Enantioseparation of phenothiazines in capillary zone electrophoresis using cyclodextrins as chiral selectors

Ultrasensitive determination of 10 phenothiazine derivatives and their enantiomers in biological fluids by capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection

In this study, a simple, rapid, and ultrasensitive technique was developed to identify five pairs of phenothiazine drugs by using ultrasound-enhanced and surfactant-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (UESA-DLLME), field-amplified sample injection with capillary electrophoresis (FASI-CE), and capacitively coupled capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (C4D). During the CE separation process, UESA-DLLME was used for sample clean-up and offline concentration, and FASI-CE was used for the online concentration of phenothiazine enantiomers. At baseline, the five pairs of phenothiazine enantiomer drugs required 18 min for separation. UESA-DLLME was then used to extract 0.01 mM Tween 80 at pH 10 from a sample solution (extraction solvent, 100 mL of dichloromethane). Subsequently, FASI was used to stack the sample solution (buffer, 30 mM 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid/aspartic acid, additive 4 mM hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin, pH 2.5), and C4D was used for signal detection (amplitude, 2 Vpp; frequency, 400 kHz). The results indicated that the linear range for quantifying all analyte enantiomers was 1.0-150 nM, with a coefficient of determination exceeding 0.99. In addition, the relative standard deviations in the migration time and peak areas for the 10 analytes were less than 3.2% and 7.2%, respectively. The proposed system has a limit of detection (LOD) for the 10 analytes at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3, ranging from 0.24 to 0.28 nM. The sensitivity enhancement, which compares the LOD0 (limit of detection in the normal method) to LOD1 (limit of detection achieved using the proposed UESA-DLLME-FASI-CE-C4D method), varies between approximately 1200 and 2000 for the 10 analytes. Analysis of the 10 separated analytes spiked in urine and serum samples revealed recovery rates of 88%-106% and 89%-105%, respectively. Therefore, this highly sensitive advanced technique was successfully used to analyze phenothiazine enantiomers in urine and serum samples.

Dual 2-Hydroxypropyl-β-Cyclodextrin and 5,10,15,20-Tetrakis (4-Hydroxyphenyl) Porphyrin System as a Novel Chiral-Achiral Selector Complex for Enantioseparation of Aminoalkanol Derivatives with Anticancer Activity in Capillary Electrophoresis

In this study, a complex consisting of 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin and 5,10,15,20-tetrakis (4-hydroxyphenyl) porphyrin, (named dual chiral-achiral selector complex) was used for the determination of two novel potential anticancer agents of (I) and (II) aminoalkanol derivatives. This work aimed at developing an effective method that can be utilized for the determination of I (S), I (R), and II (S) and II (R) enantiomers of (I) and (II) compounds through the use of a dual chiral-achiral selector complex consisting of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin and 5,10,15,20-tetrakis (4-hydroxyphenyl) porphyrin system by applying capillary electrophoresis. This combination proved to be beneficial in achieving high separation selectivity due to the combined effects of different modes of chiral discrimination. The enantiomers of (I) and (II) compounds were separated within a very short time of 3.6–7.2 min, in pH 2.5 phosphate buffer containing 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin and 5,10,15,20-tetrakis (4-hydroxyphenyl) porphyrin system at a concentration of 5 and 10 mM, respectively, at 25 °C and +10 kV. The detection wavelength of the detector was set at 200 nm. The LOD for I (S), I (R), II (S), and II (R) was 65.2, 65.6, 65.1, and 65.7 ng/mL, respectively. LOQ for I (S), I (R), II (S), and II (R) was 216.5, 217.8, 217.1, and 218.1 ng/mL, respectively. Recovery was 94.9–99.9%. The repeatability and reproducibility of the method based on the values of the migration time, and the area under the peak was 0.3–2.9% RSD. The stability of the method was determined at 0.1–4.9% RSD. The developed method was used in the pilot studies for determining the enantiomers I (S), I (R), II (S), and II (R) in the blood serum.

Enantioseparation of phenothiazines through capillary electrophoresis with solid phase extraction and polymer based stacking

This study developed a sensitive method involving capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupled with ultraviolet absorption for the simultaneous separation of chiral phenothiazine drugs at nanomolar concentration levels. The method consists of hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin (Hp-γ-CD) as a chiral selector and poly (diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDAC)-based CE. Five pairs of d,l-phenothiazines were baseline separated using a background electrolyte containing 0.9% PDDAC, 5 mM Hp-γ-CD, and 100 mM tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris)-formate (pH 3.0). The five pairs were successfully stacked on the basis of the difference in viscosity between the PDDAC-containing background electrolyte and the sample solution, with almost no loss of resolution. The combination of a solid-phase extraction and PDDAC-mediated CE can efficiently improve the sensitivity of the phenothiazine enantiomers. Under optimal conditions, calibration graphs displayed the linear range between 6 and 1500 nM, with relative standard deviation values lower than 3.5% (n = 5). Detection limit ranged from 2.1 to 6.3 nM for target analytes, and 607- to 1555-fold enhancement was achieved. The practicality of using the proposed method to determine five pairs of d,l-phenothiazines in urine is also validated, in which recoveries between recoveries of all phenothiazines from urine ranged from 89% to 101%.

A quality by design-based approach to a capillary electrokinetic assay for the determination of dextromepromazine and levomepromazine sulfoxide as impurities of levomepromazine

Using a quality by design approach, a capillary electrophoresis method for the simultaneous determination of dextromepromazine and the oxidation product levomepromazine sulfoxide in levomepromazine was developed. The analytical target profile was defined that the method should be able to quantify 0.1% of both impurities with a precision of  ≤10%. Hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin was used as chiral selector. The critical process parameters cyclodextrin concentration, buffer pH and concentration as well as temperature and applied voltage were studied using a fractional factorial resolution V+ design for defining the knowledge space. A central composite face centered design was used as response surface methodology for deriving the design space by Monte Carlo simulations. The selected working point was a 100mM citric acid buffer, pH 2.85, containing 3.6mg/mL hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin, a temperature of 15°C and a voltage of 25kV. Robustness was estimated using a Plackett-Burman design. The method was subsequently validated in the relative concentration range of 0.1%-1.0% of the impurities for a solution containing 0.25mg/mL levomepromazine. The method was applied to the determination of the purity of the reference substance of the European Pharmacopoeia and of the drug in a commercial injection solution.

Complexation and Chiral Drug Recognition of an Amphiphilic Phenothiazine Derivative with β‐Cyclodextrin

Promethazine hydrochloride (PTZ) is an amphiphilic drug derived from the phenothiazine structure that possesses a charged aliphatic chain with a chiral carbon. In the presence of beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD), this drug undergoes significant changes of its photophysical properties in aqueous solution. Fluorescence spectroscopy measurements show the formation of a 1:1 stoichiometry complex with quantum yield lower than that of the pure PTZ, and two fluorescence lifetimes, which can be assigned to the free and complexed forms of the drug. In addition, (1)H NMR spectra, and 2D rotating-frame Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy (ROESY) were used to characterize the drug and the complex, and to determine the effects of the complexation on the aggregation. For the drug binary system, a noncooperative association process is observed, and in the presence of macrocycle, the chemical shifts reveal a chiral resolution of the drug enantiomers, with different stability constants of the complexes. beta-CD modifies the aggregation of PTZ in an extension that confirms the formation of a 1:1 complex. ROE enhancements and molecular modeling strategies show the most likely structure of the complex in solution, in which one of the phenyl rings is buried into the CD cavity, with a slight inclusion of the aliphatic part.

Drop-to-drop solvent microextraction coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry for rapid determination of trimeprazine in urine and blood of rats: application to pharmacokinetic studies

A simple and rapid method based on drop-to-drop solvent microextraction (DDSME) coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) has been successfully applied for the pharmacokinetic studies of trimeprazine in 8 microL of urine and blood samples of rats. Several factors that influenced the extraction efficiency of DDSME, such as selection of organic solvent, extraction time, exposure volume of organic phase, addition of salt and pH, were optimized. Linearity was obtained over the concentration ranges of 0.2-10, 0.25-7.0 and 0.5-6.0 microg/mL with correlation coefficients of 0.998, 0.996 and 0.993 in deionized water, urine and blood samples of rats, respectively. The limits of detection (LODs) of trimeprazine were 0.05, 0.06 and 0.1 microg/mL in deionized water, urine and blood samples. The concentrations of trimeprazine obtained in urine and blood samples of rats were 0.21-1.25 and 2.72-0.22 microg/mL, respectively, after a single intravenous administration of this drug. The enrichment factors and LOD values obtained by DDSME coupled to GC/MS were compared with those of hollow fiber liquid-phase microextraction (HF-LPME) combined with GC/MS. We believe that this novel approach can be very useful in clinical application since only one microdrop of biological samples was required to perform the pharmacokinetic studies from rats, so the sample pretreatments for animal experiments can be very easy too.

Enantioseparation of phenotiazines by affinity electrokinetic chromatography using human serum albumin as chiral selector: application to enantiomeric quality control in pharmaceutical formulations

Nowadays, there is a special interest within the pharmaceutical laboratories to develop single enantiomer formulations and consequently a need for analytical methods to determine the enantiomeric purity of drugs. The present paper deals with the enantiomeric separation of promethazine and trimeprazine enantiomers by affinity electrokinetic chromatography (AEKC)-partial filling technique using human serum albumin (HSA) as chiral selector. A multivariate optimization of the most critical experimental variables in enantioresolution, running pH, HSA concentration and plug length, is carried out to obtain enantioresolution of promethazine and trimeprazine. The estimated maximum and optimum resolution of trimeprazine and prometazine enantiomers (Rs=1.74 and 2.01, respectively) corresponded to the following experimental conditions: pH 7.5; [HSA] 170 microM and plug length 190 s and pH 7.6; [HSA] 170 microM and plug length 170 s, for trimeprazine and prometazine, respectively. The developed methodologies were applied for the enantiomeric quality control of promethazine and trimeprazine enantiomers in commercially available pharmaceutical formulations. Resolution, accuracy, reproducibility, cost and sample throughput of the proposed methodologies make it suitable for quality control of the enantiomeric composition of promethazine and trimeprazine in pharmaceutical preparations.

Determination of phenothiazines in pharmaceutical formulations and human urine using capillary electrophoresis with chemiluminescence detection

A CE instrument coupled with chemiluminescence (CL) detection was designed for the determination of promethazine hydrochloride (PTH) and promazine hydrochloride (PMH) in real samples. An important enhancement of the CL emission of luminol with potassium ferricyanide was observed in the presence of these phenothiazines; so this system was selected for their detection after CE separation. Parameters affecting the electrophoretic separation were optimized in a univariate way, while those affecting CL detection were optimized by means of a multivariate approach based on the use of experimental designs. Chemometrics was also employed for the study of the robustness of the factors influencing the postcolumn CL detection. The method allows the separation of the phenothiazines in less than 4 min, achieving LODs of 80 ng/mL for PMH and 334 ng/mL for PTH, using sample injection by gravity. Electrokinetic injection was used to obtain lower LODs for the determination of the compounds in biological samples. The applicability of the CE-CL method was illustrated in the determination of PTH in pharmaceutical formulations and in the analysis of PMH in human urine, using a previous SPE procedure, achieving an LOD of 1 ng/mL and recoveries higher than 85%.

HPLC resolution of thioridazine enantiomers from pharmaceutical dosage form using cyclodextrin-based chiral stationary phase

Resolution of racemic thioridazine obtained from Thioril tablets (Cipla Ltd., Goa, India) into its enantiomers has been achieved by HPLC using a beta-cyclodextrin (CD)-bonded stationary phase. Thioridazine was isolated from commercial formulations and was purified using preparative TLC. The purity was ascertained by RP-HPLC. For the resolution of rac-thioridazine using cyclodextrin based CSP and mobile phase of 0.05 M phosphate buffer (pH 6.5)-acetonitrile (50:50) was found to be successful. The optimum conditions of resolution were established by systematically studying the effect of organic modifier, concentration of buffer, pH and flow rate of mobile phase. The detection limit was found to be 10 microg (5 microg of each enantiomer). The enantiomeric purity of each of the resolved isomers was verified by optical rotation.

Enantioseparation of phenothiazines in cyclodextrin-modified capillary zone electrophoresis using sulfated cyclodextrins as chiral selectors

In this study, enantioseparations of five phenothiazines, including promethazine, ethopropazine, trimeprazine, methotrimeprazine, and thioridazine, in CD-modified CZE using dual CD systems consisting of randomly sulfate-substituted CD (MI-S-beta-CD) and a neutral CD as chiral selectors in a citrate buffer (100 mM) at pH 3.0 were investigated. The results indicate that MI-S-beta-CD is an excellent chiral selector for enantioseparation of ethopropazine. The enantiomers of promethazine can also be baseline-resolved with MI-S-beta-CD at concentrations in the range of 0.5-1.0% w/v. On the other hand, thioridazine and trimeprazine interact strongly with neutral CDs. As a result, the enantioselectivity of these two phenothiazines is remarkably and synergistically enhanced with increasing the concentration of neutral CDs in the presence of MI-S-beta-CD and simultaneous enantioseparations of these phenothiazines, except for methotrimeprazine, could favorably be achieved with the use of dual CD systems. Moreover, by varying the concentration of beta-CD or gamma-CD at a fixed concentration of MI-S-beta-CD (0.75% w/v) reversal of the enantiomer migration order of promethazine occurred. This may be attributable to the opposite effects of charged and neutral CDs on the mobility of the enantiomers of promethazine.

Development and validation of a capillary electrophoresis method for the determination of phenothiazines in human urine in the low nanogramper milliliter concentration range using field-amplified sample injection

A capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method with ultraviolet-visible detection has been established and validated for the determination of five phenothiazines: thiazinamium methylsulfate, promazine hydrochloride, chlorpromazine hydrochloride, thioridazine hydrochloride, and promethazine hydrochloride in human urine. Optimum separation was obtained on a 64.5 cm x 75 microm bubble cell capillary using a buffer containing 150 mM tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane and 25% acetonitrile at pH 8.2, with temperature and voltage of 25 degrees C and 20 kV, respectively. Naphazoline hydrochloride was used as an internal standard. Field-amplified sample injection (FASI) has been applied to improve the sensitivity of the detection. Considering the influence of parameters affecting the on-line preconcentration (nature of preinjection plug, sample solvent composition, injection times, and injection voltage) and due to the significant interactions among them, in this paper we propose for the first time the application of a multivariate approach to carry out the study. The optimized conditions were as follows: preinjection plug of water for 7 s at 50 mbar, electrokinetic injection for 40 s at 6.2 kV, and 32 microm of H3PO4 in the sample solvent. Also, a solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure is developed to obtain low detection limits and an adequate selectivity for urine samples. The combination of SPE and FASI-CZE-UV allows adequate linearities and recoveries, low detection limits (from 2 to 5 ng/mL), and satisfactory precisions (3.0-7.2% for an intermediate RSD %).

Electrophoretic separations of twelve phenothiazines and N-demethyl derivatives by using capillary zone electrophoresis and micellar electrokinetic chromatography with non ionic surfactant

We focused our work on the separation of phenothiazines that are important drugs used for the treatment of psychic diseases. For a better understanding of the metabolism of these solutes, we wanted to separate not only a mixture of 12 phenothiazines but also a mixture containing phenothiazines and their N-demethyl metabolites by capillary electrophoresis. Separations in capillary zone electrophoresis were performed using 3 x 10(-2) mol/L H3PO4 (pH 2.5) but the obtained resolutions were not entirely satisfactory especially with regard to phenothiazine -N-demethyl derivative pairs. To improve the obtained results, we have performed separations by using micellar electrokinetic chromatography. In this approach, we used a running electrolyte containing 3 x 10(-2) mol/L H3PO4 electrolyte (pH 2.5) and octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether (C12E8) as neutral surfactant. By introducing 2 x 10(-3) mol/L C12E8 in the electrolyte, 11 out of 12 phenothiazines have been baseline separated. With respect to the separation of a mixture containing 3 phenothiazines and their 3 demethyl derivatives, we obtained an excellent separation by using a running electrolyte prepared with 7.5 x 10(-4) mol/L C12E8 and 3 x 10(-2) mol/L H3PO4.

Evaluation of newly synthesized derivative of cyclodextrin for the capillary electrophoretic separation

A highly water-soluble new cyclodextrin (CD) derivative 2-O-acetonyl-2-O-hydroxypropyl-beta-CD (2-AHP-beta-CD) was synthesized and tested as an effective chiral selector for the capillary zone electrophoretic resolution (Rs) of several basic and acidic analytes. The primary purpose of the research was to explore the capability of the 2-AHP-beta-CD as chiral selectors on comparison with the neutral CDs such as beta-CD, DM-beta-CD and HP-beta-CD. Substitution with 2-O-acetonyl-2-O-hydroxypropyl group at the secondary hydroxyl sites of the CD is aimed at influencing the magnitude and selectivity of analyte-CD interactions. The chiral resolution was strongly influenced by the concentration of the CDs and buffer pH. 2-AHP-beta-CD showed the best enantiomer resolution properties among the tested compounds, while the other CDs showed inferior or no performances at all.

A Novel Spectrophotometric Determination of Some Phenothiazines Involving Iodine monochloride from Chloramine-T with Iodine

A novel, simple, sensitive spectrophotometric method is proposed for the determination of five phenothiazines. Chloramine-T with iodine in acetic acid produces iodine monochloride which oxidizes phenothiazines to absorbing cations. Those would associate later with unreacted ICl to form an ion pair, [Ph+] [ICl-(2)] in hydrochloric acid medium. These appear to provide exceptional color stability to the systems. A probable mechanism along with experimental stoichiometry and stability constants of such ion pairs is indicated. The method is not only successful in stabilizing the color of the systems, but also in making a unique observation of two regions of concentration of phenothiazines adhering separately to Beer's law. The results obtained from the analyses of pure samples and their drug formulations in both regions of concentration are comparable with those obtained either with a reported titrimetric method or with a British Pharmacopoeia (B.P.) UV-spectrophotometric method. The conditions required for the quantitative determination of phenothiazines are described and related analytical parameters are also calculated.

Study on the enantiomeric ratio of the pharmaceutical substances alkannin and shikonin

The chiral pair alkannin and shikonin (A/S) are potent pharmaceutical substances with a wide spectrum of biological activity; their enantiomeric ratio does not influence the major biological activity studied hitherto. Nevertheless, in pharmaceutical development and approval of chiral drugs from the Health and Regulatory Authorities, full documentation of methods of analysis of enantiomeric drugs, is required in order to evaluate the enantiomeric purity of starting materials and final products and to control the stability of enantiomers in pharmaceutical formulations under several experimental conditions. In the present study, the enantiomeric ratio of A/S was determined in several commercial samples of alkannin and shikonin and also the proportion of A/S derivatives in several Alkanna root samples, which are all used as active ingredients in pharmaceuticals. Light and air proved not to influence the enantiomeric ratio of A/S on a shikonin commercial sample, and temperature also did not alter the A/S ratio on shikonin and alkannin commercial samples. Microencapsulation of alkannin and shikonin commercial samples in ethylcellulose microspheres and also molecular inclusion of a shikonin commercial sample in beta-hydroxypropyl-cyclodextrin, which are used as drug delivery systems, did not alter the A/S enantiomeric ratio.

Chiral separation of dioxopromethazine in eye drops by CZE with charged cyclodextrin

Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with carboxyethyl-beta-cyclodextrin (CE-beta-CD) dissolved in the operating buffer was used for the separation and determination of enantiomers of phenothiazine antihistaminic, dioxopromethazine, in commercial pharmaceutical preparation, eye drops. This chiral selector, negatively charged under given separating conditions (20 mmol/l epsilon -aminocaproic acid, acetic acid, pH 4.5), was effective in enantioresolution of the antihistamine even at its low concentrations (3-6 mg/ml) in the buffer solution. CZE identification and quantitation of the relevant constituents present in the preparation (dioxopromethazine enantiomers, phenylephrine) were based on the response of photometric absorbency detector, operating at a 275 nm detection wavelength. Changes in pH, type and concentration of chiral selector were studied in relation to chiral resolution. Acceptable validation criteria for sensitivity, precision, linearity and repeatability are included.

Sensing phenothiazine drugs at a gold electrode co-modified with DNA and gold nanoparticles

DNA and gold nanoparticles are co-immobilized at a gold electrode through elaborate self-assembly processes. This configuration has proven to be useful as a sensor for phenothiazine drugs, taking advantage of the well-known, relatively large surface area of gold nanoparticles and the strong intercalation between dsDNA and phenothiazine drugs. This modified electrode has demonstrated good sensitivity and stability towards the oxidation of two model phenothiazine drugs: promethazine and chlorpromazine. A linear dependence between the concentration of phenothiazine drugs and the peak current is observed, with a concentration range of 2.0 x 10(-5)-1.6 x 10(-4) M and 1.0 x 10(-5)-1.2 x 10(-4) M, and a detection limit of 1.0 x 10(-5) M and 7.0 x 10(-6) M, for promethazine and chlorpromazine, respectively.

Separation and migration behavior of structurally related phenothiazines in cyclodextrin-modified capillary zone electrophoresis

The influences of buffer pH and the concentration of beta-cyclodextrins (beta-CDs) on the separation and migration behavior of 13 structurally related phenothiazines in CD-modified capillary zone electrophoresis (CD-CZE) using a phosphate background electrolyte at low pH were investigated. We focused on the separation of these phenothiazines, including the enantiomers of chiral analytes, with the use of beta-CD and hydroxypropyl-beta-CD (HP-beta-CD) as electrolyte modifiers or chiral selectors at concentrations less than 8 mM. The results indicate that the interactions of phenothiazines with beta-CDs are very strong and that effective separations of 13 analytes can be achieved with addition of 0.3 mM beta-CD or 0.5 mM HP-beta-CD in a phosphate buffer at pH 3.0. Binding constants of phenothiazines to beta-CDs were evaluated for a better understanding of the interactions of phenothiazines with beta-CDs.

Enantioseparation of phenothiazines in cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography

In this study, enantioseparations of five phenothiazines in cyclodextrin (CD)-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) were investigated using a citrate buffer containing tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) as a cationic surfactant at low pH. Beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) and hydroxylpropyl-beta-CD (HP-beta-CD) were selected as chiral selectors. The results indicate that the separation window is greatly enlarged by beta-CD concentration and that the separability and selectivity of phenothiazines are remarkably influenced by the concentrations of both beta-CD and TTAB, as well as buffer pH. The interaction of thioridazine with beta-CDs is considerably reduced in the presence of TTAB micelles due to competitive complexation of thioridazine with TTAB micelles, which is pH-dependent. As a result, effective enantioseparation of thioridazine is simultaneously achievable with that of trimeprazine and promethazine or ethopropazine in MEKC with addition of either beta-CD or HP-beta-CD, respectively, to a micellar citrate buffer containing TTAB at pH 3.5. Better enantioresolution of thioridazine in MEKC than in capillary zone electrophoresis can be obtained.