acidity constants of seven polyprotic (5 diprotic and 2 triprotic) drugs. The obtained mobility-pH profiles show well-defined curves, and the fits provide precise pKa values. Due to the lack of reference data at 37 °C only the pKa values of labetalol can be compared to values from the literature, and a very good agreement is observed.

Determination of thermodynamic binding constants by affinity capillary electrophoresis

A strategy to study thermodynamic binding constants by affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE) is presented. In order to simplify mathematical treatment, analogy with acid-base dissociation equilibrium is proposed: instead of ligand concentration [X], negative logarithm of ligand concentration (or activity), pX = -log[X], is used. On this base, and taking into account ionic activities, a general procedure for obtaining thermodynamic binding constants is proposed. In addition, the method provides electrophoretic mobilities of the free analyte and analyte-ligand complex, even when binding constants are low and thus, the complexed analyte fraction is also low. This is useful as a base to rationally analyze a diversity of situations, i.e., different mathematical dependencies are obtained when analytes and ligands with different charges are combined. Practical considerations are given for carrying out a full experimental design. Enantiomeric ACE separation based on the use of chiral selectors is addressed. 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin was chosen as a model ligand, and both enantiomeric forms of four pharmaceutical drugs (propranolol, pindolol, oxprenolol and homatropine methylbromide) were considered as model analytes. Practical aspects are detailed and thermodynamic binding constants as well as free and complexed analytes mobilities are determined.

Determination of acidity constants and ionic mobilities of polyprotic peptide hormones by CZE

CZE has been applied to determination of thermodynamic acidity constants (pKa ) of ionogenic groups and actual ionic mobilities of polyprotic peptides-synthetic human and salmon gonadotropin-releasing hormones and their derivatives and fragments. First, the mixed acidity constants, pKa,imix, of ionogenic groups, and actual ionic mobilities, mi , of gonadotropin-releasing hormone peptides were determined by nonlinear regression analysis of pH dependence of their effective electrophoretic mobilities. The effective mobilities were measured by CZE in a series of BGEs within a broad pH range (1.80-12.10), at constant ionic strength (25 mM) and reference temperature (25°C). Second, the pKa,imix values were recalculated to thermodynamic pKa s using the Debye-Hückel theory. Thermodynamic pKa of carboxyl groups was estimated to be in the range of 2.5-3.3 for C-terminal amino acids of the above peptides, and 5.2 for glutamic acid in the middle of peptide chain; pKa of imidazolyl group of histidine residues was in the range of 5.7-6.8, pKa of N-terminal amino group of the peptide with free N-terminus was equal to 6.2, pKa of phenol group of tyrosine residues was in the range of 9.8-10.8, and pKa of guanidinyl group or arginine residues reached values 11.1-11.3, depending on the position of the residues in the peptide and on the amino acid sequence of the peptide. Absolute values of actual ionic mobilities of peptides with charge number ±2 were in the range (14.6-18.6) × 10(-9) m(2) V(-1) s(-1) , and ionic mobilities of peptides with charge number ±1 reached values (6.5-12.9) × 10(-9) m(2) V(-1) s(-1) .

Structure-activity study of new inhibitors of human betaine-homocysteine S-methyltransferase

Betaine-homocysteine S-methyltransferase (BHMT) catalyzes the transfer of a methyl group from betaine to l-homocysteine, yielding dimethylglycine and l-methionine. In this study, we prepared a new series of BHMT inhibitors. The inhibitors were designed to mimic the hypothetical transition state of BHMT substrates and consisted of analogues with NH, N(CH(3)), or N(CH(3))(2) groups separated from the homocysteine sulfur atom by a methylene, ethylene, or a propylene spacer. Only the inhibitor with the N(CH(3)) moiety and ethylene spacer gave moderate inhibition. This result led us to prepare two inhibitors lacking a nitrogen atom in the S-linked alkyl chain: (RS,RS)-5-(3-amino-3-carboxypropylthio)-3-methylpentanoic acid and (RS)-5-(3-amino-3-carboxypropylthio)-3,3-dimethylpentanoic acid. Both of these compounds were highly potent inhibitors of BHMT. The finding that BHMT does not tolerate a true betaine mimic within these inhibitors, especially the nitrogen atom, is surprising and evokes questions about putative conformational changes of BHMT upon the binding of the substrates/products and inhibitors.

Separation and investigation of structure–mobility relationship of gonadotropin-releasing hormones by capillary zone electrophoresis in conventional and isoelectric acidic background electrolytes

Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) has been applied to qualitative and quantitative analysis, separation and physicochemical characterization of synthetic gonadotropin-releasing hormones (GnRHs) and their analogs and fragments. Structurally related peptides were separated in conventional and isoelectric acidic background electrolytes (BGEs), pH 2.18-2.50. Best separation was achieved in isoelectric BGE composed of 200 mM iminodiacetic acid, pH 2.32. The effective electrophoretic mobilities, m(ep), of GnRHs in five BGEs were determined and four semiempirical models correlating effective mobility with charge, q, and relative molecular mass, M(r), (m(ep) versus q/M(r)(k), where k is related to the molecular shape) were tested to describe the migration behavior of GnRHs in CZE. None of the models was found to be quite definitively applicable for the whole set of 10 GnRHs differing in size (tetrapeptide-decapeptide) and positive charge (0.91-3.00 elementary charges). Nevertheless, for the dependence of m(ep) on q/M(r)(k), the highest coefficient of correlation, R=0.995-0.999, was obtained for k close to the value 0.5 in all five acidic BGEs. This indicates that the most probable structure of GnRHs in these BGEs can be predicted as a random coil.

Measurement of pKa values of newly synthesized heteroarylaminoethanols by CZE

Heteroarylaminoethanol derivates are drugs which affect sympathetic nervous system and are used for medications of hypertension. In solutions they behave like weak bases and their pK(a) values represent important information on their potential biological uptake, pharmacological activity and in vivo biodisponsibility. This article brings the measurement of pK(a) values of the series of seven new important heteroarylaminoethanols, compounds with potential vasodilating, beta-adrenolytic and antioxidant activity, by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with diode-array detection. It has been shown that capillary zone electrophoresis measurements of pK(a) can be easily performed with very small quantities of studied substances, and, due to CZE separation power, the purity of samples is not of key importance. Moreover, the CZE method is fast and reliable, providing that suitable operational conditions are selected. The method is based on the measurement of the effective mobility curves within a suitable pH range and related regression analysis where pK(BH)(+) and electrophoretic mobility of BH(+) are explicitly involved. The selection of sufficient operational buffers is of key importance for accurate and reproducible results, and, this article brings step by step the consideration procedure involved in this process. Further, this paper brings principles of least square regression analysis of non-linear function corresponding to exact explicit formula for mobility curve of monovalent weak base.

Determination of pKa values of diastereomers of phosphinic pseudopeptides by CZE

A CE method was used for the determination of acidity constants (pK(a)) of a series of ten phosphinic pseudopeptides, which varied in number and type of ionogenic groups. Effective electrophoretic mobilities were measured in the 1.8-12.0 pH range in the BGEs of constant ionic strength of 25 mM. Effective electrophoretic mobilities, corrected to standard temperature of 25 degrees C, were subjected to non-linear regression analysis and the obtained apparent pK(a) values were recalculated to thermodynamic pK(a)'s by extrapolation to zero ionic strength according to the extended Debye-Hückel model. The pK(a) values of the phosphinic acid group fell typically in the 1.5-2.25 interval, C-terminal carboxylic groups in the 2.94-3.50 interval, carboxylic groups of the lateral chain of glutamate and aspartate in the 4.68-4.97 interval, imidazolyl moiety of histidine in the 6.55-8.32 interval, N-terminal amino groups in the 7.65-8.28 interval and epsilon-amino group of the lateral chain of lysine in the 10.46-10.61 interval. Further, separation of diastereomers of the phosphinic pseudopeptides was investigated in achiral BGEs. Evaluation of the resolution of the diastereomers as a function of pH of the BGE revealed that most suitable pH region for separation of the diastereomers is around the pK(a) values of the central phosphinic acid group of the pseudopeptides. Successful separation of some diastereomers was, however, achieved in the neutral and alkaline BGEs as well.

Stereoselective separations of chiral phosphinic acid pseudodipeptides by CEC using silica monoliths modified with an anion-exchange-type chiral selector

A nonaqueous CEC method for the simultaneous separation of the four stereoisomers of the N-benzyloxycarbonyl phosphinic pseudodipeptide methyl ester benzyloxycarbonyl-homophenylalanine Z-hPhepsi(PO2HCH2)Phe-OCH3 as well as of the corresponding N-2,4-dinitrophenyl (DNP)-derivative with free C-terminal carboxylic group DNP-hPhepsi(PO2HCH2)Phe-OH was developed. For this purpose, a monolithic silica capillary column modified with a cinchona alkaloid-derived anion-exchange-type chiral selector, namely O-9-(tert-butylcarbamoyl)quinidine (tBuCQD) was prepared. The mobile phase composition (ACN/methanol ratio, counterion type) was thoroughly optimized to end up with baseline resolution of all four stereoisomers with critical resolution of as high as about 2. The CEC method proved to be superior over the corresponding HPLC separations primarily due to significantly enhanced plate numbers (between 200,000 and 600,000 m(-1) in CEC). Diastereoselectivity contributions arising from electrophoretic mobility differences of the diastereomers facilitated the separation of the later eluted diastereomeric peak pair (peaks III and IV), but had a negative influence on the selectivity of the earlier eluted diastereomeric peak pair (peaks I and II). The stereoselective CEC assay allowed the assessment of the stereoisomeric purity of the individual isomers which were obtained by preparative HPLC on a CHIRALPAK QD-AX column that is based on the same tBuCQD selector. The present study demonstrates that there exist problems which are hard to solve by HPLC, yet can be conveniently solved by CEC. Moreover, it was intended to prove by this practical application that CEC with monolithic columns is robust enough to be used for solving real-life problems.

Determination of limiting mobilities and dissociation constants of 21 amino acids by capillary zone electrophoresis at very low pH

The dependence of the effective electrophoretic mobility on pH of the background electrolyte was experimentally determined by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) for cationic forms of amino acids. The pH of the background electrolytes was in the highly acidic range, 1.6-2.6 pH units, to ensure a high degree of protonation of the amino acids. Poly(vinyl alcohol) was added to the background electrolytes to avoid possible adsorption of the analytes at the inner capillary wall. Non-linear regression of the experimental data was applied to obtain the parameters of the relevant regression functions--the actual mobilities and mixed dissociation constants corresponding to the actual ionic strength. The extended Onsager and Debye-Hückel law was used to calculate the limiting mobilities and thermodynamic dissociation constants. The comparison of the experimental electropherogram with the computer prediction by PeakMaster using the determined data is presented for the selected sample of amino acids.

S-alkylated homocysteine derivatives: new inhibitors of human betaine-homocysteine S-methyltransferase

A series of S-alkylated derivatives of homocysteine were synthesized and characterized as inhibitors of human recombinant betaine-homocysteine S-methyltransferase (BHMT). Some of these compounds inhibit BHMT with IC50 values in the nanomolar range. BHMT is very sensitive to the structure of substituents on the sulfur atom of homocysteine. The S-carboxybutyl and S-carboxypentyl derivatives make the most potent inhibitors, and an additional sulfur atom in the alkyl chain is well tolerated. The respective (R,S)-5-(3-amino-3-carboxy-propylsulfanyl)-pentanoic, (R,S)-6-(3-amino-3-carboxy-propylsulfanyl)-hexanoic, and (R,S)-2-amino-4-(2-carboxymethylsulfanyl-ethylsulfanyl)-butyric acids are very potent inhibitors and are the strongest ever reported. We determined that (R,S)-5-(3-amino-3-carboxy-propylsulfanyl)-pentanoic acid displays competitive inhibition with respect to betaine binding with a Kappi of 12 nM. Some of these compounds are currently being tested in mice to study the influence of BHMT on the metabolism of sulfur amino acids in vivo.

Determination of acid-base dissociation constants of amino- and guanidinopurine nucleotide analogs and related compounds by capillary zone electrophoresis

CZE has been applied for determination of acid-base dissociation constants (pKa) of ionogenic groups of newly synthesized amino- and (amino)guanidinopurine nucleotide analogs, such as acyclic nucleoside phosphonate, acyclic nucleoside phosphonate diesters and other related compounds. These compounds bear characteristic pharmacophores contained in various important biologically active substances, such as cytostatics and antivirals. The pKa values of ionogenic groups of the above compounds were determined by nonlinear regression analysis of the experimentally measured pH dependence of their effective electrophoretic mobilities. The effective mobilities were measured by CZE performed in series of BGEs in a broad pH range (3.50-11.25), at constant ionic strength (25 mM) and temperature (25 degrees C). pKa values were determined for the protonated guanidinyl group in (amino)guanidino 9-alkylpurines and in (amino)guanidinopurine nucleotide analogs, such as acyclic nucleoside phosphonates and acyclic nucleoside phosphonate diesters, for phosphonic acid to the second dissociation degree (-2) in acyclic nucleoside phosphonates of amino and (amino)guanidino 9-alkylpurines, and for protonated nitrogen in position 1 (N1) of purine moiety in acyclic nucleoside phosphonates of amino 9-alkylpurines. Thermodynamic pKa of protonated guanidinyl group was estimated to be in the range of 7.75-10.32, pKa of phosphonic acid to the second dissociation degree achieved values of 6.64-7.46, and pKa of protonated nitrogen in position 1 of purine was in the range of 4.13-4.89, depending on the structure of the analyzed compounds.

Analysis and separation of enkephalin and dalargin analogues and fragments by capillary zone electrophoresis

Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) has been applied to qualitative and quantitative analysis and separation of synthetic analogues and fragments of enkephalins ([Leu5]enkephalin, H-Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu-OH, [Met5]enkephalin, H-Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Met-OH), and dalargin (H-Tyr-D-Ala-Gly-Phe-Leu-Arg-OH), biologically active peptides with morphin-like effects acting as ligands for the opiate receptors in the brain. These oligopeptides (dipeptides to hexapeptides) were analyzed as cations in two acidic background electrolytes (BGEs), BGE I (100mM H3PO4, 50mM Tris, pH 2.25), BGE II (100mM iminodiacetic acid, pH 2.30), and both as cations and anions in alkaline BGE IV (40 mM Tris, 40 mM Tricine, pH 8.10). Purity degrees of peptides, expressed in three different ways (relative peak height, relative peak area and relative corrected peak area), were determined by their CZE analyses in the above BGEs, and their values were compared with respect to the peak shapes and migration times of the main synthetic products and their admixtures. Selected analogues and fragments of enkephalins and dalargin were successfully separated by CZE in acidic isoelectric buffers, 100 and 200 mM iminodiacetic acid, pH 2.30 and 2.32, respectively. The effective electrophoretic mobilities at standard temperature 25 degrees C, and effective and specific charges of all analyzed peptides in the above three BGEs were determined. Correlation between effective electrophoretic mobility of the analyzed peptides and their charge and size (relative molecular mass) was investigated, which revealed different molecular shape of analyzed peptides in acidic and alkaline BGEs. In addition, the selected characteristics of the UV-absorption detector (noise, signal to noise ratio, sensitivity, and limits of detection and quantification) were determined.

Determination of 3-methylhistidine and 1-methylhistidine in untreated urine samples by capillary electrophoresis

Capillary electrophoretic (CE) method was developed for the determination of urinary 3-methylhistidine (3MH) and 1-methylhistidine (1MH) indicating the extent of degradation of skeletal muscle proteins and thereby the state of human health. 3MH, 1MH and histidine can be separated in both acidic and alkaline media, where these amino acids form cation and anion, respectively. The effective mobility of all ionic forms was measured over a broad range of pH (1.67-11.80), which made it possible to evaluate the corresponding dissociation constants. 3MH and 1MH were determined together with creatinine in untreated urine samples with the limit of detection of 2.4 microM (0.4 mgL(-1)) and 3.0 microM (0.5 mgL(-1)), respectively. Determination was fast and took ca. 12 min including the column washing. Method was employed for an analysis of urine collected from healthy individuals, and from the patients hospitalized with obesity and diabetes mellitus II. This analysis has revealed differences between the healthy individuals and the patients pointing to a more extensive degradation of muscle proteins in the latter group.

Combining combinatorial chemistry and affinity chromatography: highly selective inhibitors of human betaine: homocysteine S-methyltransferase

A new method to find novel protein targets for ligands of interest is proposed. The principle of this approach is based on affinity chromatography and combinatorial chemistry. The proteins within a crude rat liver homogenate were allowed to interact with a combinatorial library of phosphinic pseudopeptides immobilized on affinity columns. Betaine: homocysteine S-methyltransferase (BHMT) was one of the proteins that was retained and subsequently eluted from these supports. The phosphinic pseudopeptides, which served as immobilized ligands for the isolation of rat BHMT, were then tested for their ability to inhibit human recombinant BHMT in solution. The most potent inhibitor also behaved as a selective ligand for the affinity purification of BHMT from a complex media. Further optimization uncovered Val-Phe-psi[PO(2-)-CH(2)]-Leu-His-NH(2) as a potent BHMT inhibitor that has an IC(50) of about 1 microM.