Wavelength-tunable ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD) of heparin-derived disaccharides in a linear ion trap.

A set of three heparin-derived disaccharide deprotonated ions was isolated in a linear ion trap and subjected to UV laser irradiation in the 220-290 nm wavelength range. The dissociation yields of the deprotonated molecular ions were recorded as a function of laser wavelength. They revealed maximum absorption at 220 nm for the nonsulfated disaccharide, but centered at 240 nm for the sulfated species. The comparison of the fragmentation patterns between ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD) at 240 nm and CID modes showed roughly the same distribution of fragment ions resulting from glycosidic bond cleavages. Interestingly, UVPD favored additional cross ring cleavages of A and X type ion series enabling easier sulfate group location. It also reduced small neutral losses (H(2)O).

Spectrofluorimetric study of eflucimibe-gamma-cyclodextrin inclusion complex.

Eflucimibe, a novel and highly potent acyl-coenzyme A cholesterol O-acyl-transferase (ACAT) inhibitor, is sparingly soluble in aqueous media and exhibits a very weak natural fluorescence. However, when increasing concentrations of gamma-cyclodextrin (gamma-CD) are added, an increase in the fluorescence signal is observed, attesting the formation of a non-covalent inclusion complex between eflucimibe and the gamma-CD. In this work, the stoichiometry of the complex and the corresponding association constant have been determined from fluorescence data by Benesi-Hildebrand's method (double reciprocal plots). As a result, a 1:1 stoichiometric ratio and a 20 M(-1) formation constant were obtained. This apparent formation constant was determined in water containing 10% methanol, which was needed to improve 'aqueous' solubility of the drug in a CD-free medium. Owing to the extreme hydrophobicity of eflucimibe, these results provide valuable information for pharmaceutical formulation studies.

Development of a method for simultaneous determination of eflucimibe and its three major metabolites in rat plasma by liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry: a preliminary study.

A high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI-MS/MS) method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of eflucimibe, a powerful acyl-coenzyme A cholesterol O-acyltransferase (ACAT) inhibitor, and its main metabolites, in plasma. The ESI and MS/MS parameters were investigated and optimised for each of the four compounds in the positive ion mode. Plasma samples were deproteinised by precipitation with acetonitrile and directly analysed by HPLC/ESI-MS/MS in less than 4 min. Quantitation was performed in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode for highest sensitivity, selecting the protonated molecules [M+H](+) as precursor ions. The method was demonstrated to be specific and sensitive, and a linear response was observed within a 1-25 ng/mL concentration range. Correlation coefficients (r(2)) greater than 0.9960 were obtained by least-squares regression, and limits of detection down to 0.2 ng/mL were calculated. Therefore, this HPLC/ESI-MS/MS method appears to be an efficient tool, able to provide valuable information for a pharmacological purpose.

HPLC and mass spectrometry analysis of the enzymatic hydrolysis of anti-HIV pronucleotide diastereomers.

In one current strategy to develop membrane-soluble pronucleotides, the phosphoramidate derivatives of the approved anti-HIV nucleosides 2',3'-didehydro-3'-deoxythymidine (d4T), 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT), (-)-beta-L-2',3'-dideoxy-3'- thiacytidine (3TC), and 2',3'-dideoxyadenosine (ddA) exhibit promising antiviral activity. However, the non-stereoselective synthetic route results in a mixture of diastereoisomers, which differ in the configuration of the phosphorus chiral center. Since it is believed that enzymatic ester hydrolysis is the first step in the intracellular activation of these prodrugs and that this process could be dependent on the stereochemistry at the phosphorus center, analytical methods must be developed. In the present work, in vitro evaluation of the selectivity of pig liver esterase (PLE) towards each diastereomer of d4T, AZT, 3TC, and ddA prodrugs has been investigated, applying our recently published HPLC-MS procedure using a polysaccharide-type chiral stationary phase. This method has been used to analyze the products of the PLE-catalyzed hydrolysis of the pronucleotides. It was found that both diastereomers of the four prodrugs were substrates for PLE.

Liquid chromatographic separation of phosphoramidate diastereomers on a polysaccharide-type chiral stationary phase.

To improve the therapeutic potential of anti-HIV nucleoside analogues (d4T, AZT, 3TC and ddl), the delivery of the corresponding monophosphate from neutral, membrane-permeable prodrugs has been realised by the synthesis of lipophilic phosphoramidate triester prodrugs, such as the simple phenyl-L-alaninephosphate derivatives. However, the present non-stereoselective synthesis results in a mixture of 1:1 diastereomers, which differ from the configuration of the phosphorus atom asymmetric center. Since each diastereomer may have different biological activity and pharmacokinetic profile, analytical methods have to be developed for their separation. This work aims at showing the ability of a polysaccharide-type chiral stationary phase to resolve such diastereomers in reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The influence of operating parameters has been studied to optimise the separation; a thermodynamic approach has also been investigated to gain an insight in the retention mechanism of the prodrugs. Preliminary validation study (linearity, accuracy, repeatability) has yielded good results; in addition, the feasibility of HPLC-electrospray-mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS) coupling has been demonstrated and it is expected that this will lead to lower detection limits.

Concurrent analysis of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors in a pool of endogenous nucleosides by short-end injection-capillary electrochromatography on a beta-cyclodextrin-bonded stationary phase.

As part of our on-going study of the analysis of anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) nucleosides, a capillary electrochromatography (CEC) method has been developed for the concurrent analysis of nucleoside HIV reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) in a pool of endogenous nucleosides. Up to now, beta-cyclodextrin-bonded silica stationary phases have mainly been dedicated to the separation of enantiomers; however, these polysaccharides can be also be used in achiral way. This work aims at showing how CEC performed on a beta-cyclodextrin-bonded silica stationary phase can be used to concurrently resolve zidovudine (AZT), lamivudine (3TC), didanosine (ddA) and its administrated form (ddI), stavudine (d4T) and hivid (ddC) in a mixture of adenosine (A), cytidine (C), guanosine (G), thymidine (T) and uridine (U). The influence of several parameters (pH buffer, ionic strength, acetonitrile content, temperature and voltage) on both the retention times and the retention factors has been investigated using the short-end injection technique to achieve baseline separation in a short-time analysis before quantitation. Moreover, the retention factors of the charged solutes in short-end injection-CEC were calculated using theoretically derived equations, allowing for the actual voltage drop in the packed section of the semipacked CEC capillary.