Analysis of anti-HIV nucleoside inhibitors by capillary electrophoresis-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Determination of antiretroviral drugs for buyers' club in Switzerland using capillary electrophoresis methods

Human immunodeficiency virus-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome continues to be a major global public health issue, having claimed almost 33 million lives to date. Due to the high cost of antiretroviral treatment, access to these drugs remains difficult for vulnerable populations, such as migrants and people living in prisons, who often do not have health insurance. These factors lead to poorer health outcomes and higher transmission rates. The personal importation scheme for unapproved generics from foreign countries is one option to access affordable human immunodeficiency virus treatment. However, the risk of importing falsified medicine remains high, and the quality control of unapproved drugs is lacking. In this context, three CE methods for the analysis of nine antiviral drugs found in commercial pharmaceutical formulations were evaluated. The selected compounds were emtricitabine, tenofovir disoproxil, tenofovir alafenamide, rilpivirine, efavirenz, raltegravir, dolutegravir, abacavir, and lamivudine. The developed methods were successfully applied to determine the active pharmaceutical ingredients of commercial formulations and unapproved generics. The quality control of unapproved generics by CE is an attractive approach due to its good standard of quality, low cost, ecofriendliness, and ease of implementation.

Simultaneous determination of didanosine and its amino acid prodrug, valdidanosine by hydrophilic interaction chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry: application to a pharmacokinetic study in rats

A rapid, sensitive and selective ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method with hydrophilic interaction chromatography has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of didanosine and valdidanosine (L-valine amino acid ester prodrug of didanosine) in rat plasma. Solid-phase extraction (SPE) column was employed to extract the analytes from rat plasma, with high extraction recovery (>85%) for both didanosine and valdidanosine. The analytes were then separated by hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC column) and detected by a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry equipped with an electrospray ionization (ESI) source. The method was linear over the concentration ranges of 2-20,000 ng/mL for didanosine and 4-300 ng/mL for valdidanosine. The lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) of didanosine and valdidanosine was 2 and 4 ng/mL, respectively. The intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviation (RSD) were less than 15% and the relative errors (RE) were all within 15%. Finally, the validated UPLC-MS/MS method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study after either didanosine or valdidanosine orally administrated to the Sprague-Dawley rats.

Analysis and validation of the phosphorylated metabolites of two anti-human immunodeficiency virus nucleotides (stavudine and didanosine) by pressure-assisted CE-ESI-MS/MS in cell extracts: sensitivity enhancement by the use of perfluorinated acids and alcohols as coaxial sheath-liquid make-up constituents

A CE method utilizing triple quadrupole electrospray (ES) MS (MS/MS) detection was developed and validated for the simultaneous measurement of nucleoside 5'-triphosphate and 5'-monophosphate anabolites of the anti-HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) didanosine (ddAMP, ddATP) and stavudine (d4TMP, d4TTP), among a pool of 14 endogenous 5'-mono-, di-, and triphosphate nucleosides. These compounds were spiked and extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) which are the sites of HIV replication and drug action. An acetic acid/ammonia buffer (pH 10, ionic strength of 40 mM) was selected as running electrolyte, and the separation was performed by the simultaneous application of a CE voltage of +30 kV and an overimposed pressure of 28 mbar (0.4 psi). The application of pressure assistance was needed to provide stable ES conditions for successful coupling. The coupling was carried out with a modified sheath-flow interface, with one uninterrupted capillary (80 cmx 50 microm id; 192 microm od) in a dimension that fits into the ESI needle to get a stable ion spray. Some CE-MS parameters such as overimposed pressure, sheath-liquid composition, sheath-liquid and sheath-gas flow rates, ES voltage, and the CE capillary position were optimized in order to obtain an optimal sensitivity. The use of perfluorinated alcohols and acids in the coaxial sheath-liquid make-up (2,2,2-trifluoroethanol + 0.2 mM tridecafluoroheptanoic acid) appeared to provide the best MS sensitivity and improve the stability of spray. The linearity of the CE-MS and CE-MS/MS methods was checked under these conditions. Validation parameters such as accuracy, intraday and interday precision, and LOQs were determined in CE-MS/MS mode. Finally, the quantitation of d4T-TP and ddA-TP was validated in this CE-MS/MS system.

Method development and validation for the analysis of didanosine using micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

A selective MEKC method was developed for the analysis of didanosine in bulk samples. Successful separation of didanosine from 13 of its potential impurities, derived from the various synthetic preparation procedures, was achieved. As CZE gave poor separation selectivity, MEKC was preferable. The use of EKC allowed achievement of the separation in a significantly shorter time than conventional HPLC. An anionic long-chain surfactant, lithium dodecyl sulfate (LiDS), was used as the pseudostationary phase and sodium tetraborate buffer as the aqueous phase. In order to obtain the optimal conditions and to test the method robustness, a central composite response surface modeling experiment was performed. The optimized electrophoretic conditions include the use of an uncoated fused-silica capillary with a total length of 40 cm and an ID of 50 microm, a BGE containing 40 mM sodium tetraborate and 110 mM LiDS at pH 8.0, an applied voltage of 18.0 kV, and the capillary temperature maintained at 15 degrees C. The method was found to be robust. The parameters for validation such as linearity, precision, and sensitivity are also reported. Three commercial bulk samples were analyzed with this system.

Analysis of nucleic acid constituents by on-line capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry

This review is focused on the capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometric (CE-MS) analysis of nucleic acid constituents in the broadest sense, going from nucleotides and adducted nucleotides over nucleoside analogues to oligonucleotides. These nucleic acid constituents play an important role in a variety of biochemical processes. Hence, their isolation, identification, and quantification will undoubtedly help reveal the process of life and disease mechanisms, such as carcinogenesis, and can also be useful for antitumor and antiviral drug research to provide valuable information about mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, toxicity, therapeutic drug level monitoring, and quality control related to this substance class. Fundamental investigations into their structure, the search for modifications, the occurrence and biochemical impact of structural variation amongst others, are therefore of great value. In view of the related bioanalytical procedures, the coupling of CE to MS has emerged as a powerful tool for the analysis of the complex mixtures of nucleic acid constituents: CE confers rapid analysis and efficient resolution, while MS provides high selectivity and sensitivity with structural characterization of minute amounts of compound. After an introduction about the biochemical and analytical perspectives on the nucleic acid constituents, the different modes of CE used in this field of research as well as the relevant CE-MS interfaces and the difficulties associated with quantitative CE-MS are briefly discussed. A large section is finally devoted to field-oriented applications.

Simultaneous determination of HIV-protease inhibitors lamivudine and zidovudine in pharmaceutical formulations by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

A micellar electrokinetic chromatographic (MEKC) method for the simultaneous separation and determination of lamivudine (LMV) and zidovudine (ZDV) in pharmaceutical formulation has been developed. Factors that affect the separation, such as buffer pH, surfactant concentration (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS), organic solvents and applied voltage were optimized. Buffer consisting of 12.5 mM sodium tetraborate decahydrate and 15 mM boric acid adjusted at pH 10.8, containing 90 mM SDS and 5% (v/v) acetonitrile (ACN) was found to be suitable for the separation of the drugs. p-Aminobenzoic acid (PABA) was used as internal standard (I.S.). Detection of analytes and I.S. was performed at a wavelength of 210 nm. It was observed that both the drugs and I.S. were migrated within 20 min at the applied voltage of +10 kV. Validation of the method was performed in terms of linearity, accuracy, precision, limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ). An excellent linearity was obtained in the concentration range 10-80 microg/ml for LMV and 10-100 microg/ml for ZDV. The detection limits for LMV and ZDV were found to be 2.5 and 2.0 microg/ml, respectively. The optimized method was applied to the simultaneous determination of LMV and ZDV in pharmaceutical formulation and human plasma (spiked) samples. Recovery of both the drugs in tablet dosage form and spiked drugs in plasma were > or =99.72% (relative standard deviation (R.S.D.)< or =1.84%) and > or =80.4% (R.S.D.< or =5.4%), respectively. In the electropherogram no interfering peaks were observed in the region of analytes and I.S. due to inactive ingredients in the tablets and matrices in plasma.

Determination of ddATP levels in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients treated with dideoxyinosine

Clinical failures of the highly active antiretroviral therapy could result from inefficient intracellular concentrations of antiviral drugs. The determination of drug contents in target cells of each patient would be useful in clinical investigations and trials. The purpose of this work was to quantify the intracellular concentration of ddATP, the active metabolite of dideoxyinosine (ddI), in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients treated with ddI. We have raised antibodies against ddA-citrate, a stable isostere of ddATP selected on the basis of its structural and electronic analogies with ddATP. The anti-ddA-citrate antibodies recognized ddATP and ddA with nanomolar affinities and cross-reacted neither with any of the nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors used in HIV therapy nor with their phosphorylated metabolites. The three phosphorylated metabolites of ddI (ddAMP, ddADP, and ddATP) were purified by anion exchange chromatography and the amount of each metabolite was determined by radioimmunoassay with or without prior phosphatase treatment. The intracellular levels of the three ddI metabolites were measured both in an in vitro model and in PBMCs of HIV-infected patients under ddI treatment. The possibility to measure intracellular levels of ddATP from small blood samples of HIV-infected patients treated with ddI could be exploited to develop individual therapeutic monitoring.

Determination of didanosine in human serum by on-line solid-phase extraction coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric detection: application to a bioequivalence study

A method based on solid-phase extraction coupled to liquid chromatography with positive ion electrospray ionization and tandem mass spectrometric detection was developed for the determination of didanosine in human serum, using lamivudine as internal standard. The acquisition was performed in the multiple reaction monitoring mode, monitoring the transitions m/z 237 --> 136.7 for didanosine and m/z 230 --> 111.7 for lamivudine. The method was linear over the range studied (10-1500 ng ml(-1)), with r(2) > 0.98, and the run time was 5 min. The intra- and inter-assay precisions were < or =10% and the intra- and inter-assay accuracies were >95%. The absolute recoveries were 99.8% (10 ng ml(-1)), 98.4% (30 ng ml(-1)), 91.5% (700 ng ml(-1)) and 94.7% (1200 ng ml(-1)). The limits of detection and quantitation were 5 and 10 ng ml(-1), respectively. The method was applied to a bioequivalence study, in which 24 healthy adult volunteers (12 men) received single oral doses (200 mg) of reference and test didanosine formulations (buffered powder for oral solutions), in an open, two-way, randomized, crossover protocol. The 90% confidence interval of the individual ratios (test formulation/reference formulation) for C(max) (peak serum concentration) and AUC(0-inf) (area under the serum concentration versus time curve from time zero to infinity) were within the range 80-125%, which supports the conclusion that the two formulations are bioequivalent regarding the rate and extent of didanosine absorption.

Concurrent analysis of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors in a pool of endogenous nucleosides by short-end injection-capillary electrochromatography on a beta-cyclodextrin-bonded stationary phase

As part of our on-going study of the analysis of anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) nucleosides, a capillary electrochromatography (CEC) method has been developed for the concurrent analysis of nucleoside HIV reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) in a pool of endogenous nucleosides. Up to now, beta-cyclodextrin-bonded silica stationary phases have mainly been dedicated to the separation of enantiomers; however, these polysaccharides can be also be used in achiral way. This work aims at showing how CEC performed on a beta-cyclodextrin-bonded silica stationary phase can be used to concurrently resolve zidovudine (AZT), lamivudine (3TC), didanosine (ddA) and its administrated form (ddI), stavudine (d4T) and hivid (ddC) in a mixture of adenosine (A), cytidine (C), guanosine (G), thymidine (T) and uridine (U). The influence of several parameters (pH buffer, ionic strength, acetonitrile content, temperature and voltage) on both the retention times and the retention factors has been investigated using the short-end injection technique to achieve baseline separation in a short-time analysis before quantitation. Moreover, the retention factors of the charged solutes in short-end injection-CEC were calculated using theoretically derived equations, allowing for the actual voltage drop in the packed section of the semipacked CEC capillary.

Simple rapid method for quantification of antiretrovirals by liquid chromatography-tandem mass-spectrometry

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the current study was to develop a simple, fast and universal method for quantification of any combination of all currently marketed anti-HIV drugs in human plasma, using a LC-tandem mass spectrometer (API-2000, SCIEX, Toronto, Canada).

METHODS

80 microL plasma were spiked with internal standard (cimetidine), and protein precipitated with 200 microL acetonitrile. The sample was centrifuged and 30 microL aliquot was injected onto the HPLC column, where it underwent an online extraction with ammonium acetate. After that the automatic switching valve was activated, changing the mobile phase to methanol and thereby eluting the analytes into the tandem mass spectrometer. Stavudine, AZT and efavirenz were analyzed in the negative MS/MS mode, while all other drugs were analyzed in the positive mode. The high selectivity of a tandem mass analyzer allows determination of any combination of the drugs within a 4.5 min run.

RESULTS

Between-day precision was below 10% for all analytes at the concentrations tested. Accuracy ranged between 95% and 105% (n = 20). The method was linear over the measuring ranges of all analytes. Within-run precision gave a CV < 7% for all analytes. Good correlation with other analytical methods was observed.

CONCLUSIONS

The simplicity, universality and high throughput of the method make it suitable for application in a clinical laboratory. The method has been implemented in our laboratory for routine use.