Improvement of enantioselective syntheses and chiral high resolution gas chromatographic analyses of (+)-2-allyl-2-carboethoxy-cyclopentanol

The improvement of the biocatalytic reduction of 2-allyl-carboethoxy-cyclopentanone (2) to the corresponding cyclopentanol derivative (+)-(1R,2R)-(1) was accomplished employing baker's yeast in organic media. This chiral cyclopentanol derivative (1), analyzed by high resolution gas chromatography performed over β-cyclodextrin stationary phase, was obtained in 38% yield (>99% e.e.). Chirality 9:321–324, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Comparison of capillary electrophoresis and liquid chromatography for the enantiomeric separation of α-phosphonosulfonic acids

The enantiomers of α-phosphonosulfonic acids were completely resolved by capillary electrophoresis using β-cyclodextrin as a chiral selector in a borate electrolyte and HPLC using a chiral AGP column. The methods were used to quantitate the R-enantiomer present as an impurity in the S-enantiomer, a potential cardiovascular drug candiate. Chirality 9:104–108, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Chiral derivatization for separation of racemic amino and thiol drugs by liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis

Separation of racemic amino drugs (α-methylbenzeneethanamine, 6-amino-2-methyl-2-heptanol and 1-aminoethyl-benzenemethanol) and thiol drugs [N-(2-mercapto-1-oxopropyl) glycine, 2-mercaptopropanoic acid, and N-acetyl-3-mercaptovaline] has been evaluated after derivatization. ortho-Phthalaldehyde (OPA) and naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde (NDA) were used with either homochiral thiols (N-acetyl-L-cysteine and N-acetyl-D-penicillamine) or amines [(-)-(1R,2S)-norephedrine, L-phenylalanine, L-tyrosine, and 3-hydroxy-L-tyrosine] as chiral selectors according to the analyte reactive group. The resulting 36 diastereoisomeric derivatives were studied using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE). Of the CE modes, micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as surfactant, β-cyclodextrin (β-CD)-modified capillary zone electrophoresis (β-CD-CZE), and β-CD-MEKC were applied. Results highlight respective performance of the reagents and separative techniques. All OPA derivatives of racemic amino drugs were resolved either by MEKC or β-CD-MEKC. In the case of racemic thiol drugs, 10 of the 12 OPA derivatives were resolved in β-CD-CZE. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Determination of urinary 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid by gas chromatography and its clinical application in man

A sensitive and quantitative gas chromatographic assay for the determination of 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (18β-GA), the main metabolite of glycyrrhizin after oral licorice consumption in human urine, has been developed and validated. For the extraction of 18β-GA from urine two Sep-Pak C₁₈ extractions, hydrolysis with Helix pomatia and three liquid–liquid extractions were performed, using 18α-glycyrrhetinic acid (18α-GA) as internal standard. Both 18β-GA and internal standard were converted into their pentafluorobenzyl-ester/trimethylsilyl-ether derivatives and detected by flame ionization detection using a WCOT-fused-silica capillary column. Good quality control data were obtained in precision and accuracy tests. The detection limit of the gas chromatographic method was 10 μg/l with a urine volume of 10 ml. A detection limit of 3 μg/l was obtained by performing GC–MS. The GC method was used to monitor the urinary excretion of 18β-GA after licorice consumption by two healthy volunteers and a patient suspected of licorice abuse. Furthermore, it was shown that this GC assay enables to detect other metabolites related to licorice consumption.     

Separation of enantiomers of drugs by capillary electrophoresis,part 7: Gamma-cyclodextrin as chiral solvating agent

Following an extended chiral drug screening program by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), the enantioseparation of 86 racemic drugs was tested with γ-cyclodextrin as a chiral solvating agent. Unified conditions were applied to all experiments. In total, 18 drug racemates were separated, 13 entries thereof that had not been separated at the lower CSA concentration applied in an earlier stage of the project. A comparison of the data with the results obtained for α- and β-cyclodextrin points to the significance of partial penetration (“side-on binding”) of aryl groups into the cyclodextrin cavity. Chirality 10:548–554, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Rapid assay for γ-carboxyglutamic acid in urine and bone by precolumn derivatization and reversed-phase liquid chromatography

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic assay for the analysis of γ-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) in urine and bone protein hydrolyzates is described. The method employs precolumn derivatization with o-phthalaldehyde and mercaptoethanol. Gla was quantified by reference to an internal standard (β-carboxyaspartic acid). The “within-run” coefficient of variation of the assay for Gla in urine was between 2.1 and 3.4%, and that for bone protein hydrolyzates was 3.2%. The “between-run” coefficient of variation ranged from 4.1 to 5.5%. There was good agreement between the measurement of urinary Gla by high-performance liquid chromatography and amino acid analyzer. Free Gla could not be detected in serum.     

Determination of metabolites of pyrethroids in human urine using solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

The described method permits the determination of the five most important metabolites of the pyrethroids permethrin, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, λ-cyhalothrin, fenvalerate, phenothrin and β-cyfluthrin in human urine in one run. The major urinary metabolites of these substances are cis-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (cis-Cl₂CA), trans-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (trans-Cl₂CA), cis-3-(2,2-dibromovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (Br₂CA), fluoro-3-phenoxybenzoic acid (F-PBA) and 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA). After acidic hydrolysis to release the conjugated carboxylic acid metabolites, the analytes were separated from the matrix by means of solid-phase extraction using a reversed-phase column. The components of the eluate were converted to their methyl esters and extracted in hexane. Separation and quantitative analysis of the pyrethroid metabolites was carried out by capillary gas chromatography and mass selective detection. 2-Phenoxybenzoic acid served as an internal standard. The detection limits lay between 0.3 and 0.5 μg per litre urine. The relative standard deviations of the within-series imprecision were between 1% and 6%. The relative recovery rates ranged between 90% and 98%. Using this method we determined the elimination of pyrethroid metabolites in 24-h urine samples from eight pest controllers after indoor application of permethrin. The detected concentrations ranged from 1 to 70 μg g⁻¹ creatinine.     

Variation in the composition of the heartwood flavonoids of Prunus avium by on-column capillary gas chromatography

A fast and simple extraction procedure, coupled with on-column gas chromatography, has been developed in order to investigate the relative amounts of flavonoids in individual trees within several homogeneous populations of Prunus avium. Eight known flavonoid aglycones were isolated from the heartwood of P. avium and multivariate analysis was employed in order to characterise population groups.     

Enantiomeric separation of tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids by high-performance liquid chromatography with β-cyclodextrin as chiral selector

Tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids, which are known to be present not only in plants but also in animals, including mammals, can be considered as condensation products of 2-phenylethylamines (e.g., catecholamines) with aldehydes (e.g., acetaldehyde) or 2-oxo acids (e.g., pyruvic acid). In this study the possibility of separating the optical isomers of several tetrahydroisoquinolines by high-performance liquid chromatography was investigated. For isosalsoline, tetrahydropapaveroline and laudanosoline a good enantiomeric separation could be achieved by applying β-cyclodextrin-bonded silica as stationary phase in connection with various mobile phases. With respect to laudanosoline, the addition of β-cyclodextrin as chiral selector to the mobile phase using a C₁₈ reversed-phase column as stationary phase revealed an even higher resolution when compared with the chiral columns. All tested tetrahydroisoquinolines which could be well separated into enantiomers bear a hydroxyl group at carbon atom 7 as a common structural feature. Those alkaloids substituted with a methoxy group on position 7 instead of a hydroxyl group (e.g., salsolidine) failed to be resolved into their optical isomers. Therefore, the presence of a hydroxyl group on C7 of the aromatic ring seems to be conducive to steric discrimination. However, the separation results for 1-carboxysalsolinol were unsatisfactory although this molecule possesses a 7-hydroxyl group. In this case the existence of a carboxyl group on C1 reduced the chiral recognition and thus the enantiomeric resolution. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Determination of enantiomeric excess for 2,3-dihydroxy-3-phenylpropionate compounds by capillary electrophoresis using hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin as chiral selector

A new capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method was developed to separate three chiral 2,3-dihydroxy-3-phenylpropionate enantiomers using neutral hydroxypropyl-beta-CD (HP-beta-CD) as chiral selector and borate as background electrolyte. The results showed that HP-beta-CD exhibited good enantioselectivity and high resolution was achieved under the optimum condition of pH 10.3, 200 mM borate buffer containing 6% methanol and 50 mM HP-beta-CD at 15 kV and 20 degrees C within 16 min. The precision of the method was <0.9% for migration time and 4.5% for corrected peak area. In addition, the developed method was successfully applied to the determination of enantiomeric excess (ee) of synthetic 2,3-dihydroxy-3-phenylpropionate samples. With this method, low as 0.2% impurity of the undesirable enantiomer in the presence of high amount of target enantiomer was determined. The results demonstrated that the proposed CZE method is a simple and useful technique and is applicable to ee assay of 2,3-dihydroxy-3-phenylpropionate enantiomers.     

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.     

Determination of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine and its five main metabolites in rat urine by solid-phase extraction and high performance liquid chromatography with on line mass spectrometry

The consumption of psychostimulant amphetamine-like drugs has increased significantly in recent years. Some MDMA metabolites are probably involved in the neurotoxicity and neurodegeneration caused by prolonged use rather than MDMA itself. We recently developed a method to analyze MDMA and its five main metabolites in rat plasma [7]. We have now fully validated this method to the quantification of these drugs in rat urine. We extracted MDMA and its metabolites with Oasis WCX cartridges, separated them on a Nucleodur C18 analytical column and quantified them by ion-trap mass spectrometry. Linearity was excellent: 12.5–1250 ng/mL urine for HMA, HMMA, MDA and MDMA, 25–2500 ng/mL for HHMA, and 150–7500 ng/mL for HHA (r² > 0.993 for all analytes). The lower limits of quantification were 12.5 ng/mL urine for MDMA, MDA, HMA and HMMA, 25 ng/mL for HHMA and 150 ng/mL for HHA. Reproducibility was good (intra-assay precision = 1.7–6.1%; inter-assay precision = 0.6–5.7%), as was accuracy (intra-assay deviation = 0.1–4.8%; inter-assay deviation = 0.7–7.9%). Average recoveries were around 85.0%, except for HHMA (66.2%) and HHA (53.0%) (CV < 8.3%). We also checked the stability of stock solutions and the internal standards after freeze-thawing and in the autosampler. Lastly, we measured the MDMA, MDA, HHMA, HHA, HMMA and HMA in urine samples taken over 24 h from rats given subcutaneous MDMA.     

Determination of aniline and metabolites produced in vitro by liquid chromatography/electrochemistry

A method utilizing reverse-phase liquid chromatography/electrochemistry (LC/EC) was developed for the simultaneous determination of aniline and its hydroxylated derivatives, p-aminophenol, o-aminophenol, m-aminophenol, and N-phenylhydroxylamine. To achieve separation of these compounds, a mobile phase of 3.0% dimethylformamide and 97.0% 0.05 M piperazine acetate, pH 5.4, containing 0.05 M KNO3 was developed. A procedure is also presented for the determination of p-nitrophenol, nitrobenzene, and nitrosobenzene, possible aniline metabolites in higher N-oxidation states, using reductive amperometric detection. The hydroxylated compounds, including the hydroxylamine, and nitrosobenzene are easily detected as metabolites of aniline in mouse liver slice or microsomal preparations. No prior extraction, preconcentration, or derivatization steps are needed for the determinations, which can be accomplished by a direct injection of the incubation mixture. The Km value for the hepatic aniline 4-hydroxylase activity in male Cox-Swiss mice microsomal preparations has been determined to be 0.52 mM; the Vmax value is 2.90 +/- 0.64 nmol min-1 mg microsomal protein-1. Detection limits for all compounds of interest are in the picomole range.     

Separation of R- and S-Thalidomide by Reversed-Phase HPLC with β-cyclodextrin in the mobile phase

R- and S-Thalidomide were resolved by reversed-phase HPLC on a C-18 column with β-cyclodextrin in the mobile phase. As the concentration of β-cyclodextrin was increased stepwise from 0 to 20 mM, enantiomeric resolution increased and retention times decreased significantly. The influence of different organic modifiers in the mobile phase were evaluated, and ethanol, among others, proved to be effective. Equilibrium constants for the formation of β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes of R- and S-thalidomide in EtOH-buffer (5:95) were calculated to be 64 and 76 M⁻¹, respectively. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Charged cyclodextrin-mediated sample stacking in micellar capillary electrophoresis: A simple method for enhancing the detection sensitivity of hydrophobic compounds

The development of on-line sample stacking techniques for enhancing limits of detection of neutral analytes in micellar capillary electrophoresis (MCE) has recently gained much attention. Utilizing high-conductivity sample matrices to invoke sample stacking is promising, but requires the limited use of sample solubilizing agents such as alcohols in the sample matrix. In this study, we show how simple replacement of the sample solvent (methanol) with a solution of sulfated β-cyclodextrin (sβ-CD) allows a significant increase in the sensitivity of detection of model hydrophobic analytes. This increase in sensitivity is accompanied by significant peak sharpening. Sulfated CDs in the sample matrix allow for effective solubilization of hydrophobic analytes without the use of organic solvents such as methanol. The testing of various sample matrix sβ-CD concentrations for their effect on peak sharpening identified 3 to 5% as optimal for the estrogen standards. The use of a sβ-CD sample matrix allowed for hydrostatic injections (3.5 kPa) of 297 s, compared with 4 s when the analytes were dissolved in methanol. A mechanism explaining the sβ-CD-induced effect involves an analyte transfer mechanism where the sβ-CDs, despite providing anodic mobility to analytes in the sample zone, are able to transfer analytes to trailing separation buffer micelles for “recycling” back into the sample zone without compromising the stacking process. The overall improvement in sensitivity allows detection of estrogens in the parts-per-billion range and stands to improve the utility of MCE as a bioanalytical technique.     

Global analysis of metabolites in rat and human urine based on gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Sediment in urine may contain low-molecular-weight compounds that should be included in the analysis. To date, no systematic investigation has addressed this issue. We investigated three primary factors that influence the extraction efficiency of metabolites during preparation of urine samples for metabolomic research: centrifugation, pH, and extraction solvents. Obtained with the use of gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC/TOFMS) technique and principal component analysis (PCA), our results indicate that (1) conventional centrifugation causes an apparent loss of some metabolites, indicating that urine samples for metabolomic research should not be centrifuged before procedures are undertaken to recover the metabolites; (2) pH adjustment has a large impact on the recovery of metabolites and is therefore not encouraged; (3) with design of experiment analysis, methanol and water yield the optimal extraction efficiency. Differences between rat and human urine were observed and are discussed. Ninety-nine metabolites identified in rat and human urine are presented. An efficient protocol is proposed for the pretreatment of urine samples.     

Capillary electrophoretic chiral resolution of vicinal diols by complexation with borate and cyclodextrin: Comparative studies on different cyclodextrin derivatives

Capillary electrophoretic enantioseparation of compounds containing vicinal diol groups have been investigated using different β-cyclodextrin (CD) derivatives and borate as a background electrolyte. Both native β-CD and several β-CD derivatives are examined. Chiral recognition is attributed to both enantioselective inclusion of the analyte into the chiral cavity of the CD and complexation with borate. The influence of concentration of the chiral selector, pH, and organic modifiers on the resolution was studied. Four diols were baseline separated. Chirality 9:153–156, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Molecular modelling of the inclusion complexes between β-cyclodextrin and (R)/(S)-methylphenobarbitone and its application to HPLC

Molecular modelling of β-cyclodextrin and optimisation of its potential energy suggests that a favoured conformation is that distorted from a symmetrical torus. The inclusion of water molecules into the torus cavity simulates the increased stability in an aqueous solvent. Complexes of β-cyclodextrin with (R)- and (S)-enantiomers of methylphenobarbitone have been modelled and energetically optimised by the application of molecular mechanics. The simulations suggests that the guest molecules adopt an orientation in which the phenyl ring is projected into the torus cavity, with in each case the plane of the ring parallel to a longer axis of the distorted torus and slightly displaced from the axis through the torus cavity. It is suggested that the asymmetry in the macrocyclic ring contributes to chiral recognition as a result of additional discriminatory binding to the barbiturate ring residue of each enantiomer, which occupy different 3D geometries. The enantiomers form complexes of different minimum potential energies. The resulting difference in complex stability can be related to the behaviour of β-cyclodextrin, as a mobile phase additive in reverse-phase HPLC to effect chiral separation of rac-medthylphenobarbitone during chromatography. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Strategy combining chiral chromatography with β-cyclodextrin and stereospecific enzyme reaction detection with hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases for resolving steroid epimers

Steroids are chiral molecules with multiple stereogenic centers. Studies of their intermediary metabolism often require analytical techniques to separate the isomers and determine their stereochemistry. Methods for resolving steroid stereoisomers by HPLC using β-cyclodextrin in the mobile phase are reported. Even with the improved selectivity of cyclodextrin chromatography, not all isomers within a steroid series can be resolved. Additional specificity is achieved by reaction detection using postcolumn reactors containing hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases stereospecific for the configuration of the hydroxy functions of steroids. The enzymes catalyze the oxidation of hydroxysteroids and reduction of the coenzyme NAD to NADH. NADH, which is highly fluorescent, is detected at the nanogram levels. Isomers not separated by chromatography were effectively resolved by reaction detection with stereospecific enzymes. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Resolution of the enantiomers of drugs containing amino alcohol structure after derivatization with bromoacetic acid

The separation of the enantiomers of drugs containing an amino alcohol structure like adrenergic drugs or β-blockers is described. The compounds are resolved on chiral ligand-exchange chromatography phases after derivatization with bromoacetic acid. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.