Determination of unbound fraction of dorzagliatin in human plasma by equilibrium dialysis and LC-MS/MS and its application to a clinical pharmacokinetic study

Dorzagliatin, a novel glucokinase (GK) activator targeting both pancreatic and hepatic GK, is currently in late-stage clinical development for treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D). For the optimization of dosing regimens to ensure adequate safety and efficacy, it is critical to have a deep understanding of pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) profiles of the drug in various targeting patient populations, considering the fact that T2D adversely affects a vast patient population who often times also suffer from a wide range of comorbidities including severe liver and/or kidney damage. Since drug efficacy seems to be closely related to unbound drug concentrations at the site of action, therefore, the determination of plasma unbound concentrations/fractions of dorzagliatin is of crucial importance, especially when performing the PK/PD assessment in those special populations. In the current study, a method was developed and validated for determining the unbound fraction (f_u) of dorzagliatin in human plasma by using equilibrium dialysis for the separation of the bound and unbound drug, and LC-MS/MS for subsequent quantification. We have successfully addressed two widely recognized challenges for determination of the f_u, i.e., the lack of knowledge on the "true f_u" and the difficulty in assessing the accuracy and reproducibility of the measurement. Using this method, a 0.2 mL aliquot of human plasma samples were first dialyzed against 0.35 mL of phosphate buffered saline buffer at 37 °C for 5 h in the equilibrium dialysis device to separate the unbound dorzagliatin. Afterwards, post-dialysis samples were extracted by protein precipitation using acetonitrile. Separation of dorzagliatin and potential interferences were achieved using a Gemini C18 column coupled with gradient elution. Subsequent detection was carried out on tandem mass spectrometer operated by multiple reaction monitoring in positive mode using electrospray ionization. The standard curve over the concentration range of 0.125-250 ng/mL exhibits good linearity. The method was fully validated meeting the requirements in current bioanalytical guidance and was successfully applied in a clinical PK study of dorzagliatin in healthy volunteers and patients with renal function impairment. Method reproducibility was demonstrated in incurred sample reanalysis. With demonstrated accuracy, stability and reproducibility, reliable analytical results were obtained from clinical samples for PK/PD interpretation, providing valuable insight for the development of dorzagliatin.

Improving the accuracy of unbound fraction measurement of drug-protein binding by preconditioning the RED membrane inserts

Aim: The objective of this study was to evaluate the rapid equilibrium dialysis (RED) device in protein binding assays in diluted protein matrices and to improve the accuracy of the unbound fraction (f_u) measurement. Methodology: Protein binding assays of drug compounds in bovine serum albumin solutions and human plasma with different folds of dilution were performed using the RED device with and without preconditioning of the dialysis membrane inserts, and the results were compared with those using other approaches in this study. Results & conclusion: Preconditioning of the RED membrane inserts improved the f_u data accuracy of drug-protein binding assay in matrices with relatively low protein contents and such impact could be compound dependent.

Study on the interaction between active components from traditional Chinese medicine and plasma proteins

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), as a unique form of natural medicine, has been used in Chinese traditional therapeutic systems over two thousand years. Active components in Chinese herbal medicine are the material basis for the prevention and treatment of diseases. Research on drug-protein binding is one of the important contents in the study of early stage clinical pharmacokinetics of drugs. Plasma protein binding study has far-reaching influence on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs and helps to understand the basic rule of drug effects. It is important to study the binding characteristics of the active components in Chinese herbal medicine with plasma proteins for the medical science and modernization of TCM. This review summarizes the common analytical methods which are used to study the active herbal components-protein binding and gives the examples to illustrate their application. Rules and influence factors of the binding between different types of active herbal components and plasma proteins are summarized in the end. Finally, a suggestion on choosing the suitable technique for different types of active herbal components is provided, and the prospect of the drug-protein binding used in the area of TCM research is also discussed.

Automation of plasma protein binding assay using rapid equilibrium dialysis device and Tecan workstation

Binding of drug molecules to plasma proteins is an important parameter in assessing drug ADME properties. Plasma protein binding (PPB) assays are routinely performed during drug discovery and development. A fully automated PPB assay was developed using rapid equilibrium dialysis (RED) device and Tecan workstation coupled to an automated incubator. The PPB assay was carried out in unsealed RED plates which allowed the assay to be fully automated. The plasma pH was maintained at 7.4 during the 6-h dialysis under 2% CO₂ condition. The samples were extracted with acetonitrile and analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The percent bound results of 10 commercial drugs in plasma protein binding were very similar between the automated and manual assays, and were comparable to literature values. The automated assay increases laboratory productivity and is applicable to high-throughput screening of drug protein binding in drug discovery.