Enantioselective degradation of tebuconazole in cabbage, cucumber, and soils

The enantioselective degradation of tebuconazole has been investigated to elucidate the behaviors in agricultural soils, cabbage, and cucumber fruit. Rac-tebuconazole was fortified into three types of agricultural soils and sprayed foliage of cabbage and cucumber, respectively. The degradation kinetics, enantiomer fraction and enantiomeric selectivity were determined by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) on a Lux amylose-2 chiral column. The process of the degradation of tebuconazole enantiomers followed first-order kinetic in the test soils and vegetables. It has been shown that the degradation of tebuconazole was enantioselective. The results indicated that the (+)-S-tebuconazole showed a faster degradation in cabbage, while the (-)-R-tebuconazole dissipated faster than (+)-S-form in cucumber fruit and the test soils.     

Stereoselective determination of benalaxyl in plasma by chiral high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector and application to pharmacokinetic study in rabbits

A chiral high-performance liquid chromatography method with diode array detector was developed and validated for stereoselective determination of benalaxyl (BX) in rabbit plasma. Good separation was achieved at 20 degrees C using cellulose tris-(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) as chiral stationary phase, a mixture of n-hexane and 2-propanol (97:3) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. The assay method was linear over a range of concentrations (0.25-25 microg/ml) in plasma and the mean recovery was greater than 90% for both enantiomers. The limits of quantification and detection for both enantiomers in plasma were 0.25 and 0.1 microg/ml, respectively. Intra- and interday relative standard deviations (RSDs) did not exceed 10% for three-tested concentrations. The method was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic studies of BX enantiomers in rabbits. The result suggested that the pharmacokinetics of BX enantiomers was stereoselective in rabbits.     

Enantioselective Degradation of Chiral Insecticide Dinotefuran in Greenhouse Cucumber and Soil

The enantioselective degradation behavior of the chiral insecticide dinotefuran in cucumber and soil was investigated under greenhouse conditions based on the method established with a normal‐phase high‐performance chromatography (HPLC) on a ChromegaChiral CCA column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm, ES Industries). The linearity range, matrix effect, precision, and accuracy of the method were evaluated and the method was then successfully applied for the enantioselective analysis of dinotefuran in cucumber and soil. Significant enantioselectivity of degradation was observed in soil according to the results. The (+)‐dinotefuran was more persistent in soil with half‐life of 21.7 d, which is much longer than that of (–)‐dinotefuran (16.5 d). In cucumber, the (–)‐dinotefuran also tended to be preferentially degraded both in foliar and douche treatment. However, the statistical analysis indicated the enantioselectivity of degradation in cucumber was not significant. The research provides the first report concerning the enantioselective degradation of dinotefuran enantiomers and the results can be used for understanding the insect‐controlling effect and food safety evaluation. Chirality 27:137–141, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Enantioselective and diastereoselective separation of synthetic pyrethroid insecticides on a novel chiral stationary phase by high-performance liquid chromatography

A novel chiral packing material for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was prepared by connecting (R)-1-phenyl-2-(4-methylphenyl) ethylamine (PTE) amide derivative of (S)-isoleucine to aminopropyl silica gel through 2-amino-3,5-dinitro-1-carboxamido-benzene unit. This chiral stationary phase was applied to the enantioselective and diastereoselective separation of five pyrethroid insecticides by HPLC under normal phase condition. To achieve satisfactory baseline separation an optimization of the variables of mobile phase composition was required. The two enantiomers of fenpropathrin and four stereoisomers of fenvalerate were baseline separated using hexane-1,2-dichloroethane-2-propanol as mobile phase. The results show that the enantioselectivity of CSP is better than Pirkle type 1-A column for these compounds. Only partial separations for the cypermethrin and cyfluthrin stereoisomers were observed. Seven peaks and eight peaks were observed for cypermethrin and cyfluthrin, respectively. The elution orders were assigned by using different stereoisomer-enriched products.     

Direct enantiomeric resolutions of chiral triazole pesticides by high-performance liquid chromatography

Cellulose-tris (3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate; CDMPC) was synthesized and coated on aminopropylsilica to prepare chiral stationary phase (CSP). Normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods for the resolutions of five chiral triazole pesticides, diniconazole, tebuconazole, hexaconazole, triadimefon and flutriafol, on the CSP were developed. Several operating parameters such as mobile phase composition, modifier and column temperature were studied for the optimization of the resolutions. Better separations were achieved using 2% iso-butanol for diniconazole, 2% ethanol for tebuconazole, 2% iso-propanol for hexaconazole, 1% n-butanol for triadimefon and 2% n-propanol for flutriafol as modifiers in n-hexane at 0 degrees C with the resolution factors (Rs) of 1.62, 1.66, 2.46, 1.68 and 1.98, respectively. Low temperature was better for the resolutions. Validation of the methods included linearity and precision.     

Stereoselective determination of cisapride, a prokinetic agent, in human plasma by chiral high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection: application to pharmacokinetic study

We have developed a simple, sensitive, specific and reproducible stereoselective high-performance liquid chromatography technique for analytical separation of cisapride enantiomers and measurement of cisapride enantiomers in human plasma. A chiral analytical column (ChiralCel OJ) was used with a mobile phase consisting of ethanol–hexane–diethylamine (35:64.5:0.5, v/v/v). This assay method was linear over a range of concentrations (5–125 ng/ml) of each enantiomer. The limit of quantification was 5 ng/ml in human plasma for both cisapride enantiomers, while the limit of detection was 1 ng/ml. Intra- and inter-day C.V.s did not exceed 15% for all concentrations except at 12.5 ng/ml for EII (+)-cisapride, which was 20 and 19%, respectively. The clinical utility of the method was demonstrated in a pharmacokinetic study of normal volunteers who received a 20 mg single oral dose of racemic cisapride. The preliminary pharmacokinetic data obtained using the method we describe here provide evidence for the first time that cisapride exhibits stereoselective disposition.     

Enantiomeric separation of tramadol and its active metabolite in human plasma by chiral high-performance liquid chromatography: application to pharmacokinetic studies

A sensitive and stereoselective high-performance liquid chromatographic assay for the quantitative determination of the analgesic tramadol and O-demethyltramadol, an active metabolite, is described in this work. Ketamine was used as internal standard. The assay involved a single tert-butymethylether extraction and liquid chromatography analysis with fluorescence detection. Chromatography was performed at 20 degrees C on a Chiracel OD-R column containing cellulose tris-(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) as stationary phase, preceded by an achiral end-capped C18 column. The mobile phase was a mixture of phosphate buffer (containing sodium perchlorate (0.2 M) and triethylamine (0.09 M) adjusted to pH 6) and acetonitrile (80:20). The method developed was validated. The limit of quantitation of each enantiomer of tramadol and its active metabolite by this method was 0.5 ng/mL; only 0.5 mL of the plasma sample was required for the determination. The calibration curve was linear from 0.5 to 750 ng/mL for tramadol enantiomers, and from 0.5 to 500 ng/mL for O-demethyltramadol enantiomers. Intra and interday precision [coefficient of variation (CV)] did not exceed 10%. Mean recoveries of 95.95 and 97.87% for (+)R,R- and (-)S,S-tramadol and 97.70 and 98.79% for (+)R,R- and (-)S,S-O-demethyltramadol with CVs < 2.15% were obtained. Applicability of the method was demonstrated by a pharmacokinetic study in normal volunteers who received 100 mg of tramadol by the intravenous route.     

Stereoselective degradation of fungicide benalaxyl in soils and cucumber plants

The enantioselective degradation of benalaxyl has been investigated to elucidate its behavior in several agricultural soils and plants (cucumber). Racemic benalaxyl was fortified into five types of agricultural soils and sprayed leaves of cucumber plants, respectively. The degradation kinetics and the enantiomer fraction (EF) were determined by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode array detection (DAD) on the chiral column filled cellulose-tri-(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate)-based chiral stationary phase (CDMPC-CSP). The process of the degradation of benalaxyl enantiomers followed pseudo-first-order kinetics in cucumber plant. However, the dissipation phases of benalaxyl enantiomers in soils were biphasic ("slow-fast-slow" process). It has been shown that the degradation of benalaxyl was stereoselective. The results indicated that the (+)-S-benalaxyl showed a faster degradation in plants, while the (-)-R-benalaxyl showed a faster degradation in Soils 3, 4, and 5. No stereoselective degradation was observed in other soils.     

Enantioselective determination of thiamylal in human serum by high-performance liquid chromatography

Thiamylal, a widely used anesthetic drug, has two enantiomers. We developed a novel and simple method for measuring thiamylal enantiomers in human serum using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, R(+)- and S(−)-Thiamylal were separated using a chiral mobile phase containing β-cyclodextrin, and detected at the range of 50 ng/ml-25 μg/ml in serum. The relative standard deviations R(+)- and S(−)-thiamylal were 3.4–8.7% and 2.8–8.7% for the intra-day assay, and 2.8–12.0% and 2.8–13.0% for the inter-day assay. This method may be applied to enantioselective pharmacokinetic studies of thiamylal.     

Enantioselective dissipation of pyriproxyfen in soils and sand

Under normal conditions, the environmental behaviors of pesticides are affected by complex environmental factors and the manner of administration together with constraints. In order to meet the actual needs, we imitated the experiment and found that the degradation rate of pyriproxyfen in soils rendered complex changes. Rac‐pyriproxyfen was successfully chiral separated on an AZ‐H column and the residue analysis method was in accord with the demand of pesticide analysis. The results indicated that pyriproxyfen dissipated at a faster rate in Heilongjiang soil and Hainan soil, while at a much slower speed in another three soils and sand. Obvious enantioselective degradation was observed in Hainan soil and Qingdao sand. The results suggested that pyriproxyfen alone had low persistence in soil, but the moisture, soil type, the use of mixture formulation, and second spraying treatment could play important roles in dissipation of pyriproxyfen. Too large and too small moisture content could both make pyriproxyfen persist for a longer period in soil than in soil with 25% moisture content. Residues dissipated much slower after using Ai Qiu, while Shi Dingkang did not have a big effect on degradation, with only a small acceleration effect. Pyriproxyfen also dissipated in Hainan soil with difficulty after the second treatment.     

Determination of 2-hydroxyflutamide in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography and its application to pharmacokinetic studies

Flutamide is a potent antiandrogen used for the treatment of prostatic cancer. Flutamide undergoes extensive first-pass metabolism to the pharmacologically active metabolite 2-hydroxyflutamide. A simple, sensitive, precise, accurate and specific HPLC method, using carbamazepine as the internal standard, for the determination of 2-hydroxyflutamide in human plasma was developed and validated. After addition of the internal standard, the analytes were isolated from human plasma by liquid–liquid extraction. The method was linear in the 25 to 1000 ng/ml concentration range (r>0.999). Recovery for 2-hydroxyflutamide was greater than 91.4% and for internal standard was 93.6%. The limit of quantitation was 25 ng/ml. Inter-batch precision, expressed as the relative standard deviation (RSD), ranged from 4.3 to 7.9%, and accuracy was better than 93.9%. Analysis of 2-hydroxyflutamide concentrations in plasma samples from 16 healthy volunteers following oral administration of 250 mg of flutamide provided the following pharmacokinetic data (mean±SD): C_max, 776±400 ng/ml; AUC_0–∞, 5368±2689 ng h/ml; AUC_0–t, 5005±2605 ng h/ml; T_max, 2.6±1.6 h; elimination half-life, 5.2±2.0 h.     

Simultaneous determination of buprenorphine and its prodrug, buprenorphine propionate, by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection: application to pharmacokinetic studies in rabbits

A rapid, sensitive, precise and accurate high-performance liquid chromatographic assay with fluorescence detection was developed for the simultaneous determination of buprenorphine and buprenorphine propionate in human and animal blood. Buprenorphine propionate was also proven to be a prodrug of buprenorphine. It was comprised of only a one-step extraction procedure with ethyl acetate and normal-phase chromatography on a Betasil Silica column. The recoveries of buprenorphine and buprenorphine propionate were above 84%. Calibration graphs were linear for buprenorphine over the concentration range 2-1500 ng/ml and for buprenorphine propionate over the concentration range 20-1500 ng/ml with a coefficient of variation, both within- and between-day, or less than 10% at any level. The limits of quantitation of buprenorphine and buprenorphine propionate in human or animal blood were 2.0 and 20 ng/ml, respectively, based on a single-to-noise ratio of 3. The method has been successfully applied to pharmacokinetic studies of buprenorphine and buprenorphine propionate in rabbits. The results demonstrated that buprenorphine propionate was rapidly and totally converted to its parent drug, buprenorphine, following intravenous administration. Buprenorphine propionate is a prodrug of buprenorphine.     

Enantioselective determination of tramadol and its main phase I metabolites in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

A sensitive and relatively rapid reversed-phase HPLC method was applied to the enantiomeric separation of tramadol and its two main metabolites, O-desmethyltramadol (M1) and N-desmethyltramadol (M2) in plasma samples. Chromatography was performed on an AGP column containing alpha1-acid glycoprotein as chiral selector with a mobile phase of 30 mM diammonium hydrogen phosphate buffer-acetonitrile-triethylamine (98.9:1:0.1, v/v), adjusted to pH 7 by phosphoric acid, and a flow rate of 0.5 ml/min. The fluorescence of analytes was detected at excitation and emission wavelengths of 200 and 301 nm, respectively. The sample preparation was a simple extraction with ethyl acetate using fluconazol as internal standard (IS). The enantiomers of all analytes and IS peaks eluted within 32 min, without any endogenous interference. The calibration curves were linear (r(2) > 0.993) in the concentration range of 2-200, 2.5-100 and 2.5-75 ng/ml for tramadol, M1, and M2 enantiomers, respectively. The within- and between-day variation determined by the measurement of quality control samples at four tested concentrations, showed acceptable values. The lower limit of quantitation was 2 ng/ml for tramadol enantiomers and 2.5 ng/ml for M1 or M2 enantiomers. Mean recoveries of enantiomers from plasma samples were > 81% for all analytes. The procedure was applied to assess the pharmacokinetics of the enantiomers of tramadol and its two main metabolites following oral administration of single 100-mg doses to healthy volunteers.     

Enantioselective determination of pazinaclone,a new isoindoline anxiolytic,and its active metabolite in rat plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

A sensitive and specific high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of the enantiomers of pazinaclone (DN-2327), a new anxiolytic agent, and those of its active metabolite, M-II, in rat plasma. Organic solvent extraction of pazinaclone, M-II, and internal standard (I.S.) in plasma was followed by separation of the analytes from other metabolites using an achiral reversed-phase column. Fluorescence detection was employed with excitation and emission wavelengths of 328 and 367 nm, respectively. Separation of all the enantiomers and I.S. was then accomplished with normal- and chiral-phase columns connected in series. For each analyte, the lower quantitation limit was 0.5 ng/ml. The assay has been applied to a chiral inversion study in rats. Chiral conversion from one enantiomer of pazinaclone to the other hardly occurred. This method is suitable for enantioselective pharmacokinetic and toxicokinetic studies in animals.     

Fiber-based liquid-phase micro-extraction of mebeverine enantiomers followed by chiral high-performance liquid chromatography analysis and its application to pharmacokinetics study in rat plasma

The applicability of two-phase liquid-phase micro-extraction (LPME) in porous hollow polypropylene fiber for the sample preparation and the stereoselective pharmacokinetics of mebeverine (MEB) enantiomers (an antispasmodic drug) in rat after intramuscular administration were studied. Plasma was assayed for MEB enantiomer concentrations using stereospecific high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection after a simple, inexpensive, and efficient preconcentration and clean-up hollow fiber-based LPME. Under optimized micro-extraction conditions, MEB enantiomers were extracted with 25 μl of 1-octanol within a lumen of a hollow fiber from 0.5 ml of plasma previously diluted with 4.5 ml alkalized water (pH 10). The chromatographic analysis was carried out through chiral liquid chromatography using a DELTA S column and hexane-isopropyl alcohol (85:15 v/v) containing 0.2% triethylamine as mobile phase. The mean recoveries of (+)-MEB and (-)-MEB were 75.5% and 71.0%, respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) was 3.0 ng/ml with linear response over the concentration range of 10-2500 ng/ml with correlation coefficient higher than 0.993 for both enantiomers. The pharmacokinetic studies showed that the mean plasma levels of (+)-MEB were higher than those of (-)-MEB at almost all time points. Also, (+)-MEB exhibited greater t(max) (peak time in concentration-time profile), C(max) (peak concentration in concentration-time profile), t(1/2) (elimination half-life), and AUC(0-240 min) (area under the curve for concentration versus time) and smaller CL (clearance) and V(d) (apparent distribution volume) than its antipode. The obtained results implied that the absorption, distribution, and elimination of (-)-MEB were more rapid than those of (+)-MEB and there were stereoselective differences in pharmacokinetics.     

Simple and rapid determination of carboplatin in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography. Error pattern and application to clinical pharmacokinetic studies

Carboplatin is an antitumor agent widely employed in cancer chemotherapy. A specific and selective method for the determination of carboplatin in human plasma and its applications to pharmacokinetic investigations is described. One ultrafiltration step, through a Centrifree micropartition system (Amicon) at 2000 g for 10 min, is the only requirement as sample treatment. The resulting solution is injected into an Inertsil ODS-2 (5 μm, 25 cm×4.6 mm I.D.) analytical column. The mobile phase consisted of 0.1 M potassium dihydrogenphosphate with 1 mM dipotassium edetate adjusted to a pH between 3 and 3.5. The limit of quantitation was 1 mg/l. The method showed good recovery (100.68±5.49%) and precision: the within-day relative standard deviation (RSD) for carboplatin (3–350 mg/l) was 2.07% and the between-day RSD for carboplatin, in the previously described range, was 1.31%. We determined the assay error pattern for proper weighting of serum level data in pharmacokinetic models. The selectivity (discrimination between the parent drug and platinum-containing species such as carboplatin metabolites), simplicity and speed of this assay for free carboplatin quantitation should facilitate pharmacokinetic investigations and therapeutic drug monitoring.     

Determination and pharmacokinetic study of taxifolin in rabbit plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

Taxifolin has been widely used in the treatment of cerebral infarction and sequelae, cerebral thrombus, coronary heart disease and angina pectoris. A reliable sensitive reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method with UV detection for the pharmacokinetic study of taxifolin in rabbit plasma after enzymatic hydrolysis was developed and validated for the first time. Taxifolin, with biochanin A as the internal standard, was extracted from plasma samples by liquid/liquid extraction after hydrolysis with β-glucuronidase and sulfatase. Chromatographic separation was conducted on a Luna C18 column (4.6 mm×150 mm, 5 μm particle size) and pre-column (2.0 mm, the same sorbent). Two-step linear gradient elution with acetonitrile and 0.03% water solution of trifluoroacetic acid as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min was used. The UV detector is set at 290 nm. The elution time for taxifolin and biochanin A was approximately 7.9 and 18.3 min, respectively. The calibration curve of taxifolin was linear (r>0.9997) over the range of 0.03–5.0 μg/ml in rabbit plasma. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for taxifolin were 0.03 and 0.11 μg/ml, respectively. The present method was successfully applied for the estimation of the pharmacokinetic parameters of taxifolin following intravenous and oral administration of lipid solution to rabbits. The absolute bioavailability of taxifolin after oral administration of lipid solution was 36%.     

Fluorometric determination of -fenfluramine, -norfenfluramine and phentermine in plasma by achiral and chiral high-performance liquid chromatography

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection has been developed for the simultaneous determination of sympathomimetic amines including ephedrine, norephedrine, 2-phenylethylamine, 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenylethylamine, phentermine (Phen) and -fenfluramine (Fen) in spiked human plasma. Furthermore, an enantioselective HPLC method for the separation of -Fen (dexfenfluramine) and -Fen (levofenfluramine) in addition to their active metabolites - and -norfenfluramine (Norf) is described. The detection was achieved at emission wavelength of 430 nm with excitation wavelength of 325 nm for both methods. The analytes were extracted from plasma (100 μl) at pH 10.6 with ethyl acetate using fluoxetine as the internal standard. The extracts were evaporated and derivatized with the fluorescence reagent 4-(4,5-diphenyl-1H-imidazole-2-yl)benzoyl chloride in the presence of carbonate buffer (pH 9.0). A gradient separation was achieved on a C₁₈ column for the achiral separation or on a Chiralcel OD-R column for the chiral separation. The methods were fully validated, and shown to have excellent linearity, sensitivity and precision. The chiral method has been applied for the determination of - and -enantiomers of Fen and Norf, in addition to Phen in rat plasma after an intraperitoneal administration of -Fen and Phen, simultaneously.     

Determination of nalmefene in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection and its application in pharmacokinetic studies

A method for measuring human plasma levels of nalmefene after oral and intravenous administration is presented. The method consists of a solid-phase extraction procedure followed by HPLC analysis. A cyanopropyl column is used for the solid-phase extraction and 60% (v/v) acetonitrile in dilute sodium pentanesulfonic acid solution for elution. The concentrated and filtered eluate is injected into the HPLC system, which is equipped with an electrochemical dual-electrode detector. A phenyl column is used in this HPLC system with a mobile phase containing 30% (v/v) acetonitrile in dilute sodium pentanesulfonic acid solution. A signal-to-noise ratio of 4.5 is obtained when a 1 ng/ml spiked plasma sample is analyzed. To determine the applicability of this method for human pharmacokinetic studies, nalmefene levels in plasma were measured at time points up to 24 h following oral and intravenous administration of 30 mg of nalmefene hydrochloride to two subjects. These studies demonstrated that the proposed method is sufficiently sensitive to study the pharmacokinetic profile of nalmefene in man.