Dealing with Confounding pH-Dependent Surface Charges in Immobilized Artificial Membrane HPLC Columns

Using membrane-water partition coefficients in a critical membrane burden approach to aid the identification of neutral and ionizable chemicals that induce acute toxicity below narcosis levels

The risk assessment of thousands of chemicals used in our society benefits from adequate grouping of chemicals based on the mode and mechanism of toxic action (MoA). We measure the phospholipid membrane-water distribution ratio (D_MLW) using a chromatographic assay (IAM-HPLC) for 121 neutral and ionized organic chemicals and screen other methods to derive D_MLW. We use IAM-HPLC based D_MLW as a chemical property to distinguish between baseline narcosis and specific MoA, for reported acute toxicity endpoints on two separate sets of chemicals. The first set comprised 94 chemicals of US EPA's acute fish toxicity database: 47 categorized as narcosis MoA, 27 with specific MoA, and 20 predominantly ionic chemicals with mostly unknown MoA. The narcosis MoA chemicals clustered around the median narcosis critical membrane burden (CMB_narc) of 140 mmol kg^-1 lipid, with a lower limit of 14 mmol kg^-1 lipid, including all chemicals labelled Narcosis_I and Narcosis_II. This maximum 'toxic ratio' (TR) between CMB_narc and the lower limit narcosis endpoint is thus 10. For 23/28 specific MoA chemicals a TR >10 was derived, indicative of a specific adverse effect pathway related to acute toxicity. For 10/12 cations categorized as "unsure amines", the TR <10 suggests that these affect fish via narcosis MoA. The second set comprised 29 herbicides, including 17 dissociated acids, and evaluated the TR for acute toxic effect concentrations to likely sensitive aquatic plant species (green algae and macrophytes Lemna and Myriophyllum), and non-target animal species (invertebrates and fish). For 21/29 herbicides, a TR >10 indicated a specific toxic mode of action other than narcosis for at least one of these aquatic primary producers. Fish and invertebrate TRs were mostly <10, particularly for neutral herbicides, but for acidic herbicides a TR >10 indicated specific adverse effects in non-target animals. The established critical membrane approach to derive the TR provides for useful contribution to the weight of evidence to bin a chemical as having a narcosis MoA or less likely to have acute toxicity caused by a more specific adverse effect pathway. After proper calibration, the chromatographic assay provides consistent and efficient experimental input for both neutral and ionizable chemicals to this approach.

Screening the baseline fish bioconcentration factor of various types of surfactants using phospholipid binding data

Fish bioconcentration factors (BCFs) are commonly used in chemical hazard and risk assessment. For neutral organic chemicals BCFs are positively correlated with the octanol-water partition ratio (K_OW), but K_OW is not a reliable parameter for surfactants. Membrane lipid-water distribution ratios (D_MLW) can be accurately measured for all kinds of surfactants, using phospholipid-based sorbents. This study first demonstrates that D_MLW values for ionic surfactants are more than 100 000 times higher than the partition ratio to fish-oil, representing neutral storage lipid. A non-ionic alcohol ethoxylate surfactant showed almost equal affinity for both lipid types. Accordingly, a baseline screening BCF value for surfactants (BCF_baseline) can be approximated for ionic surfactants by multiplying D_MLW by the phospholipid fraction in tissue, and for non-ionic surfactants by multiplying D_MLW by the total lipid fraction. We measured D_MLW values for surfactant structures, including linear and branched alkylbenzenesulfonates, an alkylsulfoacetate and an alkylethersulfate, bis(2-ethylhexyl)-surfactants (e.g., docusate), zwitterionic alkylbetaines and alkylamine-oxides, and a polyprotic diamine. Together with sixty previously published D_MLW values for surfactants, structure-activity relationships were derived to elucidate the influence of surfactant specific molecular features on D_MLW. For 23 surfactant types, we established the alkyl chain length at which BCF_baseline would exceed the EU REACH bioaccumulation (B) threshold of 2000 L kg^-1, and would therefore require higher tier assessments to further refine the BCF estimate. Finally, the derived BCF_baseline are compared with measured literature in vivo BCF data where available, suggesting that refinements, most notably reliable estimates of biotransformation rates, are needed for most surfactant types.

Measurements of Ion Binding to Lipid-Hosted Ionophores by Affinity Chromatography

The binding affinity between antibiotic ionophores and alkali ions within supported lipid bilayers was evaluated using affinity chromatography. We used zonal elution and frontal analysis methods in nanovolume liquid chromatography to characterize the binding selectivity of the carrier and channel ionophores valinomycin and gramicidin A within different phosphatidylcholine bilayers. Distinct binding sensitivity to the lipid phase, both in affinity and selectivity, is observed for valinomycin, whereas gramicidin is less sensitive to changes in a membrane environment, behavior that is consistent with ion binding occurring within the interior of an established channel. There is good agreement between the chromatographic retention and the reported binding selectivity measured by other techniques. Surface potential near the binding site affects ion retention and the apparent association binding constants, but not the binding selectivity or enthalpy measurements. A model accounting for the surface potential contributions of retained ions during frontal analyses yields values close to intrinsic binding constants for gramicidin A (K_A for K⁺ between 70 and 120 M^-1) using reasonable estimates of the initial potential that is postulated to arise from the underlying silica.

Membrane-Water Partition Coefficients to Aid Risk Assessment of Perfluoroalkyl Anions and Alkyl Sulfates

This study determined the sorption affinity to artificial phospholipid membranes ( K_MW) for series of perfluorinated carboxylates (PFCAs), perfluorinated sulfonates (PFSAs), alkyl sulfates (C _xSO₄), and 1-alkanesulfonates (C _xSO₃). A sorbent dilution assay with solid supported lipid membranes (SSLM) showed consistent CF₂ unit increments of 0.59, and CH₂ unit increments of 0.53, for the log K_MW of perfluorinated and hydrogenated anions, respectively. PFSAs sorbed 0.90 log units stronger than analogue PFCAs; C _xSO₄ sorbed 0.75 log units stronger than analogue C _xSO₃ anions. The log K_MW values for the octyl analogues increase in the order H(CH₂)₈SO₃^- (1.74) < H(CH₂)₈SO₄^- (2.58) < F(CF₂)₈CO₂^- (PFNA, 4.04) < F(CF₂)₈SO₃^- (PFOS, 4.88). Intrinsic partition ratios determined on a phospholipid coated HPLC column (IAM-HPLC) closely aligned with SSLM K_MW values. COSMO-RS based molecular calculations of K_MW aligned with SSLM K_MW values for hydrogenated anions with C₈-C₁₄ alkyl chains but strongly underestimated CF₂ and CH₂ unit increments for C₄-C₈ based anions. Dividing the critical narcotic membrane burden of 100 mmol/kg by the experimental K_MW predicts lethal baseline toxicity concentrations (LC_50,narc). The LC_50,narc coincides with the lowest reported acute LC₅₀ values for several anionic surfactants but were on average about an order of magnitude lower.

Environmental Conditions Influencing Sorption of Inorganic Anions to Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Studied by Column Chromatography

Sorption to carbon-based nanomaterials is typically studied in batch experiments. An alternative method offering advantages to study sorption is column chromatography. Sorbent packed columns are used and sorption data are determined by relating sorbate retention to that of a nonretarded tracer. We have now for the first time applied this technique to study the influence of environmental conditions on sorption of inorganic anions (bromide, nitrite, nitrate, and iodide) to multiwalled carbon nanotubes. Deuterium oxide was used as nonretarded tracer. Sorption isotherms were best described by the Freundlich model. Sorption increased in the order bromide < nitrite < nitrate < iodide. Increasing ionic strength from 1 mM to 100 mM sodium chloride significantly reduced or completely suppressed sorption (bromide, nitrite) due to competition with chloride. pH strongly affected sorption as negatively charged analytes were attracted by the positively charged surface at pH 3. At pH > 4.5 the surface charge was negative, but sorption was still detectable at pH 6 and 9. Consequently, other forces than electrostatic attraction contributed to sorption. These forces may include H-bonding as indicated by sorption enthalpy determined by variation of column temperature. Overall, column chromatography represents a promising alternative in sorption studies to reveal sorbent properties.

Predicting the phospholipophilicity of monoprotic positively charged amines

The sorption affinity of eighty-six charged amine structures to phospholipid monolayers (log K_IAM) was determined using immobilized artificial membrane high-performance liquid chromatography (IAM-HPLC). The amine compounds covered the most prevalent types of polar groups, widely ranged in structural complexity, and included forty-seven pharmaceuticals, as well as several narcotics and pesticides. Amine type specific corrective increments were used to align log K_IAM data with bilayer membrane sorption coefficients (K_MW(IAM)). Using predicted sorption affinities of neutral amines, we evaluated the difference (scaling factor Δ_MW) with the measured log K_MW(IAM) for cationic amines. The Δ_MW values were highly variable, ranging from -2.37 to +2.3 log units. For each amine type, polar amines showed lower Δ_MW values than hydrocarbon based amines (C_xH_yN⁺). COSMOmic software was used to directly calculate the partitioning coefficient of ionic structures into a phospholipid bilayer (K_{DMPC-W,cation}), including quaternary ammonium compounds. The resulting root mean square error (RMSE) between log K_{DMPC-W,cation} and log K_MW(IAM) was 0.83 for all eighty-six polar amines, and 0.47 for sixty-eight C_xH_yN⁺ amines. The polar amines were then split into five groups depending on polarity and structural complexity, and corrective increments for each group were defined to improve COSMOmic predictions. Excluding only the group with sixteen complex amine structures (≥4 polar groups, M_w > 400, including several macrolide antibiotics), the resulting RMSE for corrected K_{DMPC-W,cation} values improved to 0.45 log units for the remaining set of 138 polar and C_xH_yN⁺ amines.

Sorption of Cationic Surfactants to Artificial Cell Membranes: Comparing Phospholipid Bilayers with Monolayer Coatings and Molecular Simulations

This study reports the distribution coefficient between phospholipid bilayer membranes and phosphate buffered saline (PBS) medium (D_MW,PBS) for 19 cationic surfactants. The method used a sorbent dilution series with solid supported lipid membranes (SSLMs). The existing SSLM protocol, applying a 96 well plate setup, was adapted to use 1.5 mL glass autosampler vials instead, which facilitated sampling and circumvented several confounding loss processes for some of the cationic surfactants. About 1% of the phospholipids were found to be detached from the SSLM beads, resulting in nonlinear sorption isotherms for compounds with log D_MW values above 4. Renewal of the medium resulted in linear sorption isotherms. D_MW values determined at pH 5.4 demonstrated that cationic surfactant species account for the observed D_MW,PBS. Log D_MW,PBS values above 5.5 are only experimentally feasible with lower LC-MS/MS detection limits and/or concentrated extracts of the aqueous samples. Based on the number of carbon atoms, dialkylamines showed a considerably lower sorption affinity than linear alkylamine analogues. These SSLM results closely overlapped with measurements on a chromatographic tool based on immobilized artificial membranes (IAM-HPLC) and with quantum-chemistry based calculations with COSMOmic. The SSLM data suggest that IAM-HPLC underestimates the D_MW of ionized primary and secondary alkylamines by 0.8 and 0.5 log units, respectively.

Phospholipophilicity of CxHyN(+) amines: chromatographic descriptors and molecular simulations for understanding partitioning into membranes

Using immobilized artificial membrane high-performance liquid chromatography (IAM-HPLC) the sorption affinity of 70 charged amine structures to phospholipids was determined. The amines contained only 1 charged moiety and no other polar groups, the rest of the molecule being aliphatic and/or aromatic hydrocarbon groups. We systematically evaluated the influence of the amine type (1°, 2°, 3° amines and quaternary ammonium), alkyl chain branching, phenyl ring positioning, charge positioning (terminal vs. central in the molecule) on the phospholipid-water partitioning coefficient (KPLIPW). These experimental results were compared with quantum-chemistry based three-dimensional (3D) molecular simulations of the partitioning of charged amines, including the most likely solute conformers, using a hydrated phospholipid bilayer in the COSMOmic module of COSMOtherm software. Both IAM-HPLC retention data and the simulations suggest that the molecular orientation of charged amines at the location in the bilayer with the lowest calculated Gibbs free energy exerts a strong influence over the partitioning within the membrane. The most favourable position of charged amines coincides with the region where the phosphate anions in the phospholipid bilayer are most abundant. Hydrocarbon units oriented in this layer are located more towards the aqueous phase and contribute less to the overall membrane affinity than hydrocarbon units extending into the more hydrophobic core of the bilayer. COSMOmic simulations explain most of the trends between the structural differences observed in IAM-HPLC based KPLIPW. For this set of cationic structures, the mean absolute difference between COSMOmic simulations and IAM-HPLC data, accounting only for amine type corrective increments, is 0.31 log units.