Non-targeted identification of tianeptine photodegradation products in water samples by UHPLC-QTOF MS/MS.

This study aims the characterization of several tianeptine transformation products in ultrapure water by simulated sunlight irradiation. Tianeptine was completely degraded after 106 h of exposition following pseudo-first-order kinetics (half-life time = 12.0 ± 2.4 h). Furthermore, an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a high-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry method was developed and fully validated taking into account different method performance parameters for the quantification of tianeptine in river water up to a concentration of 400 pg L-1. Following a non-targeted approach based on mass data-independent acquisition, eight different transformation products not previously reported in the literature were identified and accordingly elucidated, proposing a photodegradation mechanism based on the accurate tandem mass spectrometry information acquired. Irradiation experiments were replicated for a tianeptine solution prepared in a blank river water sample, resulting in the formation of the same transformation products and similar degradation kinetics. In addition, a toxicity assessment of the photoproducts was performed by in silico method, being generally all TPs of comparable toxicity to the precursor except for TP1, and showing a similar persistence in the environment except for TP2 and TP6, while TP4 was the only TP predicted as mutagenic. The developed method was applied for the analysis of four river water samples.

Pharmacokinetic study of tianeptine and its active metabolite MC5 in rats following different routes of administration using a novel liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analytical method.

Tianeptine is an atypical antidepressant with a unique mechanism of action and recently it has been also reported that its major metabolite, compound MC5, possesses pharmacological activity similar to that of the parent drug. The current study aims to investigate the pharmacokinetics (PK) of both tianeptine and MC5 after intravenous or intraperitoneal administration of the parent drug as well as the metabolic ratio of MC5 in rats. To achieve these goals an LC-MS/MS method using the small sample volume for the quantitation of tianeptine and its active metabolite MC5 in rat plasma and liver perfusate has been developed and validated. Following an intravenous administration of tianeptine pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by non-compartmental analysis. The average tianeptine volume of distribution at steady state was 2.03 L/kg and the systemic clearance equaled 1.84 L/h/kg. The mean elimination half-lives of tianeptine and MC5 metabolite were 1.16 and 7.53 h, respectively. The hepatic clearance of tianeptine determined in the isolated rat liver perfusion studies was similar to the perfusate flow rate despite the low metabolic ratio of MC5. Mass spectrometric analysis of rat bile indicated that tianeptine and MC5 metabolite are eliminated with bile as glucuronide and glutamine conjugates. Bioavailability of tianeptine after its intraperitoneal administration was 69%. The PK model with a metabolite compartment developed in this study for both tianeptine and MC5 metabolite after two routes of administration may facilitate tianeptine dosage selection for the prospective pharmacological experiments.

Tablet potency of Tianeptine in coated tablets by near infrared spectroscopy: model optimisation, calibration transfer and confidence intervals.

A near infrared (NIR) method was developed for determination of tablet potency of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in a complex coated tablet matrix. The calibration set contained samples from laboratory and production scale batches. The reference values were obtained by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and partial least squares (PLS) regression was used to establish a model. The model was challenged by calculating tablet potency of two external test sets. Root mean square errors of prediction were respectively equal to 2.0% and 2.7%. To use this model with a second spectrometer from the production field, a calibration transfer method called piecewise direct standardisation (PDS) was used. After the transfer, the root mean square error of prediction of the first test set was 2.4% compared to 4.0% without transferring the spectra. A statistical technique using bootstrap of PLS residuals was used to estimate confidence intervals of tablet potency calculations. This method requires an optimised PLS model, selection of the bootstrap number and determination of the risk. In the case of a chemical analysis, the tablet potency value will be included within the confidence interval calculated by the bootstrap method. An easy to use graphical interface was developed to easily determine if the predictions, surrounded by minimum and maximum values, are within the specifications defined by the regulatory organisation.

Mass spectrometry-based characterization of new drugs and methods of performance manipulation in doping control analysis.

Efficient and comprehensive sports drug testing necessitates frequent updating and proactive, preventive anti-doping research, and the early implementation of new, emerging drugs into routine doping controls is an essential aspect. Several new drugs and drug candidates with potential for abuse, including so-called Rycals (ryanodine receptor calstabin complex stabilizers, for example, S-107), hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) stabilizers, and peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) delta agonists (for example, GW1516), were studied using different mass spectrometry- and ion mobility-based approaches, and their gas phase dissociation behaviors were elucidated. The detailed knowledge of fragmentation routes allows a more rapid identification of metabolites and structurally related, presumably "tailor-made", analogs potentially designed for doping purposes. The utility of product ion characterization is demonstrated in particular with GW1516, for which oxidation products were readily identified in urine samples by means of diagnostic fragment ions as measured using high resolution/high accuracy mass spectrometry and higher energy collision-induced dissociation (HCD).

Emerging drugs: mechanism of action, mass spectrometry and doping control analysis.

The number of compounds and doping methods in sports is in a state of constant flux. In addition to 'traditional' doping agents, such as anabolic androgenic steroids or erythropoietin, new therapeutics and emerging drugs have considerable potential for misuse in elite sport. Such compounds are commonly based on new chemical structures, and the mechanisms underlying their modes of action represent new therapeutic approaches arising from recent advances in medical research; therefore, sports drug testing procedures need to be continuously modified and complementary methods developed, preferably based on mass spectrometry, to enable comprehensive doping controls. This tutorial not only discusses emerging drugs that can be categorized as anabolic agents (selective androgen receptor modulators, SARMs), gene doping [hypoxia-inducible factor stabilizers, peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)delta-agonists] and erythropoietin-mimetics (Hematide) but also compounds with potentially performance-enhancing properties that are not classified in the current list of the World Anti-Doping Agency. Compounds such as ryanodine-calstabin-complex modulators (benzothiazepines) are included, their mass spectrometric properties discussed, and current approaches in sports drug testing outlined.

Identification and characterization of potential impurities of quetiapine fumarate.

Seven potential impurities, including by-products, starting materials and intermediates were identified in pharmaceutical substance quetiapine fumarate and characterized by spectroscopic methods (MS, IR, NMR). Based on these methods the structures of the impurities were assigned or confirmed as: impurity I: 2-(phenylthio)aniline; impurity II: phenyl N-[2-(phenylthio)phenyl]carbamate; impurity III: N,N'-bis[2-(phenylthio) phenyl]urea; impurity IV: N-[2-(phenylthio)phenyl]-1-piperazinecarboxamide hydrochloride; impurity V: N,N'-bis[(2-phenylthio)phenyl]-1,4-piperazinedicarboxamide; impurity VI: 11-(1-piperazinyl) dibenzo[b,f][1,4]thiazepine fumarate; impurity VII: 1,4-bis(dibenzo[b,f][1,4] thiazepin-11-yl)piperazine. Structural elucidation of compounds, proposed MS fragmentation pathway and possible ways of formation of the impurities are also discussed.

A new spectrophotometric method for the determination of tianeptine in tablets using ion-pair reagents.

A new rapid and sensitive procedure assay is proposed for the spectrophotometric determination of tianeptine. The developed method involves formation of colored chloroform extractable ion-pair complexes of tianeptine with bromophenol blue (BPB), bromocresol green (BCG), bromothymol blue (BTB) and methyl orange (MO) in acidic medium. Beer's law is obeyed in the concentration ranges 3.0-12.0, 4.0-16.0, 4.0-14.0 and 2.0-10.0 microg ml(-1) with BPB, BCG, BTB and MO, respectively. The detection limit of tianeptine was found to be 1.8 microg ml(-1) for BPB, 2.0 for BCG, 2.0 microg ml(-1) for BTB and 1.0 microg ml(-1) for MO. Validation of the method was performed in terms of linearity, limit of detection (LOD), quantification (LOQ), accuracy and precision. Common excipients used as additives in pharmaceutical preparations do not interfere in the proposed method. The proposed method has been applied to determination of the examined drugs in pharmaceutical formulations and the results demonstrated that the method is equally accurate, precise, and reproducible as the official method. The t-test showed no significant difference at 95% confidence level.

High-performance liquid chromatographic stability indicating assay method of tianeptine sodium with simultaneous fluorescence and UV detection.

The purpose of this work is to develop a sensitive, selective, and validated stability-indicating HPLC assay of tianeptine (TIA) in bulk drug and tablet form. TIA is subjected to different stress conditions, including UV-light, oxidation, acid base-base hydrolysis, and temperature. TIA and its possible degradation products are analyzed on Agilent-Zorbax-XDB-C18 column using gradient elution with acetonitrile and 0.02M sodium acetate (pH 4.2). The samples are monitored simultaneously with photo-diode array at 254 nm and fluoroscence detector set to 350 nm (ex) and 425 nm (em). TIA is integrated from its UV-chromatogram, and the photodecomposition products are integrated from the fluoroscence-chromatogram. TIA and its photodecomposition products are separated by TLC using ethyl acetate-n-hexane-glacial acetic acid-methanol (10.0:14.0:0.2:1.0, v/v) as developing system. One potential photodegradation product is detected by fluoroscence in TIA-tablet form and separated by TLC. The linear range of TIA is between 0.5 to 50 microg/injection with limits of quantitation and detection values of 30 and 8 ng/injection, respectively. The inter-assay percentage of deviation is not more than 0.03%, and the day-to-day variation is not more than 0.1%.

Fatal intoxication with tianeptine (Stablon).

Tianeptine (Stablon), although structurally similar to tricyclic antidepressants, acts by enhancing the reuptake of serotonin. A fatal case is presented involving a 26-year-old man, found lying in bed with a "mushroom of foam" around his mouth. Empty blister packs of Stablon and a suicide note were found next to the body. A liquid-liquid extraction procedure with n-hexane: ethyl acetate and n-hexane: 2-propanol, followed by LC-DAD-MS analysis, using positive mode electrospray ionization was performed. The detection limit was 0.001 microg/mL. The toxicological results revealed the following tianeptine concentrations in the post-mortem samples: blood 5.1 microg/mL; urine 2.0 microg/mL; liver 23 microg/g; stomach contents 22 mg. Femoral blood analyses also revealed an ethanol concentration of 0.53 g/L. The present method was also developed and validated for the other post-mortem specimens, since no previous published data had confirmed the post-mortem distribution of tianeptine. The absence of other suitable direct causes of death (macroscopic or histological) and the positive results achieved with the toxicological analysis led the pathologist to rule that death was due to an intoxication caused by the suicidal ingestion of tianeptine in combination with alcohol.

Determination of tianeptine in tablets by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection.

A sensitive and selective high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of tianeptine (Tia) in tablets. The method is based on derivatization of Tia with 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan (NBD-CI). A mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile-10 mM orthophosphoric acid (pH 2.5; 77 + 23) was used at a flow rate of 1 mL/min on a C18 column. The Tia-NBD derivative was monitored using a fluorescence detector, with emission set at 520 nm and excitation at 458 nm. Gabapentin was selected as an internal standard. Linear calibration graphs were obtained in the concentration range of 45-300 ng/mL. The lower limit of detection (LOD) was 10 ng/mL at a signal-to-noise ratio of 4. The lower limit of quantitation (LOQ) was 45 ng/mL. The relative standard values for intra- and interday precision were <0.46 and <0.57%, respectively. The recovery of the drug samples ranged between 98.89 and 99.85%. No chromatographic interference from the tablet excipients was found. The proposed method was validated in terms of precision, robustness, recovery, LOD, and LOQ. All the validation parameters were within the acceptance range. The proposed method was applied for the determination of Tia in commercially available tablets. The results were compared with those obtained by an ultraviolet spectrophotometric method using t- and F-tests.

Differential pulse, square wave and adsorptive stripping voltammetric quantification of tianeptine in tablets.

Differential pulse polarographic (DPP) and square wave polarographic (SWP) techniques were applied at hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) for quantitative determination of tianeptine (TIA) in tablets. The adsorptive stripping voltammetric (ASV) behavior of TIA was also studied. TIA gave a sensitive reduction peaks at -1256, -1244 and -1072 mV for DPP, SWP and ASV, respectively (versus Ag/AgCl) in Britton-Robinson buffer (B-R buffer) at pH 11. The solution conditions and instrumental parameters were optimized for the determination of TIA in tablets. Calibration plots and regression data validation, accuracy, precision, limit of detection, limit of quantitation and other aspects of analytical merit are presented.

Post-source decay matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric study of tetracyclic 2,3-dihydro-1,5-benzothiazepines.

The fragmentation behavior of six tetracyclic 2,3-dihydro-1,5-benzothiazepine derivatives cationized with protons and silver ions under post-source decay (PSD) matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) conditions is reported. The protonated adduct ions decompose into several structurally important fragment ions, including substituted cyclopropane and benzohydrothiazole cations. Elimination of Ag and H and/or AgH from the silver-cationized adduct ions of these ([M+Ag](+)) compounds was observed. It was also found that [M+Ag](+) produced silver-depleted fragment ions exclusively. Based on the PSD results a fragmentation pathway is proposed for the [M+H](+) and [M+Ag](+) precursor ions.

Structural assignment of regioisomeric 3-[2- or 5-anilino-2-(alkylamino)phenyl]propanoic acids, 2H-1,4-benzothiazin-3(4H)-ones and 2,3-dihydro-1,5-benzothiazepin-4(5H)-ones by 1D NOE and gHMBC NMR techniques.

The 1H and 13C NMR spectra of compounds 1-11 and 16-22 in CDCl3 and DMSO-d6 solutions allowed structural assignment to regioisomers 1/5 and 2/6 and their regioselective cyclization products 16-18 utilizing one- and two-dimensional NMR techniques (APT, DEPT, NOE difference, COSY, NOESY, HETCOR and gHMQC, gHMBC). Temperature-dependent 1H NMR spectra of 8-anilino-5-(4-methyl-2-pentyl)-2,3-dihydro-1,5-benzothiazepin-4(5H)-one (18) indicated a free energy of activation (deltaG++) of ca 17 kcal mol(-1) for interconversion between rotamers. The 1H and 13C NMR spectra of 20 and 22 containing two chiral centers exhibit duplication of several signals, indicating the existence of two diastereomeric forms. The structure of 4 was unambiguously confirmed by x-ray crystallography.

Photochemically induced fluorimetric detection of tianeptine and some of its metabolites. Application to pharmaceutical preparation.

The photochemically induced fluorescence (PIF) properties of tianeptine and some of its metabolites were investigated in acidic (pH 2.3) water-alcohol mixtures at room temperature. Two PIF methods were developed, including bulk solution and flow injection analysis (FIA). Linear calibration plots were established over a concentration range of more than one order of magnitude. Limits of detection ranged from 15 ng ml-1 for FIA-PIF to 25 ng ml-1 in bulk solution. The RSDs were between 3 and 5%. The PIF methods were applied to the determination of tianeptine in a pharmaceutical preparation with recoveries varying from 96 to 106% in bulk solutions and from 98 to 106% for FIA-PIF.

Enzyme immunoassay for the drug of anti-ulcer using avidin-biotin system.

We have developed a competitive enzyme immunoassay for a drug, which was a newly synthesized anti-ulcer agent, using an enzyme immunoassay. The polyclonal anti-drug antibody coupled to biotin, peroxidase labeled drug derivatives as a tracer, and a small column of Sepharose 4B covalently bound to avidin were used in the assay. This assay is simple and rapid, and the sensitivity and the measuring range can be controlled by the flow rate of the substrate solution. The correlation between serum drug concentrations (0.1-10 micrograms/ml) measured by gas chromatography and this assay was good (r = 0.991). This principle for the assay is very practical and applicable to the enzyme immunoassay for small and large molecules.

Enzyme immunoassay of the active metabolite (RS-5139) of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (CS-622).

A simple and sensitive enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for determination of the active metabolite (RS-5139) of a new angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (CS-622) was developed. The N-succinimmidyl ester of RS-5139 was coupled with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and its conjugate was used as an immunogen. Horse radish peroxidase (HRP; EC 1, 11, 1, 7) was used as a labeled enzyme and 3, 3', 5, 5'-tetramethylbenzidine was used as a substrate. The antiserum was used at a final dilution of 1:10000 and sensitivity was 10 pg in plasma and 20pg in urine. CS-622 exhibited cross-reactivity (22.3%), but other ACE inhibitors didn't exhibit cross-reactivity. The plasma levels determined by EIA and GC/MS was good agreement (y = 6.58e-2 + 1.07x, R - 2 = 0.985, n = 52).

Ion-pair extraction and high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of tianeptine and its metabolites in human plasma, urine and tissues.

An isocratic reversed-phase ion-pair liquid chromatographic method for the determination of tianeptine and its two main metabolites in plasma, urine and tissues, using an internal standard, is reported. The influence of two stationary phases on the retention of the drugs was studied. The drugs were extracted as ion pairs, using a heptane-octanol-tetraheptylammonium bromide mixture (98:2:0.5, v/v/w) as extraction solvent. This extraction procedure yielded plasma drug recoveries of greater than 60% and allowed UV detection at 220 nm without interference from endogenous components of plasma, urine or tissues. Linear standard curves up to 1.00 micrograms/ml and drug determination down to 0.01 microgram/ml were observed. This method has been successfully applied to the analysis of human plasma and urine samples and of encephales from tianeptine-dosed rats.

Cytoplasmic methionyl-tRNA synthetase from Bakers' yeast. A monomer with a post-translationally modified N terminus.

Methionyl-tRNA synthetase has been purified from a yeast strain carrying the MES1 structural gene on a high copy number plasmid (pFL1). The purified enzyme is a monomer of Mr = 85,000 in contrast to its counterpart from Escherichia coli which is a dimer made up of identical subunits (Mr = 76,000; Dardel, F., Fayat, G., and Blanquet, S. (1984) J. Bacteriol. 160, 1115-1122). The yeast enzyme was not amenable to Edman's degradation indicating a blocked NH2 terminus. Its primary structure as derived from the DNA sequence (Walter, P., Gangloff, J., Bonnet, J., Boulanger, Y., Ebel, J.P., and Fasiolo, F. (1983) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80, 2437-2441) has been confirmed using the fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometric method. This method was applied to tryptic digests of the carboxymethylated enzyme and the corresponding data provided extensive coverage of the translated DNA sequence, thus confirming its correctness. The ambiguity concerning which of the three NH2-terminally located methionine codons is the initiation codon was easily resolved from peptides identified in this region. It was possible to show that the first methionine had been removed and that the new NH2 terminus, serine, had been acetylated. A comparison between the yeast and E. coli sequences shows that the former has an N-terminal extension of about 200 residues as compared to the latter. It also lacks the C-terminal domain which is responsible for the dimerization of the E. coli methionyl-tRNA synthetase.