Lucie Havlíková

Method optimization and validation for the determination of eight sulfonamides in chicken muscle and eggs by modified QuEChERS and liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection.

A simple, effective and reliable method for the determination of eight sulfonamide antibiotics (sulfadiazine, sulfapiridine, sulfamerazine, sulfamethazine, sulfachloropiridazine, sulfamethoxazole, sulfadoxine, sulfadimethoxin) in chicken muscle and eggs by liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection has been developed and validated. Sulfonamides do not present native fluorescence, however their direct determination was achieved by on-line post-column photochemical derivatization by UV irradiation. Sample treatment was based on QuEChERS with several modifications depending on the matrix. Egg extracts were cleaned-up using PSA for the dispersive solid phase extraction step. On the other hand, a new clean-up sorbent, Supel™ QuE Z-Sep(+), has been successfully applied in chicken muscle extract and has proved to be effective for interference removal from this matrix. Under optimum conditions, recoveries from 65.9 to 88.1%, relative standard deviations lower than 10% (except for sulfachloropiridazine), and limits of quantification (LOQs) from 14 to 85 μg kg(-1) were achieved. Thus, the method complies with current European requirements.

Separation and determination of terbinafine and its four impurities of similar structure using simple RP-HPLC method.

A novel reversed-phase HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of active component terbinafine, its one impurity 1-methylaminomethylnaphtalene and three degradation products, beta-terbinafine, Z-terbinafine and 4-methyl-terbinafine occurring in pharmaceutical formulations after long-term stability tests, was developed and validated using propylparaben as an internal standard. The chromatographic separation was performed on a NUCLEOSIL 100-5-CN column, mobile phase for separation of all compounds consisted of a mixture of tetrahydrofurane, acetonitrile and citrate buffer pH 4.50 (10:20:70,v/v/v). The analysis time was less than 32 min at flow-rate of 0.8 ml min(-1). UV detection was performed at 226 nm. The method was validated and system suitability parameters were investigated. Method robustness and short-term standard solution stability were verified. Limits of detection for terbinafine degradation products/impurity were from 0.023 to 0.098 microg ml(-1), limits of quantitation were from 0.078 to 0.327 microg ml(-1). The method was applicable for routine determination of terbinafine and all its found impurities of similar structure with sufficient selectivity, precision and accuracy.

HILIC UHPLC–MS/MS for fast and sensitive bioanalysis: accounting for matrix effects in method development

BACKGROUND Matrix effects are considered to be a main obstacle of quantitative bioanalytical LC-MS/MS methods. Therefore it is often required to minimize them in order to increase method reliability. HILIC has been referenced as one of possible approaches. However, there is a lack of experimental evidence in scientific literature so far. METHODOLOGY Matrix effects were evaluated using spiked serum samples after SPE and protein precipitation prior to UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Chromatography was performed in both HILIC and reversed-phase mode. The influence of the matrix effects on the signal response was assessed using a set of 34 compounds of pharmaceutical interest and post-extraction addition approach. RESULTS The advantages and drawbacks of the HILIC and reversed-phase chromatographic modes were compared and discussed in detail. CONCLUSION HILIC demonstrated the potential to reduce the occurrence of matrix effects when a more thorough sample pretreatment procedure such as SPE was applied.

Carbonyl reduction of warfarin: Identification and characterization of human warfarin reductases

Warfarin is a widely used anticoagulant and, unfortunately, is a drug that is commonly implicated in serious adverse events including fatalities. Although several factors, including the metabolism of warfarin via CYP450, have been reported to affect the safety and efficacy of warfarin therapy, the wide variance in the warfarin dosage in patients has not been completely clarified. In addition to the oxidative metabolism of warfarin mediated by CYP450, reductive metabolism is involved in warfarin biotransformation. However, the reductive metabolism of warfarin has been largely unexplored and deserves further investigation. We studied warfarin reduction by human liver fractions and found a 9-fold higher velocity of warfarin reduction in the cytosol than in microsomes (Vmax=77.2 vs. 8.7pmol/mgprotein/min, respectively). Furthermore, of nine recombinant cytosolic carbonyl reducing enzymes tested for their ability to reduce warfarin, AKR1C3 and CBR1 were identified as warfarin reductases and their kinetic parameters were determined. The internal clearance of warfarin was 3 orders of magnitude higher with AKR1C3 than with CBR1 (CLint=65.922 vs. 0.070μl/mgprotein/min, respectively). This is the first time that warfarin reducing enzymes in human liver subcellular fraction have been identified. Moreover, we have described the chiral aspects of warfarin reduction using an HPLC method that enabled the detection of individual warfarin alcohol stereoisomers. Cytosol and AKR1C3 exhibit the stereoselective metabolism of (R)-warfarin to preferentially form (SR)-warfarin alcohol as the primary in vivo metabolite of warfarin. On the other hand, microsomes and CBR1 preferentially reduce (S)-warfarin to form (RS)-warfarin alcohol and (SS)-warfarin alcohol, respectively.

Advantages of pentafluorophenylpropyl stationary phase over conventional C18 stationary phase--application to analysis of triamcinolone acetonide.

A pentafluorophenylpropyl (PFPP) stationary phase was for the first time tested for the simultaneous determination of triamcinolone acetonide, its degradation product triamcinolone and two preservatives, methylparaben, and propylparaben. A new simple isocratic reversed phase HPLC method with UV detection, using estradiol hemihydrate as an internal standard, has been developed and validated. Chromatography was performed on a Discovery HS F5 column (150 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) using a binary mobile phase composed of acetonitrile and water 45:55 (v:v). The flow-rate was 0.6 mL/min, the column temperature 25 degrees C and the UV detection was accomplished at 240 nm. The chromatography results using PFPP stationary phase were compared with those obtained using conventional C18 columns.

Optimisation of an HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of pyrantel pamoate, praziquantel, fenbendazole, oxfendazole and butylhydroxyanisole using a phenyl stationary phase

A novel and simple isocratic reversed phase HPLC method with UV and fluorimetric detection for the simultaneous determination of the active anthelmintic components pyrantel pamoate, praziquantel, fenbendazole, its degradation product oxfendazole, and the antioxidant butylhydroxyanisole (BHA) has been developed and validated. The chromatography was performed using a Phenomenex Luna 3 μm phenyl–hexyl column (150 × 3.0 mm), and the mobile phase was composed of 0.5% triethylamine at pH 9.0 and acetonitrile 55 : 45 (v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 ml min−1. The UV detection was performed at 290 nm for pyrantel, oxfendazole and fenbendazole and at 220 nm for praziquantel. For BHA, fluorescence detection was used with excitation and emission wavelengths of 287 nm and 322 nm, respectively. The method was validated and was applied for the determination of active compounds in various dosage forms of veterinary formulations.

An on-line coupling of nanofibrous extraction with column-switching high performance liquid chromatography – A case study on the determination of bisphenol A in environmental water samples

Polyamide 6 nanofiber polymers were used as modern sorbents for on-line solid phase extraction (SPE) coupled with liquid chromatography. The on-line SPE system was tested for the determination of bisphenol A in river water samples. Polyamide nanofibers were prepared using needleless electrospinning, inserted into a mini-column cartridge (5 × 4.6mm) and coupled with HPLC. The effect of column packing and the amount of polyamide 6 on extraction efficiency was tested and the packing process was optimized. The proposed method was performed using a 50-µL sample injection followed by an on-line nanofibrous extraction procedure. The influence of the washing mobile phase on the retention of bisphenol A during the extraction procedure was evaluated. Ascentis® Express C18 (10cm × 4.6mm) core-shell column was used as an analytical column. Fluorescence detection wavelengths (λex = 225nm and λem = 320nm) were used for identification and quantification of Bisphenol A in river waters. The linearity was tested in the range from 2 to 500µgL-1 (using nine calibration points). The limits of detection and quantification were 0.6 and 2µgL-1, respectively. The developed method was successfully used for the determination of bisphenol A in various samples of river waters in the Czech Republic (The Ohře, Labe, Nisa, Úpa, and Opava Rivers).

Application of HILIC stationary phase to determination of dimethindene maleate in topical gel

A novel high performance liquid chromatography method for the determination of dimethindene maleate in pharmaceutical gel using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) with UV detection was developed and validated. Following optimal conditions for the analysis of dimethindene maleate were used: analytical column SeQuant ZIC-HILIC (50mmx2.1mm, 5microm), and mobile phase consisted of a mixture of acetonitrile and aqueous solution of acetic acid (25mM) and ammonium acetate (2.5mM) (87.5:12.5, v:v). The analysis time was less than 3min at a flow rate of 0.3mlmin(-1). UV detection was performed at 258nm. The method was validated and system suitability parameters were evaluated. The method is suitable for application for routine determination of dimethindene maleate in topical pharmaceutical preparation.

Application of BACE1 immobilized enzyme reactor for the characterization of multifunctional alkaloids from Corydalis cava (Fumariaceae) as Alzheimer's disease targets

In our ongoing study focused on Corydalis cava (Fumariaceae), used in folk medicine in the treatment of memory dysfunctions, we have investigated fifteen previously isolated alkaloids for their potential multifunctional activity on Alzheimers disease (AD) targets. Determination of ß-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) inhibition was carried out using a BACE1-Immobilized Enzyme Reactor (IMER) by validating the assay with a multi-well plate format Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) assay. Seven alkaloids out of fifteen were found to be active, with (-)-corycavamine (3) and (+)-corynoline (5) demonstrating the highest BACE1 inhibition activity, in the micromolar range, in a concentration dependent manner. BACE1-IMER was found to be a valid device for the fast screening of inhibitors and the determination of their potency. In a permeation assay (PAMPA) for the prediction of blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration, the most active compounds, (-)-corycavamine (3) and (+)-corynoline (5), were found to be able to cross the BBB. Not all compounds showed activity against glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) and casein kinase-1δ (CK-1δ). On the basis of the reported results, we found that some C. cava alkaloids have multifunctional activity against AD targets (prolyl oligopeptidase, cholinesterases and BACE1). Moreover, we tried to elucidate the treatment effectivity (rational use) of its extract in memory dysfunction in folk medicine.

The role of carbonyl reducing enzymes in oxcarbazepine in vitro metabolism in man

Oxcarbazepine, a second generation antiepileptic drug belonging to the family of dibenz[b,f]azepines, is subjected to a rapid and extensive biotransformation. Oxcarbazepine demonstrates a low potential for drug interactions because its biotransformation is mainly mediated by the reduction pathway instead of oxidative pathways, which are very susceptible to drug interactions. The reductive metabolism of oxcarbazepine yields a 10-monohydroxy derivative (10,11-dihydro-10-hydroxy-carbazepine), which is responsible for the pharmacological activity. The identity and localization of enzymes participating in the reduction of oxcarbazepine in response to this active metabolite have remained unknown until now. Thus, we investigated the reductive metabolism of oxcarbazepine in human liver subcellular fractions and using recombinant carbonyl reducing enzymes. The reduction of oxcarbazepine was shown to occur largely in the liver cytosol rather than liver microsomes. Furthermore, the activity and stereospecificity of cytosolic carbonyl reducing enzymes toward oxcarbazepine were assessed. Of the eight tested enzymes, six reductases were identified to contribute to the reduction of oxcarbazepine. The highest activities were demonstrated by AKR1C1, AKR1C2, AKR1C3, and AKR1C4. The contribution of CBR1 and CBR3 to the reduction of oxcarbazepine was also significant, although their role in oxcarbazepine metabolism in vivo is unclear.