Stereoselective distribution of hydroxychloroquine in the rabbit following single and multiple oral doses of the racemate and the separate enantiomers

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) stereoselective distribution was investigated in rabbits after 20 mg/kg po of racemic-HCQ (rac-HCQ) and 20 mg/kg po of each enantiomer, 97% pure (?)-(R)-HCQ and 99% pure (+)-(S)-HCQ. Concentrations were 4 to 6 times higher in whole blood than in plasma. Melanin did not affect plasma and whole blood levels since concentrations did not differ between pigmented and nonpigmented animals. After single and multiple doses of the separate enantiomers, only 5–10% of the antipode could be measured, in blood or plasma. Therefore, there was no significant interconversion from one enantiomer into the other. Following rac-HCQ, plasma (+)-(S)-levels always surpassed (?)-(R)-ones while in whole blood, (?)-(R)-HCQ concentrations were always the highest. When the enantiomers were administered separately, blood concentrations achieved after (?)-(R)-HCQ were higher, especially after multiple doses. These observations suggest that (?)-(R)-HCQ is preferentially concentrated by cellular components of blood. This enantioselective distribution of HCQ could be secondary to a stereoselective protein binding to plasma proteins, although a more specific binding of (?)-(R)-HCQ to blood cells cannot be ruled out. Since in whole blood (?)-(R)-HCQ is retained in cellular components, metabolism would favour the more available (+)-(S)-enantiomer. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Distribution of the enantiomers of hydroxychloroquine and its metabolites in ocular tissues of the rabbit after oral administration of racemic-hydroxychloroquine

The disposition of the enantiomers of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and its major metabolites in ocular tissues of rabbits has been studied. Both albino, New Zealand White (NZW), and pigmented animals were administered daily oral doses of rac-HCQ, (S)-HCQ or (R)-HCQ (20 mg/kg) over 1, 6, or 8 day periods or for 8 days followed by a 7-day washout period. At the end of the study periods, plasma and whole blood samples were collected and the rabbits were sacrificed. The eyes were collected, the aqueous humor removed with a syringe, and the eyes separated into the cornea, lens, vitreous body, iris, choroid-retina, sclera, and conjunctiva. The concentrations of (R)-HCQ, (S)-HCQ, and their respective metabolites were determined using a validated enantioselective liquid chromatographic assay. The data from these studies indicate that HCQ accumulated in both pigmented and nonpigmented ocular tissues. In the pigmented tissues, HCQ and its metabolites were bound to melanin and the binding was not enantiospecific. In the nonpigmented tissues and in the iris and retina-choroid of the NZW rabbits, the accumulation appeared to be the result of a reversible and enantioselective binding of HCQ and its metabolites to an unidentified biopolymer present in these ocular tissues. © 1994 Wiley-liss, Inc.     

Study on the stereoselective excretion of tetrahydropalmatine enantiomers in rats and identification of in vivo metabolites by liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry

The objective of this work was to study the stereoselectivity in excretion of tetrahydropalmatine (THP) enantiomers by rats and identify the metabolites of racemic THP (rac‐THP) in rat urine. Urine and bile samples were collected at various time intervals after a single oral dose of rac‐THP. The concentrations of THP enantiomers in rat urine and bile were determined using a modification of an achiral–chiral high‐performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method that had been previously published. The cumulative urinary excretion over 96 h of (?)‐THP and (+)‐THP was found to be 55.49 ± 36.9 μg and 18.33 ± 9.7 μg, respectively. The cumulative biliary excretion over 24 h of (?)‐THP and (+)‐THP was 19.19 ± 14.6 μg and 12.53 ± 10.4 μg, respectively. The enantiomeric (?/+) concentration ratios of THP changed from 2.80 to 5.15 in urine, and from 1.36 to 1.80 in bile. The mean cumulative amount of (?)‐THP was significantly higher than that of (+)‐THP both in urine and bile samples. However, the enantiomeric (?/+) concentration ratios in rat urine and bile were significantly lower than those ratios in rat plasma. These findings suggested the excretion of THP enantiomers was stereoselective rather than a reflection of chiral pharmacokinetic aspects in plasma and (?)‐THP was preferentially excreted in rat urine and bile. Three O‐demethylation metabolites and the parent drug rac‐THP were detected by liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry in rat urine. One metabolite was obtained by preparative HPLC and identified as 10‐O‐demethyl‐THP. Chirality, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Analysis of Oxcarbazepine and the 10‐Hydroxycarbazepine Enantiomers in Plasma by LC‐MS/MS: Application in a Pharmacokinetic Study

Oxcarbazepine is a second‐generation antiepileptic drug indicated as monotherapy or adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial seizures or generalized tonic–clonic seizures in adults and children. It undergoes rapid presystemic reduction with formation of the active metabolite 10‐hydroxycarbazepine (MHD), which has a chiral center at position 10, with the enantiomers (S)‐(+)‐ and R‐(?)‐MHD showing similar antiepileptic effects. This study presents the development and validation of a method of sequential analysis of oxcarbazepine and MHD enantiomers in plasma using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS). Aliquots of 100 μL of plasma were extracted with a mixture of methyl tert‐butyl ether: dichloromethane (2:1). The separation of oxcarbazepine and the MHD enantiomers was obtained on a chiral phase Chiralcel OD‐H column, using a mixture of hexane:ethanol:isopropanol (80:15:5, v/v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.3 mL/min with a split ratio of 1:5, and quantification was performed by LC‐MS/MS. The limit of quantification was 12.5 ng oxcarbazepine and 31.25 ng of each MHD enantiomer/mL of plasma. The method was applied in the study of kinetic disposition of oxcarbazepine and the MHD enantiomers in the steady state after oral administration of 300 mg/12 h oxcarbazepine in a healthy volunteer. The maximum plasma concentration of oxcarbazepine was 1.2 µg/mL at 0.75 h. The kinetic disposition of MHD is enantioselective, with a higher proportion of the S‐(+)‐MHD enantiomer compared to R‐(?)‐MHD and an AUC^0‐12 _{S‐(+)/R‐(?)} ratio of 5.44. Chirality 25:897–903, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Stereoselective Toxicity and Metabolism of Lactofen in Primary Hepatocytes From Rat

The stereoselective metabolism of lactofen in primary rat hepatocytes was studied using a chiral high‐performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method. Rac‐lactofen and its two enantiomers, S‐(+)‐ and R‐(?)‐lactofen, as well as two of its major metabolites, acifluorfen, S‐(+)‐ and R‐(?)‐desethyl lactofen, were used as substrates,. The single and joint cytotoxicity of parent compounds and the metabolites were assessed by coincubation with rat hepatocytes as target cells. Cytotoxicity was determined by the methyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. In hepatocyte incubations, S‐(+)‐lactofen was degraded more rapidly than R‐(?)‐lactofen, and a stereospecific formation of S‐(+)‐desethyl lactofen was detected. Metabolism of lactofen to desethyl lactofen was processed with the retention of configuration, and the achiral compound, acifluorfen, was the shared metabolite generated from both S‐(+)‐ and R‐(?)‐lactofen. There was no chiral conversion of lactofen or desethyl lactofen enantiomers during the incubation. For the cytotoxicity research, the calculated EC₅₀ values indicated that when being applied individually, the parent compound was less toxic than its metabolites, while the combination with metabolites enhanced its cytotoxic effects. The data presented here would be helpful for a more comprehensive assessment of the ecotoxicological and environmental risks of lactofen. Chirality 25:743–750, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Stereoselective Interaction Between Tetrahydropalmatine Enantiomers and CYP Enzymes in Human Liver Microsomes

Tetrahydropalmatine (THP), with one chiral center, is an alkaloid that possesses analgesic and many other pharmacological actives. The aim of the present study is to investigate stereoselective metabolism of THP enantiomers in human liver microsomes (HLM) and elucidate which cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoforms contribute to the stereoselective metabolism in HLM. Additionally, the inhibitions of THP enantiomers on activity of CYP enzymes are also investigated. The results demonstrated that (+)‐THP was preferentially metabolized by HLM. Ketoconazole (inhibitor of CYP3A4/5) inhibited metabolism of (?)‐THP or (+)‐THP at same degree, whereas the inhibition of fluvoxamine (inhibitor of CYP1A2) on metabolism of (+)‐THP was greater than that of (?)‐THP; moreover, the metabolic rate of (+)‐THP was 5.3‐fold of (?)‐THP in recombinant human CYP1A2. Meanwhile, THP enantiomers did not show obvious inhibitory effect on the activity of various CYP isoforms (CYP1A2, 2A6, 2C8, 2C9, 2C19, 2E1, and 3A4/5), whereas (?)‐THP, but not (+)‐THP, significantly inhibited the activity of CYP2D6 with the Ki value of 6.42 ± 0.38 μM. The results suggested that THP enantiomers were predominantly metabolized by CYP3A4/5 and CYP1A2 in HLM, and (+)‐THP was preferentially metabolized by CYP1A2, whereas CYP3A4/5 contributed equally to metabolism of (?)‐THP or (+)‐THP. Besides, the inhibition of CYP2D6 by (?)‐THP may cause drug–drug interaction, which should be considered. Chirality 25:43–47, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Metabolism of benzo[a]pyrene VI. Stereoselective metabolism of benzo[a]pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene 7,8-dihydrodiol to diol epoxides

(±)-7β,8α-Dihydroxy-9β,10β-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (diol epoxide-1) and (±)-7β,8α-dihydroxy-9α,10α-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (diol epoxide-2) are highly mutagenic diol epoxide diastereomers that are formed during metabolism of the carcinogen (±)-trans-7,8-dihydroxy-7,8-dihydrobenzo[a]pyrene. Remarkable stereoselectivity has been observed on metabolism of the optically pure (+)- and (?)-enantiomers of the dihydrodiol which are obtained by separation of the diastereomeric diesters with (?)-α-methoxy-α-trifluoromethylphenylacetic acid. The high stereoselectivity in the formation of diol epoxide-1 relative to diol epoxide-2 was observed with liver microsomes from 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats and with a purified cytochrome P-448-containing monoxygenase system where the (?)-enantiomer produced a diol epoxide-2 to diol epoxide-1 ratio of 6 : 1 and the (+)-enantiomer produced a ratio of 1 : 22. Microsomes from control and phenobarbital-treated rats were less stereospecific in the metabolism of enantiomers of BP 7,8-dihydrodiol. The ratio of diol epoxide-2 to diol epoxide-1 formed from the (?)- and (+)-enantiomers with microsomes from control rats was 2 : 1 and 1 : 6, respectively. Both enantiomers of BP 7,8-dihydrodiol were also metabolized to a phenolic derivative, tentatively identified as 6,7,8-trihydroxy-7,8-dihydrobenzo[a]pyrene, which accounted for ～30% of the total metabolites formed by microsomes from control and phenobarbital-pretreated rats whereas this metabolite represents ～5% of the total metabolites with microsomes from 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats. With benzo[a]pyrene as substrate, liver microsomes produced the 4,5-, 7,8- and 9,10-dihydrodiol with high optical purity (>85%), and diol epoxides were also formed. Most of the optical activity in the BP 7,8-dihydrodiol was due to metabolism by the monoxygenase system rather than by epoxide hydrase, since hydration of (±)-benzo[a]pyrene 7,8-oxide by liver microsomes produced dihydrodiol which was only 8% optically pure. Thus, the stereospecificity of both the monoxygenase system and, to a lesser extent, epoxide hydrase plays important roles in the metabolic activation of benzo[a]pyrene to carcinogens and mutagens.     

Bidirectional Chiral Inversion of Trantinterol Enantiomers After Separate Doses to Rats

The chiral inversion and pharmacokinetics of two enantiomers of trantinterol, a new β₂ agonist, were studied in rats dosed (+)‐ or (?)‐trantinterol separately. Plasma concentrations of (+)‐ and (?)‐trantinterol were measured by chiral stationary phase liquid chromatography tandem mass spectroscopy (LC‐MS/MS). The apparent inversion ratio was calculated as the ratio of AUC_0‐t of (?)‐trantinterol or (+)‐trantinterol inverted from their antipodes to the sum of the AUC_0‐t of (?)‐ and (+)‐trantinterol. Following single intravenous administration, both given enantiomers declined in similar plasma concentrations, suggesting that the two enantiomers have approximately the same disposition kinetics by the route of intravenous administration. However, after single oral administration, plasma concentrations of uninverted (?)‐trantinterol at many timepoints were significantly higher than those of uninverted (+)‐trantinterol, suggesting that the two enantiomers undergo apparently different absorption or metabolism after oral administration. Significant bidirectional chiral inversion occurred after intravenous and oral administration of (+)‐ or (?)‐trantinterol. After dosing with optically pure enantiomer, the concentration of the administered enantiomer predominated in vivo. The AUC_0‐36 of (+)‐trantinterol after intravenous and oral dosing of (?)‐trantinterol were 16.6 ± 5.2 and 33.3 ± 16%, respectively of those of total [(+) + (?)] trantinterol. The AUC_0‐36 of (?)‐trantinterol after intravenous and oral dosing of (+)‐trantinterol were 19.6 ± 8.8 and 37.9 ± 4.5%, respectively, of those of total [(?) + (+)] trantinterol. After intravenous administration of (+)‐ and (?)‐trantinterol the chiral inversion ratios of the two enantiomers were not significantly different and similar results were found for oral administration. The extent of chiral inversion after intravenous administration was apparently lower, indicating that the bidirectional chiral inversion was not only systemic but also presystemic. Chirality 25:934–938, 2013.© 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Chiral HPLC determination and stereoselective pharmacokinetics of tetrahydroberberine enantiomers in rats

Tetrahydroberberine (THB), a racemic mixture of (+)‐ and (?)‐enantiomer, is a biologically active ingredient isolated from a traditional Chinese herb Rhizoma corydalis (yanhusuo). A chiral high performance liquid chromatography method has been developed for the determination of THB enantiomers in rat plasma. The enantioseparation was carried out on a Chiral®‐AD column using methanol:ethanol (80:20, v/v) as the mobile phase at the flow rate 0.4 ml/min. The ultraviolet detection was set at 230 nm. The calibration curves were linear over the range of 0.01–2.5 μg/ml for (+)‐THB and 0.01‐5.0 μg/ml for (?)‐THB, respectively. The lower limit of quantification was 0.01 μg/ml for both (+)‐THB and (?)‐THB. The stereoselective pharmacokinetics of THB enantiomers in rats was studied after oral and intravenous administration at a dose of 50 and 10 mg/kg racemic THB (rac‐THB). The mean plasma levels of (?)‐THB were higher at almost all time points than those of (+)‐THB. (?)‐THB also exhibited greater C_max, and AUC_0–∞, smaller CL and V_d, than its antipode. The (?)/(+)‐enantiomer ratio of AUC_0–∞ after oral and intravenous administration were 2.17 and 1.43, respectively. These results indicated substantial stereoselectivity in the pharmacokinetics of THB enantiomers in rats. Chirality, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Enantioselective pharmacokinetics of homochlorcyclizine: III. Simultaneous determination of (+)- and (−)- homochlorcyclizine in human urine by high-performance liquid chromatography

A method is described for the simultaneous determination of (+)- and (−)-homochlorcyclizine (HCZ) in human urine by high-performance liquid chromatography on a chiral stationary phase of ovomucoid-bonded silica. The pH of the buffer and organic modifier in the mobile phase markedly affected the chromatographic separation. A mobile phase of methanol—0.02 M acetate buffer (pH 4.7) (25:75, v/v) at a flow-rate of 1.0 ml/min was used for the urine assays. The ultraviolet absorption was monitored at 240 nm, and diphenhydramine was employed as the internal standard for the quantitation. (+)-HCZ, (−)-HCZ and the internal standard were eluted at retention times of 15, 25 and 8 min, respectively. The limit of determination for HCZ enantiomers was ca. 50 ng/ml of urine. One of the metabolites in human urine, which was a quaternary ammonium-linked glucuronide, could also be determined in a manner similar to unchanged HCZ after β-glucuronidase hydrolysis. A pharmacokinetic study was conducted with three healthy volunteers, who each received a single oral dose of racemic HCZ (20 mg). Distinct differences were found between the two enantiomers, particularly in the metabolic process, that is, the urinary excretion as (−)-HCZ-glucuronide within 48 h was ca. four times higher than that of the (+)-isomer. This method should be very useful for enantioselective pharmacokinetic studies of HCZ.     

Enantioselective Metabolism and Interference on Tryptophan Metabolism of Myclobutanil in Rat Hepatocytes

Myclobutanil, (RS)‐2‐(4‐chlorophenyl)‐2‐(1H‐1, 2, 4‐triazol‐1‐ylmethyl) hexanenitrile is a widely used triazole fungicide. In this study, enantioselective metabolism and cytotoxicity were investigated in rat hepatocytes by chiral HPLC‐MS/MS and the methyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay, respectively. Furthermore, tryptophan metabolism disturbance in rat hepatocytes after myclobutanil exposure was also evaluated by target metabolomics method. The half‐life (t1/2) of (+)‐myclobutanil was 10.66 h, whereas that for (?)‐myclobutanil was 15.07 h. Such results indicated that the metabolic process of myclobutanil in rat hepatocytes was enantioselective with an enrichment of (?)‐myclobutanil. For the cytotoxicity research, the calculated EC₅₀ (12h) values for rac‐myclobutanil, (+)‐ and (?)‐myclobutanil were 123.65, 150.65 and 152.60 µM, respectively. The results of tryptophan metabolites profiling showed that the levels of kynurenine (KYN) and XA were both up‐regulated compared to the control, suggesting the activation effect of the KYN pathway by myclobutanil and its enantiomers which may provide an important insight into its toxicity mechanism. The data presented here could be useful for the environmental hazard assessment of myclobutanil. Chirality 27:643–649, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Stereoselective pharmacokinetics of clausenamide enantiomers and their major metabolites after single intravenous and oral administration to rats

The pharmacokinetics of clausenamide (CLA) enantiomers and their metabolites were investigated in Wistar rat. After intravenous and oral administration at a dose of 80 and 160 mg/kg each enantiomer, plasma concentrations of (-)- or (+)-CLA and its major metabolites were simultaneously determined by reverse-phase HPLC with UV detection. Notably, stereoselective differences in pharmacokinetics were found. The mean plasma levels of (+)-CLA were higher at almost all time points than those of (-)-CLA. (+)-CLA also exhibited greater t(max), C(max), t(1/2beta), AUC(0-12h), and AUC(0--> infinity) and smaller CL (or CL/F) and V(d) (or V(d)/F), than its antipode. The (+)/(-) isomer ratios for t(1/2beta), t(max), AUC(0-12 h), and AUC(0--> infinity), which ranged from 1.26 to 2.08. The ratio for CL (or CL/F) was about 0.5, and there were significant differences in these values between CLA enantiomers (P < 0.05), implying that the absorption, distribution, and elimination of (-)-CLA were more rapid than those of (+)-CLA. Similar findings for (-)-7-OH-CLA, the major metabolite of (-)-CLA, and (+)-4-OH-CLA, the major metabolite of (+)-CLA, can be also seen in rat plasma. The contributing factors for the differences in stereoselective pharmacokinetics of CLA enantiomers appeared to be involved in their different plasma protein binding, first-pass metabolism and interaction with CYP enzymes, especially with their metabolizing enzyme CYP 3A isoforms.     

Chiral aspects of the metabolism of ethosuximide

Ethosuximide is a chiral drug substance primarily indicated for the treatment of absence seizures. This drug is used clinically as the racemate. The urinary metabolites of ethosuximide (following i.p. administration of the racemate or individual enantiomers to rats) have been studied using chiral gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GCMS). The metabolites identified were unchanged ethosuximide enantiomers, all four stereoisomers of 2-(1-hydroxyethyl)-2-methylsuccinimide, and a single stereoisomer of 2-ethyl-3-hydroxy-2-methylsuccinimide [derived from (R)-ethosuximide]. Preliminary quantitative studies indicate a degree of stereoselectivity in the fate of ethosuximide since the ratio of (R)- to (S)-ethosuximide in the urine was found to be 0.77:1 (0–24 h sample), 0.64:1 (24–48 h sample), and 0.83:1 (48–72 h sample). This would suggest that the (R)-isomer is preferentially metabolised. Results obtained following the administration of individual enantiomers of ethosuximide indicate that the 2-(1-hydroxyethyl)-2-methylsuccinimide diastereoisomers derived from (R)-ethosuximide are produced in approximately equal proportions [ratio 1.05:1 (0–24 h sample), 1.10:1 (24–48 h sample)], whilst those from (S)-ethosuximide are produced in unequal proportions [ratio 1.65:1 (0–24 h sample), 1.74:1 (24–48 h sample)]. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Determination of the enantiomers of citalopram,its demethylated and propionic acid metabolites in human plasma by chiral HPLC

A stereoselective HPLC assay has been developed to analyze the enantiomers of citalopram and of its three main metabolites in plasma after their separation on a Chiracel OD column. Using a fluorescence detector, the limit of quantification in plasma samples was 15, 4, 5, and 2 ng/ml for the enantiomers of citalopram (CIT), desmethylcitalopram (DCIT), didesmethylcitalopram (DDCIT), and for the citalopram propionic acid derivative (CIT-PROP), respectively. Except for CIT, all metabolites were derivatized with achiral reagents. Identification of the enantiomers was realized with an optical rotation detector which showed that the enantiomers invert their rotation depending on the polarity and nature of the solvent. Under varying conditions, a racemization study has shown that the pure enantiomers of CIT and its demethylated metabolites are configurationally stable. Preliminary results obtained with five patients treated with CIT show a mean S/R ratio of 0.7 for both CIT and its active metabolite DCIT and of 3.6 for CIT-PROP in plasma. This suggests that the pharmacologically relevant (+)-(S)-isomers of CIT and DCIT could be preferentially and steroselectively metabolized to CIT-PROP. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Stereospecific determination,chiral inversion in vitro and pharmacokinetics in humans of the enantiomers of thalidomide

The purposes of this work were (1) to develop a high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay for the enantiomers of thalidomide in blood, (2) to study their inversion and degradation in human blood, and (3) to study the pharmacokinetics of (+)-(R)- and (?)-(S)-thalidomide after oral administration of the separate enantiomers or of the racemate to healthy male volunteers. The enantiomers of thalidomide were determined by direct resolution on a tribenzoyl cellulose column. Mean rate constants of chiral inversion of (+)-(R)-thalidomide and (?)-(S)-thalidomide in blood at 37°C were 0.30 and 0.31 h^?1, respectively. Rate constants of degradation were 0.17 and 0.18 h^?1. There was rapid interconversion in vivo in humans, the (+)-(R)-enantiomer predominating at equilibrium. The pharmacokinetics of (+)-(R)- and (?)-(S)-thalidomide could be characterized by means of two one-compartment models connected by rate constants for chiral inversion. Mean rate constants for in vivo inversion were 0.17 h^?1 (R to S) and 0.12 h^?1 (S to R) and for elimination 0.079 h^?1 (R) and 0.24 h^?1 (S), i.e., a considerably faster rate of elimination of the (?)-(S)-enantiomer. Putative differences in therapeutic or adverse effects between (+)-(R)- and (?)-(S)-thalidomide would to a large extent be abolished by rapid interconversion in vivo. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Pharmacokinetics of the enantiomers of verapamil in the dog

The intravenous (0.5 mg/kg) and oral (5 mg/kg) dose kinetics of verapamil were studied in 6 dogs during steady-state oral verapamil dosing (5 mg/kg every 8 h for 3 days). Racemic verapamil and norverapamil, a metabolite of verapamil, were quantitated in plasma by HPLC-fluorescence detection. The verapamil peaks eluting off the column were collected and rechromatographed on an Ultron-OVM column, which resolved the two verapamil enantiomers. After intravenous administration, the systemic clearance and apparent volume of distribution of (?)-(S)-verapamil were nearly twice that of the (+)-(R)-isomer. There was no difference in the elimination half-lives between the two isomers. After oral administration, the oral clearance of (?)-(S)-verapamil was 20 times that of the (+)-(R)-isomer. The apparent bioavailability of (+)-(R)-verapamil was over 14 times that of (?)-(S)-verapamil. The plasma protein binding of the (+)-(R)-isomer was slightly higher by 5% than (?)-(S)-verapamil; however, this effect was not enough to account for the difference between the apparent volume of distribution of the enantiomers, indicating that the tissue binding of (?)-(S)-verapamil was greater than that of the (+)-(R)-isomer. This data on the disposition of the enantiomers of verapamil in the dog is similar to that reported for man and demonstrates that the dog may be an appropriate animal model for man in future studies on the disposition of the enantiomers of verapamil. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Separation and toxicity of salithion enantiomers

Enantioseletive toxicities of chiral pesticides have become an environmental concern recently. In this study, we evaluated the enantiomeric separation of salithion on a suite of commercial chiral columns and assessed the toxicity of enantiomers toward butyrylcholinesterase and Daphnia magna. Satisfactory separations of salithion enantiomers could be achieved on all tested columns, that is, Chiralcel OD, Chiralcel OJ, and Chiralpak AD column. However, the Chiralpak AD column offered the best separation and was chosen to prepare micro‐scale of pure salithion enantiomers for subsequent bioassays. The first and second enantiomers eluted on the Chiralpak AD column were further confirmed to be (?)‐S‐salithion and (+)‐R‐salithion, respectively. The half inhibition concentrations to butyrylcholinesterase of racemate, (+)‐R‐salithion, and (?)‐S‐salithion were 33.09, 2.92, and 15.60 mg/l, respectively, showing (+)‐R‐enantiomer being about 5.0 times more potent than its (?)‐S‐form. However, the median lethal concentrations (96 h) of racemate, (+)‐R‐salithion, and (?)‐S‐salithion toward D. magna were 3.54, 1.10, and 0.36 μg/l, respectively, suggesting that (?)‐S‐salithion was about 3.0 times more toxic than (+)‐R‐form. Racemic salithion was less toxic than either of the enantiomers in both bioassays, suggesting that antagonistic interactions might occur between the enantiomers during the toxication action. This work reveals that the toxicity of salithion toward butyrylcholinesterase and D. magna is enantioselective, and this factor should be taken into consideration in the environmental risk assessment of salithion. Chirality 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Stereoselective Behavior of the Fungicide Benalaxyl During Grape Growth and the Wine‐Making Process

Benalaxyl is widely applied as a fungicide during grape planting processing. In this experiment, the stereoselective behavior of benalaxyl was studied during the grape growth and wine‐making process. A simple method based on high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with a chiral column and UV detector was established to separate and determine the enantiomers of benalaxyl. Stereoselective degradation of the two enantiomers of benalaxyl was found in grapes. The degradation of both enantiomers followed pseudofirst‐order kinetics, and the degradation rate of R‐(?)‐benalaxyl was faster than S‐(+)‐benalaxyl. The half‐life of R‐(?)‐benalaxyl was 27 h, while the half‐life of S‐(+)‐benalaxyl was 31 h. The enantiomer fraction value decreased from 0.50 to 0.34 and finally only S‐(+)‐benalaxyl could be detected. In the fermentation process, both enantiomers of benalaxyl were hardly degraded, and no configuration interconversion was observed. Meanwhile, both enantiomers of benalaxyl showed little influence on the growth of the yeast, consumption of carbon sources, or production of alcohol. The result of this study might provide more sufficient data for the evaluation of food safety and potential risk. Chirality 28:394–398, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Influence of N‐hexane inhalation on the enantioselective pharmacokinetics and metabolism of verapamil in rats

Verapamil (VER) is commercialized as a racemic mixture of the (+)‐(R)‐VER and (?)‐(S)‐VER enantiomers. VER is biotransformed into norverapamil (NOR) and other metabolites through CYP‐dependent pathways. N‐hexane is a solvent that can alter the metabolism of CYP‐dependent drugs. The present study investigated the influence of n‐hexane (nose‐only inhalation exposure chamber at concentrations of 88, 176, and 352 mg/m³) on the kinetic disposition of the (+)‐(R)‐VER, (?)‐(S)‐VER, (R)‐NOR and (S)‐NOR in rats treated with a single dose of racemic VER (10 mg/kg). VER and NOR enantiomers in rat plasma was analyzed by LC‐MS/MS (m/z = 441.3 > 165.5 for the NOR and m/z 455.3 > 165.5 for the VER enantiomers) using a Chiralpak® AD column. Pharmacokinetic analysis was performed using a monocompartmental model. The pharmacokinetics of VER was enantioselective in control rats, with higher plasma proportions of the (?)‐(S)‐VER eutomer (AUC^0?∞ = 250.8 vs. 120.4 ng/ml/h; P ≤ 0.05, Wilcoxon test). The (S)‐NOR metabolite was also found to accumulate in plasma of control animals, with an S/R AUC^0?∞ ratio of 1.5. The pharmacokinetic parameters AUC^0?∞, Cl/F, Vd/F, and t_1/2 obtained for VER and NOR enantiomers were not altered by nose‐only exposure to n‐hexane at concentrations of 88, 176, or 352 mg/m³ (P > 0.05, Kruskal‐Wallis test). However, the verapamil kinetic disposition was not enantioselective for the animals exposed to n‐hexane at concentrations equal to or higher than the TLV‐TWA. This finding is relevant considering that the (?)‐(S)‐VER eutomer is 10–20 times more potent than R‐(+)‐VER in terms of its chronotropic effect on atrioventricular conduction in rats and humans. Chirality 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Stereoselective metabolism of benalaxyl in liver microsomes from rat and rabbit

Benalaxyl (BX), methyl‐N‐phenylacetyl‐N‐2,6‐xylyl alaninate, is a potent acylanilide fungicide and consist of a pair of enantiomers. The stereoselective metabolism of BX was investigated in rat and rabbit microsomes in vitro. The degradation kinetics and the enantiomer fraction (EF) were determined using normal high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection and a cellulose‐tris‐(3,5‐dimethylphenylcarbamate)‐based chiral stationary phase (CDMPC‐CSP). The t_1/2 of (?)‐R‐BX and (+)‐S‐BX in rat liver microsomes were 22.35 and 10.66 min of rac‐BX and 5.42 and 4.03 of BX enantiomers. However, the t_1/2 of (?)‐R‐BX and (+)‐S‐BX in rabbit liver microsomes were 11.75 and 15.26 min of rac‐BX and 5.66 and 9.63 of BX enantiomers. The consequence was consistent with the stereoselective toxicokinetics of BX in vitro. There was no chiral inversion from the (?)‐R‐BX to (+)‐S‐BX or inversion from (+)‐S‐BX to (?)‐R‐BX in both rabbit and rat microsomes. These results suggested metabolism of BX enantiomers was stereoselective in rat and rabbit liver microsomes. Chirality, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.