Determination of enantiomeric purity of glycerides with a chiral PMR shift reagent.

Tris(3-heptafluorobutyryl-d-camphorato)europium(III), Eu(hfbc)₃ was used to determine the optical purities of enantiomeric mixtures of tri-, di- and monoglycerides with various fatty acid chain lengths by proton magnetic resonance (PMR). Synthesized model enantiomers were used to assign PMR signals. Enantiomeric signal separation becomes more difficult if the chain length difference between the fatty acids in the 1- and 3-positions of glycerol becomes smaller. The sign of the enantiomeric shift difference (ΔΔδ) of the terminal acyl CH₃ group of 1-acyl-2,3-distearoyl-sn-glycerol vs its enantiometer remains the same in the series acyl is hexanoyl, butyryl, propionyl, but is reversed for acetyl.The absolute configuration of the main triglyceride of the seed oil of Euonymus alatus was determined to be 3-acetyl-1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycerol and that of a monobutyryl triglyceride fraction from hydrogenated bovine butterfat was confirmed to be mainly 1,2-diacyl-3-butyryl-sn-glycerol. The enantiotopic behaviour of the glycerol CH₂ groups in (nearly) symmetric di- and triglycerides is discussed.     

Biological significance of the enantiomeric purity of drugs

The knowledge that enantiomers of chiral compounds may differ widely in biological activity, qualitatively as well as quantitatively, is not new. Nevertheless most of the pharmacological data available to date on chiral drugs are obtained from experiments with racemates which assume that the biological activity generally resides in one of the enantiomers. With the advancements made in stereospecific synthesis and stereoselective analysis of drugs pharmacologists are now offered new possibilities to explore the steric aspects of drug action. This survey will discuss pharmacological data obtained with enantiomer pairs of phenylethylamine derivatives which interact with adrenergic mechanisms. The degree of resolution is seldom specified in published work on stereoselectivity of drugs. In a recent study from our laboratory the enantiomers of the β₂-adrenoceptor agonist formoterol and their diastereomers have been evaluated. We found that the (R;R)-enantiomer was by far the most potent. However, the relative potencies obtained for the (R;S)-, (S;R), and (S;S)- isomers were critically dependent on the degree of enantiomeric purity. It is concluded that the certainty of potency ratios observed for chiral drugs is limited by the enantiomeric purity and by unspecific effects of the least active enantiomer at very high concentrations. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Optical resolution and enantiomeric purity determination of the analgesic cizolirtine

The optical resolution of (±)‐cizolirtine was accomplished with excellent results (>99% ee) by means of crystallization with (+)‐ or (−)‐di‐p‐toluoyltartaric acid. The optical purity of the samples was controlled by three independent methods: ¹H NMR, capillary electrophoresis (CE) (using β‐cyclodextrins as chiral resolving agents), and HPLC (using a glycoproteic column). The use of a rapid analytical technique like ¹H NMR for estimating the relative amounts of each enantiomer, together with the high sensitivity of CE, afforded a convenient strategy for monitoring the entire process leading to enantiopure compounds. Chirality 11:63–69, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Synthesis and enantiomeric purity determination of chiral 3-benzylglycidol,a key synthon for hiv protease inhibitors

The detailed synthesis of (2R,3R)-3-benzylglycidol by the Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation route is described. The enantiomeric purity determination of this compound is complicated by the presence of small quantities of the diastereometric (2R,3S)-3-benzylglycidol from the asymmetric epoxidation of the cis-allylic alcohol, and the unreacted allylic alcohols that are not removed in the product isolation steps. We have developed a direct chiral HPLC method that can resolve all these components for the precise determination of enantiomeric excesses of chiral 3-benzylglycidols. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Synthesis, stereochemical determination and biochemical characterization of the enantiomeric phosphate esters of the novel immunosuppressive agent FTY720

The novel immunosuppressive agent FTY720 (1) is phosphorylated in vivo in a variety of species yielding an active metabolite that is an agonist of four of the five known G-protein-coupled sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptors. A synthesis amenable to producing gram quantities of the stereoisomeric phosphate esters, a determination of their absolute stereochemistry via an enantioselective synthesis and their characterization as S1P receptor agonists and antagonists is reported.     

Evaluation of enantiomeric purity of selected amino acids in honey

Highly sensitive and accurate HPLC methods were used for the determination of total amounts of proline, leucine and phenylalanine and their enantiomeric ratios in a variety of different honey samples. Significant amounts of D -leucine and D -phenylalanine and relatively low concentrations of D -proline have been found in honeys of different botanical and geographical origins. It is suggested that the enantiomeric ratios of amino acids could be used to test for storage effects, age, and the quality of the processing of the honey. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Determination of the enantiomeric purity of commercial Jacobsen's catalyst samples

A HPLC method is described for the chiral analysis of the commercially available Jacobsen's catalyst. A hydroxypropyl β-cyclodextrin stationary phase was used in conjunction with a nonaqueous, polar-organic mobile phase. The method can be applied to control the enantiomeric purity of the catalyst, which is of great importance for quality control of that product. High accuracy in the determination of trace levels of the unwanted enantiomer in the presence of large amounts of the desired enantiomer is demonstrated. Chirality 10:362–363, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

New methods for determining the enantiomeric purity of erythro -sphingosine

The enantiomeric purity of erythro -sphingosine samples can be determined simply, reliably, and accurately from 1H or 19F nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of the alpha-methoxy-alpha-(trifluoromethyl)phenylacetate (MTPA) derivative. As little as 0.1% of the minor enantiomer could be observed in a 1-mg sample, and detection limits of 1% and 5% were estimated for samples of 100 microg and 10 microg. The two threo -sphingosine enantiomers and four dihydrosphingosine stereoisomers were also differentiated by this technique, which served as an effective method for assessing the purity of sphingosine and dihydrosphingosine samples. Enantiomeric and diastereomeric purities could also be determined by normal-phase high performance liquid chromatographic analysis of the MTPA derivatives.     

Simultaneous determination of nerisopam,a novel anxiolytic agent showing polymorphic metabolism,and its N-acetyl metabolite from human plasma by a validated high-performance liquid chromatographic method

A sensitive reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method with ultraviolet absorbance detection has been developed to simultaneously determine the concentrations of nerisopam (EGIS-6775) and its N-acetyl metabolite (EGIS-7649) from human plasma. The separation of the investigated compounds and internal standard was achieved on a Nucleosil 7 C₁₈ column with 2 mM heptanesulphonic acid containing 0.04 M phosphoric acid-acetonitrile-methanol (70:25:5 v/v), pH 2.7 mobile phase. The detection was performed at 385 nm. The compounds were isolated from plasma by Bakerbond C₁₈ solid-phase extraction. The limit of quantitation was 10 ng/ml plasma for each compound investigated. The assay has been validated with respect to accuracy, precision and system suitability. All validated parameters were found to be within the necessary limits. On the basis of the sensitivity, linearity and validation parameters, the developed analytical method was found to be suitable for the determination of nerisopam and its N-acetyl metabolite from human plasma and for application in pharmacokinetic studies and human drug monitoring. The pharmacokinetic parameters obtained from twelve human volunteers are reported. It was found that nerisopam acetylation is polymorphic: the volunteers with fast or slow acetylator phenotypes produced significantly different plasma concentrations. In slow acetylator phenotypes the concentration of nerisopam was considerably higher in plasma, while the level of its acetyl metabolite was higher in plasma of fast acetylators.     

Large-scale synthesis of the bifunctional chelating agent 2-(p-nitrobenzyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-N,N',N',N'-tetr aacetic acid, and the determination of its enantiomeric purity by chiral chromatography.

The attachment of radiometals to monoclonal antibodies for medical applications requires extreme stability under physiological conditions, with no significant release of metal. Chelators that can hold radiometals like 111In, 67Ga, and 90Y with high stability under these conditions are essential for radiotherapy or immunoscintigraphy. 2-(p-Nitrobenzyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane- N,N',N',N'-tetraacetic acid (nitrobenzyl-DOTA) is one of the most promising bifunctional chelating agents. A large-scale synthesis of nitrobenzyl-DOTA is described. The overall yield for the nine-step synthesis sequence starting from nitrophenylalanine is 5.6%. Synthesis of nitrobenzyl-DOTA according to the new procedure yields up to approximately 10 g without special apparatus. Both enantiomers of the chiral chelate nitrobenzyl-DOTA have been prepared, and their enantiomeric purity has been checked by chiral chromatography.     

Simple protocols for NMR analysis of the enantiomeric purity of chiral diols

A three-component chiral derivatization protocol for determining the enantiopurity of chiral diols by (1)H NMR spectroscopic analysis is described here. The present approach involves the derivatization of 1,2- 1,3- and 1,4-diols with 2-formylphenylboronic acid and enantiopure alpha-methylbenzylamine. This method affords a mixture of diastereoisomeric iminoboronate esters whose ratio can be determined by integration of well-resolved diastereotopic resonances in their (1)H NMR spectra, thus enabling the determination of the enantiopurity of the parent diol. The protocol as described takes less than 90 min to complete.     

Measurements of concentration dependence and enantiomeric purity of terpene solutions as a test of a new commercial VCD spectrometer

Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra of (+)-alpha-pinene solutions in carbon tetrachloride have been measured in the range of volume fractions 5-100% (v/v) in the mid-infrared region. The concentration dependence measured was statistically analyzed with the aim of obtaining a reliable correlation between the VCD band areas and the concentrations of individual enantiomers. The quality of the spectra was estimated by means of noise spectra which were defined as half the difference of the two following blocks of scans. In addition to this, the enantiomeric purity was studied. This study was carried out for both (+)- and (-)-alpha-pinene enantiomers in the range of the percent enantiomeric excess in the interval 10-100%. The relationship between VCD intensity and enantiomeric purity was determined by least-square regression and statistically evaluated. All measurements performed in this study were intended as a basic tool for testing of a new commercial VCD setup from Bruker. Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Reliable assay of extreme enantiomeric purity values by a new circular dichroism based HPLC detection system

A new sensitive, selective, and versatile circular dichroism (CD)-based HPLC detection system was used for the validation of the enantiomeric purity assay in the quality control of chiral drugs upon nonchiral stationary phases. The precision and the accuracy of the method were checked for selected samples showing values of the anisotropy factor on the order of 10(-1) to 10(-4). Very high accuracy has been obtained also in the case of extreme enantiomeric purity values (/=99% e.p.) and of a low anisotropy factor (g = 2 x 10(-4)) compound. The high selectivity of this detection system allows a selective monitoring of analytes in complex mixtures and makes the baseline stable.     

The pharmacology of prazosin, a novel antihypertensive agent

During the past few years a large amount of pharmacological and physiological evidence has been obtained in favor of two distinct types of α-adrenoceptors. As a working hypothesis, it is feasible to assume that both α₁- and α₂-adrenoceptors are abundant on the vascular effector site, whereas the α-adrenoceptors (the blockade of which increases norepinephrine release) predominate at the level of peripheral sympathetic nerve endings. Prazosin is a novel, selective antagonist of α₁-adrenoceptors and can be considered an important advancement both pharmacologically and therapeutically since this compound in contrast to classical α-adrenoceptor blocking agents, is effective for the treatment of high blood pressure. Prazosin lacks direct myorelaxant properties and, unlike many vasodilators, in doses lowering blood pressure it does not produce undesirable increases in heart rate and plasma renin activity. Prazosin has proved to be a very useful pharmacological tool since it has permitted us the furtherance of our knowledge with respect to the subclassification of receptors mediating the effects produced by α-adrenoceptor agonists, particularly clonidine. Pharmacokinetic and metabolic studies on prazosin given orally indicate that in animals and in man this compound has a low bioavailability, short half life and undergoes extensive biotransformation. The most common clinical use of prazosin is as an antihypertensive agent and is often given in association with established blood pressure lowering drugs. Recently, it was shown to be useful in the treatment of congestive heart failure, but for this application tolerance has been described. Generally, patients treated chronically with prazosin suffer only minor unwanted effects. This is in contrast to past experience with traditional α-adrenoceptor antagonist. The most serious side effect of prazosin is known as the “first dose phenomenon” which can sometimes lead to syncope. However, it can be avoided if prazosin therapy is initiated with minimally effective doses and individually tailored to obtain the desired antihypertensive effect. Presently, the interesting clinical profile of prazosin is attributed to its novel property of being a selective antagonist of postsynaptic α₁-adrenoceptors. Howeverm this is probably an over simplification since some therapeutic observations are not entirely consistent with results which would have been expected for a selective α₁-adrenoceptor. For example, prazosin, like the classical antagonists, would be expected to produce sexual dysfunction but, in fact, does not to any significant degree. Future studies with new chemical structures sharing the pharmacological profile of prazosin will clarify the real role of the selectivity towards α₁-adrenoceptors in the therapeutic success of prazosin.     

Simple protocols for NMR analysis of the enantiomeric purity of chiral primary amines

A simple three-component chiral derivatization protocol for determining the enantiopurity of chiral primary amines by 1H NMR spectroscopic analysis is described here. The method involves condensation of the amines with 2-formylphenylboronic acid and enantiopure 1,1'-bi-2-naphthol. This approach affords a mixture of diastereoisomeric iminoboronate esters whose ratio can be determined by the integration of well-resolved diastereotopic resonances in their 1H NMR spectra, thus enabling the enantiopurity of the parent amine to be determined easily. The protocol, as described, takes less than 90 min to complete.     

Development of a validated capillary electrophoresis method for enantiomeric purity control and quality control of levocetirizine in a pharmaceutical formulation

A chiral capillary electrophoresis method has been developed for the quantification of 0.1% of the enantiomeric impurity (dextrocetirizine) in levocetirizine and determination of both in pharmaceuticals using sulfated-β-cyclodextrins (CDs) as chiral selector. Several parameters affecting the separation were studied such as the type and concentration of chiral selectors, buffer composition and pH, organic modifier, mixtures of two CDs in a dual system, voltage, and temperature. The optimal separation conditions were obtained using a 50 mM tetraborate buffer (pH 8.2) containing 1% (w/v) sulfated-β-CDs on a fused-silica capillary. Under these conditions, the resolution of two enantiomers was higher than 3. To validate the method, the stability of the solutions, robustness (two level half fraction factorial design for 5 factors using 19 experiments [2(n-1)+3]), precision, linearity (dextrocetirizine 0.25-2.5 μg/ml, R(2) = 0.9994, y = 0.0375x + 0.0008; levocetirizine 15-100 μg/ml, R(2) = 0.9996, y = 0.0213x + 0.0339), limit of detection (0.075 μg/ml, 0.03% m/m), limit of quantification (0.25 μg/ml, 0.1% m/m), accuracy (dextrocetirizine 84-109%, levocetirizine 97.3-103.1%), filter effect, and different CD batches were examined. The validated method was further applied to bulk drug and tablets of levocetirizine.     

Quantitative PCR confirms purity of strain GT, a novel trichloroethene-to-ethene-respiring Dehalococcoides isolate

A novel Dehalococcoides isolate capable of metabolic trichloroethene (TCE)-to-ethene reductive dechlorination was obtained from contaminated aquifer material. Growth studies and 16S rRNA gene-targeted analyses suggested culture purity; however, the careful quantitative analysis of Dehalococcoides 16S rRNA gene and chloroethene reductive dehalogenase gene (i.e., vcrA, tceA, and bvcA) copy numbers revealed that the culture consisted of multiple, distinct Dehalococcoides organisms. Subsequent transfers, along with quantitative PCR monitoring, yielded isolate GT, possessing only vcrA. These findings suggest that commonly used qualitative 16S rRNA gene-based procedures are insufficient to verify purity of Dehalococcoides cultures. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that strain GT is affiliated with the Pinellas group of the Dehalococcoides cluster and shares 100% 16S rRNA gene sequence identity with two other Dehalococcoides isolates, strain FL2 and strain CBDB1. The new isolate is distinct, as it respires the priority pollutants TCE, cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cis-DCE), 1,1-dichloroethene (1,1-DCE), and vinyl chloride (VC), thereby producing innocuous ethene and inorganic chloride. Strain GT dechlorinated TCE, cis-DCE, 1,1-DCE, and VC to ethene at rates up to 40, 41, 62, and 127 micromol liter-1 day-1, respectively, but failed to dechlorinate PCE. Hydrogen was the required electron donor, which was depleted to a consumption threshold concentration of 0.76+/-0.13 nM with VC as the electron acceptor. In contrast to the known TCE dechlorinating isolates, strain GT dechlorinated TCE to ethene with very little formation of chlorinated intermediates, suggesting that this type of organism avoids the commonly observed accumulation of cis-DCE and VC during TCE-to-ethene dechlorination.     

The protease inhibitor bikunin,a novel anti-metastatic agent

Bikunin is a Kunitz-type protease inhibitor predominantly found in human amniotic fluid. In cancers, administration of bikunin may block tumor cell invasion by a direct inhibition of tumor cell-associated plasmin activity as well as by inhibiting urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) expression at the gene and protein levels, possibly through suppression of CD44 dimerization and/or the MAP kinase signaling cascade. Treatment of cancer patients with bikunin may be beneficial in the adjuvant setting to delay the onset of metastasis development and/or in combination with cytotoxic agents to improve treatment efficacy in patients with advanced ovarian cancer.     

Miltefosine, a promising novel agent for schistosomiasis mansoni

This research aims towards developing an alternative antischistosomal drug using miltefosine, which is primarily used in the treatment of leishmaniasis. The treatment and control of schistosomiasis, a notable neglected tropical disease (NTD), rely on a single drug, praziquantel (PZQ). The dependency on PZQ exclusively is quite alarming, given the spread of the disease (over 200 million people infected and close to 800 million people at risk in three continents) and the threat of drug resistance. This study shows that the oral administration of miltefosine in a daily dose of 20 mg/kg for five successive days to mice infected with either invasive, juvenile or adult stages of Schistosoma mansoni resulted in significant reduction of worm burden, hepatic granulomata size and amelioration of hepatic pathology. Scanning Electron Microscopy revealed that miltefosine induced severe tegumental damage in adult schistosomes. In conclusion, we believe this is the first study highlighting miltefosine as a promising novel agent for schistosomiasis mansoni.