Achiral Impurities Research Articles

Use of online sequential segmented heart cutting modulation and orthogonality approach for determination of isomeric impurity profile of a drug molecule using parallel 2-dimensional mass spectroscopy

Determination of impurity profile including chiral and achiral impurities is challenging as well as time consuming while analysis of the active moiety. With the recent evolution of 2-Dimensional separation modes, significant improvement can be made for simultaneous determination of both achiral and chiral impurities in a single set-up. Herein, the present work represents example of how both chiral and achiral impurities can be determined simultaneously. To represent the work, galantamine HBr was selected as the active moiety since it has achiral as well as many chiral impurities. Further, a 1D UPLC method with shorter runtime was developed to determine the achiral impurities and simultaneous heart cutting approach was used to cut the impurities and active compound and transfer to 2D chiral setup to separate out chiral impurities and perform its quantification. Both methods were proven to be orthogonal to each other with orthogonality factor of 0.241.

Separation of chiral and achiral impurities in paroxetine hydrochloride in a single run using supercritical fluid chromatography with a polysaccharide stationary phase

Separating paroxetine hydrochloride and its impurities using conventional reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) is challenging due to their highly similar structures. In the present study, a rapid, simple, sensitive and environmentally friendly method was developed for the determination of chiral and achiral impurities in raw materials of paroxetine hydrochloride using chiral supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). The impacts of chiral stationary phases (CSPs), mobile phases, column temperature and back pressure on the retention and separation of analytes were comprehensively evaluated. After method optimization, a satisfying result was obtained on a cellulose tris-(3-chloro-4-methylphenylcarbamate) stationary phase in 4.0 min using 70% CO2 and 20 mM ammonium acetate in 30% methanol as the mobile phase. Molecular docking was further performed to understand the interactions between the analytes and CSP. The results suggested that hydrogen bonding and π–π interactions were the dominant interactions. The affinity given by the software was in good agreement with the elution order and free energy (△G) values obtained from van’t Hoff equations. The results of molecular docking also provide insights into the different retentions of N-methylparoxetine at different temperatures. The results of method validation revealed that the method was sensitive with a limit of detection of approximately 0.05 μg·mL−1 (corresponding to approximately 0.005% paroxetine hydrochloride in the sample solution). The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of precision and intra-assay precision were all less than 2.0%, and the recoveries of the method were 93.8~105.3% with RSDs less than 3.0%. The chiral and achiral RPLC methods included in the Chinese pharmacopoeia and the SFC method proposed in this study were simultaneously used to determine the impurity content in the raw materials of paroxetine hydrochloride. The results showed that impurities that cannot be detected by the reference method can be accurately quantified using the SFC method. In addition, the SFC method has advantages in terms of throughput, analysis cost and simplicity. This study can provide a reference for further research of impurities in paroxetine hydrochloride and promote the application of chiral SFC in the rapid separation of structurally similar compounds.

Simultaneous enantio- and diastereo-selective high-performance liquid chromatography separation of paroxetine on an immobilized amylose-based chiral stationary phase under green reversed-phase conditions

A simple and green high-performance liquid chromatography method for the separation of paroxetine from its enantiomeric and diastereomeric impurities has been developed. The simultaneous chromatographic resolution was carried out on the amylose-based Chiralpak IA-3 chiral stationary phase using the mixture ethanol-water-diethylamine 80:20:0.1 (v/v/v) as a mobile phase. The effects of substitution of ethanol with methanol or acetonitrile and changes in column temperature on selectivity have been carefully investigated. The optimized single-run HPLC protocol allows the baseline separation of the enantiomers of paroxetine without suffering from interference from five other chiral and achiral impurities reported in the monograph of the European Pharmacopoeia.

Fast chiral and achiral profiling of compounds with multiple chiral centers by a versatile two-dimensional multicolumn liquid chromatography (LC–mLC) approach

It is critical to determine the chiral impurity profile of pharmaceutical compounds. The rising trend of drug candidates bearing multiple chiral centers has aggravated the analytical challenges. The traditional chiral HPLC methods can take gruelingly long time to develop yet may not offer sufficient resolution for all stereoisomers. A fast analytical strategy with a high success rate is in urgent demand for compounds with multiple chiral centers. In this study, we have developed an effective and fast multiple heart-cutting (MHC) multicolumn two-dimensional liquid chromatography (LC–mLC) platform approach. The m in the name of LC-mLC highlights the employment of multiple chiral columns with different chiral selectors and mobile phases in the second dimension (2D) within the same run. A short achiral HPLC method in the first dimension (1D) allows the separation of diastereomers and other achiral impurities, followed by 2D analysis enabling different chiral columns and different mobile phases on each coeluted 1D peak for maximum resolution. This LC–mLC strategy breaks down the complex multiple-chiral-center separation problems into simple individual one-chiral-center separation, which dramatically reduces chiral method development time and sample analysis turnaround. Its versatile nature and fast turnaround approach have made it a highly efficient strategy to enable quick stereoselective synthetic route development. This platform LC–mLC strategy has been successfully demonstrated in separating eight stereoisomers for a pharmaceutical compound with 3 chiral centers, within total method development time of less than 2 hours and a final analysis time of less than 24 min, including column equilibration time. It was also proved highly efficient in separating multiple chiral and achiral components in an in-process sample containing structurally similar starting materials, intermediates, side products and multiple stereoisomers of the product with 3 chiral centers, with minimal method development time.

Simultaneous determination of chiral and achiral impurities of ivabradine on a cellulose tris(3-chloro-4-methylphenylcarbamate) chiral column using polar organic mode

A high performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the simultaneous determination of the related substances (R-ivabradine, dehydro-S-ivabradine, N-demethyl-S-ivabradine, ((S)-3,4-dimethoxy-bicyclo[4.2.0]octa-1,3,5-triene-7-yl-methyl)-methyl-amine) and 1-(7,8-dimethoxy-1,3,4,5-tetrahydro-2H-3-benzazepine-2-on-3-yl)-3-chloro-propane) of the heart-rate lowering drug, ivabradine. The separation capability of seven different polysaccharide-type chiral columns (Lux Amylose-1, Lux i-Amylose-1, Lux Amylose-2, Lux Cellulose-1, Lux Cellulose-2, Lux Cellulose-3 and Lux Cellulose-4) was investigated with a mobile phase consisting of 0.1% diethylamine in methanol, 2-propanol and acetonitrile. During the screnning experiments the best results were obtained on Lux Cellulose-2 (based on cellulose tris(3-chloro-4-methylphenylcarbamate) column with methanol with an ideal case, where all the impurities eluted before the S-ivabradine peak. Chromatographic parameters (flow rate, temperature and mobile phase constituents) were optimized by a full factorial screening design. Using optimized parameters (Lux Cellulose-2 column with 0.06% (v/v) diethylamine in methanol/acetonitrile 98/2 (v/v) with 0.45 mL/min flow rate at 12 °C) baseline separations were achieved between all compounds. The optimized method was validated according to the International Council on Harmonization Q2(R1) guideline and proved to be reliable, linear, precise and accurate for determination of at least 0.05% for all impurities in S-ivabradine samples. Method application was tested on a commercial tablet formulation and proved to be suitable for routine quality control of both chiral and achiral related substances of S-ivabradine.

Green high-performance liquid chromatography enantioseparation of lansoprazole using a cellulose-based chiral stationary phase under ethanol/water mode.

A simple and environmentally friendly reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method for the separation of the enantiomers of lansoprazole has been developed. The chromatographic resolution was carried out on the cellulose-based Chiralpak IC-3 chiral stationary phase using a green and low-toxicity ethanol-aqueous mode. The effects of water content in the mobile phase and column temperature on the retention of the enantiomers of lansoprazole and its chiral and achiral related substances have been carefully investigated. A mixed-mode hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography and reversed-phase retention mechanism operating on the IC-3 chiral stationary phase allowed us to achieve simultaneous enantioselective and chemoselective separations in water-rich conditions. The enantiomers of lansoprazole were baseline resolved with a mobile phase consisting of ethanol/water 50:50 without any interference coming from chiral and achiral impurities within 10 min.

Comparison of reversed-phase enantioselective HPLC methods for determining the enantiomeric purity of (S)-omeprazole in the presence of its related substances

A simple analytical high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was applied for the enantiomeric excess determination of esomeprazole ((S)-OME), the enantiopure active ingredient contained in drug products, in the presence of its potential organic impurities A-E. The enantioselective separation was accomplished on the immobilized-type Chiralpak ID-3 chiral stationary phase (CSP) under reversed-phase conditions. The results were evaluated and compared with those obtained by the official enantioselective method of European Pharmacopoeia used as the reference for checking the enantiomeric excess of (S)-OME. It has been established that the use of the Chiralpak ID-3 CSP allows the determination of the enantiomeric purity of (S)-OME without any interference coming from its chiral and achiral related substances. The analytical procedure of the drug regulatory agencies based on the AGP CSP suffered instead from poor specificity due to overlap of the peaks pertinent to the achiral impurity A and the chiral impurity (R)-OME (impurity F).

Development of supercritical fluid extraction and supercritical fluid chromatography purification methods using rapid solubility screening with multiple solubility chambers

Rapid solubility screening in diverse supercritical fluids (SCFs) was carried out via multiple solubility chambers with a trapping device and online ultraviolet (UV) detection. With this device, it was possible to rapidly study the solubility variations of multiple components in a mixture. Results from solubility studies have been used to develop efficient supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) methods. After the investigation of solubilities of theophylline and caffeine in several neat organic solvents and SCFs, advantages of SFE over conventional organic solvent extraction were demonstrated with a model mixture of theophylline and caffeine. The highest solubility ratio of 1:40 (theophylline:caffeine) was observed in the SCF with 20% acetonitrile (MeCN), where a ratio of 1:11 was the highest in the neat organic solvents. A model mixture of theophylline:caffeine (85:15 w/w, caffeine as an impurity) was successfully purified by SFE by leveraging the highest solubility difference. The SCF with 20% MeCN selectively removed caffeine and left theophylline largely intact. Rapid SCF solubility screening was applied to development of SFE and SFC methods in a drug discovery environment. Two successful applications were demonstrated with proprietary Amgen compounds to either remove an achiral impurity before chiral purification or enhance chiral chromatographic throughput.

Direct high-performance liquid chromatography enantioseparation of terazosin on an immobilised polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phase under polar organic and reversed-phase conditions

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) enantioseparation of terazosin (TER) was accomplished on the immobilised-type Chiralpak IC chiral stationary phase (CSP) under both polar organic and reversed-phase modes. A simple analytical method was validated using a mixture of methanol–water–DEA 95:5:0.1 (v/v/v) as a mobile phase. Under reversed-phase conditions good linearities were obtained over the concentration range 8.76–26.28 μg mL −1 for both enantiomers. The limits of detection and quantification were 10 and 30 ng mL −1, respectively. The intra- and inter-day assay precision was less than 1.66% (RSD%). The optimised conditions also allowed to resolve chiral and achiral impurities from the enantiomers of TER. The proposed HPLC method supports pharmacological studies on the biological effects of the both forms of TER and analytical investigations of potential drug formulations based on a single enantiomer. At the semipreparative scale, 5.3 mg of racemic sample were resolved with elution times less than 12 min using a mobile phase consisting of methanol–DEA 100:0.1 (v/v) and both enantiomers were isolated with a purity of ≥99% enantiomeric excess (ee). The absolute configuration of TER enantiomers was assigned by comparison of the measured specific rotations with those reported in the literature.

Supercritical fluid chromatography comparison of the poly( trans-1,2-cyclohexanediyl-bis acrylamide) (P-CAP) column with several derivatized polysaccharide-based stationary phases

The poly( trans-1,2-cyclohexanediyl-bis acrylamide) (P-CAP) column has so far been primarily used with normal phase and polar organic mobile phase chromatography. Its use in supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) was investigated via the analysis of 40 commercial and 100 proprietary compounds using a 12-min gradient with methanol as a modifier. Results were then compared against those obtained from the popular derivatized polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases (CSPs) such as Chiralpak AD-H and Chiralpak AS-H as well as Chiralcel OD-H and Chiralcel OJ-H columns. P-CAP demonstrated separation of 25% of the 140 total compounds, while each of the derivatized polysaccharide-based CSPs separated at least 46%. A study that compared the loading of 1,1′-bi-2-naphthol with P-CAP and Chiralpak AS columns indicated a similar trend in resolution vs. amount injected, though AS appeared capable of allowing a greater loading of material. The P-CAP column was found to be beneficial in the separation of a complex mixture of enantiomers and achiral impurities, where the derivatized polysaccharide-based columns did not show as desirable of a separation. A key advantage of this type of chiral stationary phase is the fact that it is available in both enantiomeric forms, allowing manipulation of elution order of enantiomers, which is especially helpful for preparative applications. P-CAP also demonstrated that it could resolve an achiral impurity from the desired compound in a different mixture, while the same impurity co-eluted on the Chiralpak AD-H column. Overall, the synthetic polymer-based P-CAP showed less chiral discrimination power compared to the derivatized polysaccharide-based CSPs under the conditions explored in this study.

Determination of linezolid and its achiral impurities using sweeping preconcentration by micellar capillary electrophoresis

Linezolid is the first compound of a truly new class of antibiotics—the oxazolidinones. The elaborated method of capillary electrophoresis (CE) of linezolid separation from its achiral impurities was successfully performed using sweeping preconcentration, followed by UV absorption detection at 254 nm. The best results were obtained with 125 mM Tris buffer, pH 2.0, with addition of 20% (v/v) methanol as background electrolyte. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (150 mM) was added to the electrolyte in the inlet vial as the sweeping agent. The separation was carried out at negative polarity. Then, the optimized method was validated in terms of linearity, accuracy and precision. Sweeping preconcentration of linezolid provides detection limit at 0.05 μg/ml level. The evaluated CE method was applied in the analysis of medicinal product containing linezolid–linezolid solution for infusion.

Determination of the chiral and achiral related substances of methotrexate by cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography.

A cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatographic (CD-MEKC) method for the determination of the most important potential impurities of methotrexate (MTX): 2,4-diamino-6-(hydroxymethyl)pteridine, aminopterine hydrate, 4-[N-(2-amino-4-hydroxy-6-pteridinylmethyl)-N-methylamino] benzoic acid, 4-[N-(2,4-diamino-6-pteridinylmethyl)-N-methylamino] benzoic acid, and the distomer D-MTX is presented. The MEKC separation of these compounds was optimized by applying a step-by-step approach. The addition of beta-CD to a conventional MEKC system, based on sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as surfactant, showed to be essential for the enantioresolution of racemic MTX as well as for the separation of the achiral impurities. To achieve high-resolution factor between the peaks adjacent to the main component (L-MTX), as required in the analysis of related impurities, the separation conditions were stressed; in particular, the addition of methanol to the CD-MEKC system resulted in a very effective choice. Under the optimized final conditions (100 mM SDS and 45 mM beta-CD in a mixture of 50 mM borate buffer, pH 9.30-methanol (75:25 v/v)), the method was validated showing a general adequate accuracy (93-106% recovery) in the determination of L-MTX related substances at the impurity level of 0.12% w/w with a relative standard deviation (RSD)% lower than 8% (n = 4). The method was successfully applied to the analysis of pharmaceuticals (tablets and injections) which showed to contain the distomer D-MTX as major impurity and aminopterine hydrate as a further related substance in the commercial tablets.

Rapid method development for chiral separation in drug discovery using sample pooling and supercritical fluid chromatography–mass spectrometry

A novel strategy for rapid chiral method development has been implemented using sample pooling and supercritical fluid chromatography–mass spectrometry (SFC–MS) on four chiral stationary phases, namely Chiralpak AD and AS, and Chiralcel OJ and OD, and eight different modifier concentrations (5 to 40% methanol–0.2% isopropylamine). The screening is performed under an outlet pressure of 110 bar at 35 °C, and at a flow-rate of 2.5 ml/min for the initial 20 min and then ramped up to 4 ml/min and held for 4.5 min to elute all solutes from the column. The entire process is fully automated from injection to data processing, and operates unattended for 15 h overnight to obtain optimal chiral separation for multiple compounds. A unique feature of using SFC–MS to monitor chiral synthesis is the negligible interferences from achiral impurities. In addition, with SFC–MS, enantiomeric excess can be determined with much lower detection limits than UV and much shorter analysis times compared to normal-phase/reversed-phase liquid chromatography.

Demonstrative validation study employing a packed column pressurized fluid chromatography method that provides assay, achiral impurities, chiral impurity, and IR identity testing for a drug substance.

Assay development, assay validation, and documentation are reported here for a single packed column pressurized fluid chromatographic/ultraviolet (UV) method that provides: (1) simultaneous detection and quantification for the chiral drug, the chiral impurity and seven achiral impurities; and (2) a Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometric identification test result for the Searle drug substance sample, xemilofiban. The separation is achieved in less than 30 min with three columns in tandem and a gradient of CO2-CH3OH. The post-column flow is split between UV (assay) and FT-IR (identification). Precision and accuracy are consistent within figures of merit obtained by liquid chromatographic-ultraviolet assays on analogous drug substances. The reported procedure combines three typical drug substance tests into one test (e.g. chiral impurities, achiral impurities, and infrared identification).

Direct resolution of a new antifungal agent, voriconazole (UK-109,496) and its potential impurities, by use of coupled achiral-chiral high-performance liquid chromatography

Coupled achiral-chiral high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with an achiral amino-based column coupled with a chiral amylose-based column has been used for qualitative and quantitative determination of the potential chiral and achiral impurities of Voriconazole (UK-109,496), a new antifungal agent with two stereogenic centres. The effect of the organic mobile-phase modifier, ethanol, was studied. The assay response was linearly dependent on concentration over the range 1.2–40.4 μg for Voriconazole and 2.5–104.0 ng for the impurities. The limit of detection was 2.5 ng for each analyte.