Role of capillary electrophoresis methods in the drug development process

In the past several years, capillary electrophoresis (CE) has generated considerable interest from pharmaceutical companies for control of both the chiral and achiral purity of bulk drugs and drug products. This paper evaluates the use of CE as: (1) a technique complementary to HPLC for the determination of peak homogeneity of a drug, (2) for determination of chiral purity, and (3) for determination of achiral purity. It would be greatly advantageous if CE could be used to determine both the chiral and achiral purity in a single assay. This investigation compares the results obtained for the separation of the enantiomers of duloxetine using several neutral cyclodextrins to those obtained using anionic cyclodextrins (sulfobutyl ether derivatives) as chiral selectors added to the separation buffer. In addition, it reports chiral separations obtained by using neutral cyclodextrins in a sulfonic acid-coated capillary column, which give a negatively charged capillary surface and electro-osmotic flow even in low pH buffers. The possible mechanism of separation is discussed. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Recent progress in capillary electrophoretic analysis of amino acid enantiomers

This review highlights recent progresses in capillary electrophoresis (CE) analysis of amino acid enantiomers in the last decade. Various chiral selectors including cyclodextrins (CDs), bile salts, crown ethers, cinchona alkaloids, metal-chiral amino acid complexes, macrocyclic antibiotics and proteins have been employed to separate amino acid enantiomers. In the CE analysis of amino acids, the selection of the separation mode is one of the most important issues to obtain good resolution of target enantiomers. Among several separation modes, CD-modified capillary zone electrophoresis (CD-CZE), CD electrokinetic chromatography (CDEKC), micellar EKC (MEKC), CD-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography (CD-MEKC), capillary electrochromatography (CEC), ligand-exchange CE (LE-CE), and nonaqueous CE (NACE) have been employed to the chiral analysis of amino acids. More than 160 published research articles collected from SciFinder Scholar databases from the year 2001 described the enantioseparations of amino acids by capillary-based electrophoresis. This review provides a comprehensive table listing the CE analysis of amino acid enantiomers with categorizing by the separation modes.     

Recent advances in enantiomer separations by affinity capillary electrophoresis using proteins and peptides

Enantiomer separations by capillary electrophoresis (CE), using proteins as chiral selectors--affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE) with free solutions and capillary electrochromatography (CEC)--with protein immobilized capillaries, are reviewed. The separation principle, recent advances in this field and some interesting topics are presented. In ACE, various enantiomer separations have been already reported using either plasma proteins or egg white ones. Miscellaneous proteins were also explored in the last few years. On the contrary, only a limited number of enantiomer separations have been successfully achieved in CEC. CEC is not yet mature enough to date, and further investigations, such as efficiency, durability and reproducibility of capillaries, will be necessary for the use of routine analyses. The study of enantioselective drug-protein binding is important in pharmaceutical developments. Some applications including high-performance CE/frontal analysis (HPCE/FA) are introduced in this paper.     

Use of Sulfated Cyclofructan 6 and Sulfated Cyclodextrins for the Chiral Separation of Four Basic Pharmaceuticals by Capillary Electrophoresis

Sulfated cyclofructan 6 (S‐CF6) and sulfated cyclodextrins (S‐α‐, β‐, γ‐CDs) are highly selective chiral selectors for the enantioseparation of basic solutes. In this study, S‐CF6 was introduced for the enantiomeric separation of four basic pharmaceuticals (including tamsulosin, tiropramide, bupivacaine, and norephedrine) by capillary electrophoresis (CE), and the enantiomeric separation performance was compared with S‐α‐, β‐, γ‐CDs. The effects of the chiral selector type, chiral selector concentration, operating voltage, and column temperature were examined and optimized. Excellent resolutions were obtained for all solutes on these chiral selectors. Chirality 25:735–742, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Enantiomer separation of dihydropyridine calcium antagonists with cyclodextrins as chiral selectors: structural correlation

Native and substituted cyclodextrins (CDs) were used as chiral selectors both in high-performance liquid chromatography and capillary electromigration separations (HPCE and MEKC). Chromatographic data of five dihydropyridine calcium antagonists obtained on three β-CD chiral stationary phases in reversed-phase mode were compared with those of capillary electrophoresis using β-CDs in the presence and absence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Competition of separated compounds with SDS molecules for penetration into the CD cavity can limit their necessary interaction with the chiral selector and consequently even preclude enantiomer separation. Some insight into this problem can be brough about by comparing the experimental data with computer-aided energy minimization of CD-solute and CD-SDS inclusion complexes.     

Link between biological signaling and increased enantioseparations of acids using glycopeptide antibiotics

The vancomycin analog A82846B has been shown to provide excellent selectivity as a chiral recognition agent for some acidic test analytes in capillary electrophoresis (CE) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In both modes A82846B outperforms vancomycin as a chiral selector. A82846B has enhanced antibacterial activity data in comparison to vancomycin, which is probably due to the increased dimerization constant of over 100 in magnitude in comparison to vancomycin. The link between the electrophoretic and chromatographic separations observed and the biological activity of A82846B is discussed. Dimerization of A82846B in solution was proposed as a theory as to why A82846B gave such enhanced separations for acidic racemates. Further literature and experimental studies support the theory.     

Enantiomeric separation of chiral ruthenium(II) complexes using capillary electrophoresis

Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and micellar capillary electrophoresis (MCE) were applied for the enantiomeric separation of nine mononuclear tris(diimine)ruthenium(II) complexes as well as the separation of all stereoisomers of a dinuclear tris(diimine)ruthenium(II) complex. Nine cyclodextrin (CD) based chiral selectors were examined as run buffer additives to evaluate their effectiveness in the enantiomeric separation of tris(diimine)ruthenium(II) complexes. Seven showed enantioselectivity. Sulfated gamma-cyclodextrin (SGC), with four baseline and three partial separations, was found to be the most useful chiral selector. In CZE mode, the derivatized gamma-CDs were more effective than beta-CDs while sulfated CDs work better than carboxymethyl CDs. In MCE mode, hydroxypropyl beta-CD separated the greatest number of tris(diimine) ruthenium(II) complexes. The effects of chiral selector concentration, run buffer pH and concentration, the concentration ratio between chiral selector and other factors were investigated.     

Synergistic chiral separations using the glycopeptides ristocetin A and vancomycin

The effectiveness of using a mixture of the chiral selectors vancomycin and ristocetin A to achieve chiral recognition was examined in this study. The results of using the mixed chiral selector vancomycin and ristocetin A in capillary electrophoresis were compared with the results of using each chiral selector alone. Chiral separations were carried out using a coated capillary column to suppress electroosmotic flow and minimize interactions with the capillary wall. We employed a countercurrent process where the solute reaches the detection cell window after the chiral selector has cleared the window, minimizing the background absorbance from the chiral selector and improving sensitivity. Using a mixture of vancomycin and ristocetin A, separations were achieved which often exceeded the resolving power of either chiral selector when used alone. The effect of voltage on resolution was also studied, and the optimal voltage was found to be between -5 and -8 kV.     

Capillary electrophoretic enantiomeric separations using the glycopeptide antibiotic,teicoplanin

Teicoplanin is the third in a series of macrocyclic glycopeptide antibiotics that has been evaluated as a chiral selector in capillary electrophoresis (CE). It was used to resolve over 100 anionic racemates at low selector concentrations. Like the other related glycopeptide antibiotics, its enantioselectivity tends to be opposite to that of the ansa-type antibiotics which prefers cationic compounds, particularly amines. Factors that affect teicoplanin-based enantioseparations include the selector concentration, pH, and the concentration of the organic modifier. The temperature and the nature and strength of the buffer are also known-to affect the stability of the chiral selector as well as the enantioseparation. Teicoplanin exhibited some features that were not noted with the other glycopeptide antibiotics. For example, it aggregates (forms micelles) in aqueous solutions and this influences its enantioselectivity. Unlike the other studied glycopeptides, teicoplanin precipitates in alcohol-water mixtures. It also binds less to the capillary wall than vancomycin as evidenced by the faster electroosmotic flow velocity. The micellization of teicoplanin is pH dependent so that the effect of pH on enantiorecognition is more complex for teicoplanin than for other chiral selectors. Also it is shown that the simple model proposed to explain the role of organic modifiers in cyclodextrin-based CE enantioseparations may not apply to these and other systems. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Separation of the enantiomers of some racemic nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors and barbiturates by capillary electrophoresis

High-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) and micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MECC) were applied to the resolution of racemic nonsteroidal antiaromatase drugs and intermediates. Successful results were obtained in both modes using α-cyclodextrin (α-CD), β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CD), or 2,6-di-O-methyl-β-cyclodextrin (DM-β-CD) as chiral selectors. Depending on the structure of the solute, one of the cyclodextrins was generally better suited for resolution of the racemate. The basic solutes were analyzed under HPCE conditions, whereas the nonionizable compounds such as glutethimide (Doriden®) were analyzed in MECC mode. For the azole-type antiaromatase Fadrozole, both HPCE and MECC modes could be used to achieve the separation of the enantiomers. The influence of experimental factors such as pH, the presence of organic modifier, temperature, the micelle concentration, and the concentration of the chiral selector is also discussed on the basis of the results obtained with some chiral barbiturates. The possibility of analyzing the enantiomers directly in plasma samples was also demonstrated. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Analysis of optical purity and impurity of synthetic D-phenylalanine products using sulfated beta-cyclodextrin as chiral selector by reversed-polarity capillary electrophoresis

A new capillary electrophoresis (CE) method has been achieved for simultaneous separation and quantification of phenylalanine, N-acetylphenylalanine enantiomers, and prochiral N-acetylaminocinnamic acid, possibly co-existent in reaction systems or synthesized products of D-phenylalanine. The separation was carried out in an uncoated capillary under reversed-electrophoretic mode. Among the diverse charged cyclodextrins (CDs) examined, highly sulfated (HS)-beta-CD as the chiral selector exhibited the best enantioselectivity. The complete separation of the analytes was obtained under the optimum conditions of pH 2.5, 35 mM Tris buffer containing 4% HS-beta-CD, applied voltage -15 kV, and capillary temperature 25 degrees C. Furthermore, the proposed method was applied to the determination of optical purity and trace impurities in three batches of the asymmetric synthetic samples of D-phenylalanine, and satisfactory results were obtained. The determination recoveries of the samples were in the range of 97.8-103.8%, and precisions fell within 2.3-5.0% (RSD). The results demonstrate that this CE method is a useful, simple technique and is applicable to purity assays of D-phenylalanine.     

Separation of enantiomers using vancomycin in a countercurrent process by suppression of electroosmosis

Excellent separations were achieved using a coated column to suppress electroosmotic flow and employing a countercurrent process between chiral selector and racemic solute. Using the macrocyclic antibiotic vancomycin as a chiral selector in capillary electrophoresis the resolution of nonsteroidal antiinflammatories and dansyl amino acids was achieved. Improvement in sensitivity due to the elimination of background absorbance and increased efficiency due to the removal of wall adsorption effects are both achieved using this technique. © 1996 Wiley-Liss. Inc.     

Separation of nucleoside phosphoramidate diastereoisomers by high performance liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis

Separations of five diastereoisomers of nucleoside phosphoramidate derivatives (pronucleotides) were performed by both HPLC method using derivatized cellulose and amylose chiral stationary phases and CE method using anionic cyclodextrins added in the background electrolyte (BGE). An optimal baseline separation (Rs > 1.5) was readily obtained with all silica-based celluloses and amyloses using in a normal-phase methodology. Capillary electrophoresis was used as an alternative technique to HPLC for the separation of pronucleotides. The diastereoisomers were fully resolved with sulfated cyclodextrins at both BGE pH (2.5 and 6.2). Limits of detection and limits of quantification, calculated for both methods, are up to 200 times higher in CE separations than in HPLC separations. The analytical HPLC method was then applied in a preliminary study for the pronucleotide 1 quantification in cellular extract.     

Investigation of the Enantioselectivity of Tetramethylammonium L‐hydroxyproline Ionic Liquid as a Novel Chiral Ligand in Ligand‐Exchange CE and Ligand‐Exchange MEKC

Chiral ionic liquids (ILs) have drawn more and more attention in separation science; however, only a few papers focused on the application of chiral ILs as chiral ligands in LE‐CE. In this article, a novel amino acid ionic liquid (AAIL), tetramethylammonium L‐hydroxyproline ([TMA][L‐OH‐Pro]), was first applied as a chiral ligand to evaluate its enantioselectivity towards several aromatic amino acids in ligand‐exchange capillary electrophoresis (LE‐CE) and ligand‐exchange micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (LE‐MEKC). In the LE‐CE system, excellent separations were achieved for tryptophan (Rs = 3.03) and 3, 4‐dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) (Rs = 4.35). Several parameters affecting the enantioseparation were systematically investigated, including AAIL concentration, type and concentration of central metal ion, buffer pH, as well as applied voltage. The optimum separation was obtained with 60 mM AAIL containing 30 mM Cu (II) at pH 4.5. Additionally, an LE‐MEKC system was established to further study the enantioselectivity of [TMA][L‐OH‐Pro] towards selected analytes. As observed, the separations of the enantiomers of tryptophan, phenylalanine, and histidine were all improved compared to the LE‐CE system. The results indicated that the application of AAILs as chiral ligands is a promising method in chiral separation science. Chirality 27:58–63, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Comprehensive strategy for chiral separations using sulfated cyclodextrins in capillary electrophoresis

This review focuses on the emerging role of sulfated cyclodextrins in the capillary electrophoretic (CE) separation of chiral analytes. Since being introduced as enantioselective agents for CE in 1995, these anionic additives have continued to demonstrate remarkable application universality. The broad spectrum of chiral compounds successfully separated using this approach includes acidic, basic, neutral, and zwitterionic species. This impressive array of analyte structures is derived from a growing diversity of compound classes including pharmaceuticals, plant extracts, biomarkers, herbicides, alkaloids, fungicides, and metal ions. Moreover, literature reports highlight the minimal optimization required to achieve a successful separation. Based on these findings, sulfated cyclodextrins appear to be well suited for the development of a more universal, comprehensive separation strategy for chiral compounds. This review explores this proposition by beginning with the structure and migration properties of sulfated cyclodextrins, using applications to highlight the separating power of this technique and ending with a pragmatic, comprehensive separation strategy.     

Enantioseparation of amfepramone (rac-diethylpropion): preparative separation of the enantiomers and enantioselective analysis

The enantiomers of the anorectic drug amfepramone [rac-diethylpropion, rac-2-(diethylamino)-1-phenyl-1-propanone; rac-DEP] were separated in the preparative scale by crystallization. With enantiopure di-O-benzoyltartaric acid as salt-forming chiral selector, diastereoisomeric salts of DEP enantiomers with a final purity of more than 97.5% were obtained. Analytical liquid chromatographic and electrophoretic methods for the control of the enantiomeric purity and the stoichiometry of the salts were developed. The enantioseparation of rac-DEP by capillary electrophoresis (CE) using hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-beta-CD) as chiral discriminator and phosphate buffer (pH 3.3) as run buffer led to good separations. HPLC methods were developed using polysaccharide chiral stationary phases (CSP). The separation of the two enantiomers and the two main degradation products (1-phenyl-1,2-propanedione and propiophenone), known from solid and liquid pharmaceutical preparations, was attained in one run on the silica-based CSP cellulose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) (Chiralcel OD). The conditions which might affect the enantioselectivity and the quality of the enantiomeric separation were investigated for Chiralcel OD and the related CSP amylose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) (Chiralpak AD). Both CSPs showed very similar chromatographic properties. The separation factors could be influenced significantly by varying the polar organic modifier added to the mobile phase.     

Single-step enantioselective amino acid flux analysis by capillary electrophoresis using on-line sample preconcentration with chemical derivatization

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) represents a versatile platform for integrating sample pretreatment with chemical analysis because of its ability to tune analyte electromigration and band dispersion properties in discontinuous electrolyte systems. In this article, a single-step method that combines on-line sample preconcentration with in-capillary chemical derivatization is developed for rapid, sensitive, and enantioselective analysis of micromolar levels of amino acids that lack intrinsic chromophores by CE with UV detection. Time-resolved electrophoretic studies revealed two distinct stages of amino acid band narrowing within the original long sample injection plug occurring both prior to and after in-capillary labeling via zone passing by ortho-phthalaldehyde/N-acetyl l-cysteine (OPA/NAC). This technique enabled direct analysis of d-amino acids in a 95% enantiomeric excess mixture with sub-micromolar detection limits and minimal sample handling, where the capillary functions as a preconcentrator, microreactor, and chiral selector. On-line sample preconcentration with chemical derivatization CE (SPCD-CE) was applied to study the enantioselective amino acid flux in Escherichia coli bacteria cultures, which demonstrated a unique l-Ala efflux into the extracellular medium. New strategies for high-throughput analyses of low-abundance metabolites are important for understanding fundamental physiological processes in bacteria required for screening the efficacy of new classes of antibiotics as well as altered metabolism in genetically modified mutant strains.     

Determination of the enantiomeric purity of dihydroxy- and dimethoxy-2-aminotetralins by high-performance capillary electrophoresis with cyclodextrins as chiral selector

A chiral separation of 5,6- and 6,7-dihydroxy-2-aminotetralin and of the corresponding dimethoxy analogues can be achieved by high-performance capillary electrophoresis using cyclodextrins as chiral selector. The selectivity of a number of native and derivatized cyclodextrins was screened and hydroxylalkyl-β-cyclodextrins turned out to be the most effective. Optimization of hydroxyethylcyclodextrin and hydroxypropylcyclodextrin concentration for each compound led to baseline separation (resolution factors from 1.7 to 2.3) resulting in a detection limit of 0.1% for the enantiomer present as impurity. Modifiers of the electroendosmotic flow, such as hydroxypropylcellulose and hexadecyltrimethylammoniun bromide, must be added to the background electrolyte to obtain such results. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Separation and detection of closely related peptides by micellar electrokinetic chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry using the partial filling technique

Closely related peptides such as neurotensin and angiotensin analogues were separated by capillary zone electrophoresis using a nonionic surfactant, sucrose monododecanoate, as a micelle forming reagent. These peptides were detected by an on-line coupled mass spectrometer using an electrospray ionization interface. However, the presence of the micelles in the separation solution drastically reduced the sensitivity of the mass spectrometer. Therefore, a partial filling technique was employed to prevent the micelles from entering the mass spectrometric interface. A part of the capillary from the injection end was filled with the micellar solution in this technique. Analytes passed through the micellar zone during the electrophoresis and when the separated analytes reached the detection end of the capillary, the micellar zone was still behind the analyte zones, because the nonionic surfactant moved very slowly in acidic conditions. Thus the technique was very useful for mass spectrometric detection for CE when the micellar solution was employed for separation. The optimization of separation and detection conditions was investigated.     

Enantioseparation of N-protected α-amino acid derivatives by liquid-liquid extraction technique employing stereoselective ion-pair formation with a carbamoylated quinine derivative

Two-phase liquid-liquid extraction experiments were undertaken to study the enantioselective transport of the chiral N-protected α-amino acid derivatives from an aqueous buffer solution into an organic phase employing highly lipophilic carbamoylated quinine as chiral selector and phase transfer carrier, respectively. The chiral separation, derived from enantioselective ion-pair formation and differential solubility in the aqueous and organic phases of diastereomeric associates thus formed has been shown to be primarily dependent on the structure of the selectand, the nature of the organic solvent, the molar ratio of a given chiral selector to selectand in the two phases, and the pH of the aqueous phase. Extracted enantiomers were recovered by back-extraction using a relatively polar acidic medium in which the selector is barely insoluble. Thus, the enantiomeric purity of N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)-leucine exceeded 95% enantiomeric excess with 70% overall yield with a single extraction and back-extraction step. Chirality 9:268–273, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.