Quantitative Retention-activity Relationships Research Articles

Chemometric analysis of bio-inspired micellar electrokinetic chromatographic systems – modelling of retention mechanism and prediction of biological properties using bile salts surfactants

The development of screening methods for the estimation of physicochemical, biological and pharmacokinetic properties of new pharmaceutical agents at early stage of the drug discovery and development process is highly desirable. Due to inadequate properties many of drug candidates are rejected during clinical trials. Among available screening methods, both chromatographic and electrophoretic approaches have a well-established position. This work is continuation of our research focused on developing new micellar electro-kinetic chromatographic methods for rapid assessment of complex biological properties. In this work an extended set of 45 compounds was used in order to realize two main goals. The first one was the characterization of molecular mechanism of retention in sodium cholate and sodium deoxycholate MEKC systems using quantitative structure-retention relationships (QSRR) approach. The second goal was evaluation of the possibilities to use MEKC with sodium cholate and sodium deoxycholate pseudo-stationary phases in order to predict human intestinal absorption (HIA). The proposed quantitative retention-activity relationships (QRAR) model was additionally supported by theoretical descriptors and support vector machine (SVM) regression. Additionally, the prediction ability of obtained QRAR models were compared with PREADME software. The obtained results suggest that SVM model has better predictive abilities and is better suited to separate noise which accompanies the experimental and computational descriptors.

Drug affinity to human serum albumin prediction by retention of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide pseudostationary phase in micellar electrokinetic chromatography and chemically advanced template search descriptors

The development of high-throughput methods for the estimation of physicochemical and biological properties of drug candidates is highly desired in the pharmaceutical landscape. Affinity to plasma protein is one of the most important biological properties, which should be taken under concern during the design and assessment of future potential medicines. The main goal of this study was to develop a quantitative retention-activity relationship model, with rationalized in vivo and in silico approach to predict the affinity to human serum albumin (HSA), which is one of the most important plasma proteins. To achieve this goal, a set of 27 chemically diverse drugs with known affinity to HSA were analyzed by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC). The proposed model for HSA affinity assessment was based on retention in hexadecyltrimethylmonium bromide (CTAB) pseudostationary phase and chemically advanced template search (CATS) pharmacophore descriptors. The comparison of various regression methods, namely multiple linear regression (MLR), partial least squares regression (PLS), orthogonal partial least squares (OPLS), and support vector machine (SVM) were performed to develop a model with highest predictability. The obtained models are suitable for the prediction of drug affinity to human serum albumin using retention factor determined by MEKC and CATS descriptors, and only slightly differ in terms of coefficients of determination, Q2 value calculated using leave-one-out cross-validation technique and root-mean-squared error of cross-validation (RMSECV) as well as root-mean-square error in prediction (RMSEP) obtained by external validation.

Biopartitioning micellar electrokinetic chromatography – Concept study of cationic analytes

In the early stages of drug discovery, beyond the biological activity screening, the physicochemical properties including lipophilicity, ionization, solubility as well as metabolic profiling and protein-binding affinity should be determined for each drug candidate. The aim of the presented investigation was the transfer of biopartitioning micellar chromatography (BMC) proposed by Medina-Hernández and co-workers to micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC). Therefore, biopartitioning micellar electrokinetic chromatography (BMEKC) was demonstrated as an alternative tool for estimation of biological properties of drug candidates. To simplify the data processing of developed approach and increase the assay throughput, the application of apparent retention factor (kapp) was proposed. Based on introduced kapp, simple molecular descriptors, protein binding constant and biological properties like blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, quantitative retention–activity relationships (QRARs) models were established. These results indicated usefulness of BMEKC method. In comparison to BMC, the proposed BMEKC method offers significant reduction of reagents consumption which meet green analytical chemistry principles.

Lipophilicity Determination of Quaternary (Fluoro)Quinolones by Chromatographic and Theoretical Approaches.

Lipophilicity is a vital physicochemical parameter of a molecule, which affects several biological processes such as absorption, tissue distribution, and pharmacokinetic properties. In this study, evaluation of lipophilicities of a series of novel fluoroquinolone-Safirinium dye hybrids using chromatographic and computational methods is presented. Fluoroquinolone-Safirinium dye hybrids have been synthesized as new dual-acting hydrophilic antibacterial agents. Reversed phase thin-layer chromatography and micellar electrokinetic chromatography experiments were carried out. Furthermore, logP values of the target structures were predicted by means of different software platforms and algorithms. In order to assess similarities and dissimilarities of the obtained lipophilicity indexes, cluster analysis and sum of ranking differences were performed. The significant differences of calculated logP values (α = 0.05, p < 0.001) indicated that an experimental approach is necessary for lipophilicity prediction of this class of antibiotics. Chromatographic data indicated that the newly synthesized hybrid (fluoro)quinolone-based quaternary ammonium derivatives show less lipophilic character than the parent (fluoro)quinolones. Additionally, the chromatographically obtained lipophilicity indexes were evaluated for possible application in quantitative retention–activity relationships. The established lipophilicity models have the potential to predict antimicrobial activities of a series of quaternary (fluoro)quinolones against Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Proteus vulgaris.

Application of reversed-phase thin layer chromatography and QSRR modelling for prediction of protein binding of selected β-blockers

Chromatographic properties of sixteen β-blockers were studied using planar chromatography. The aim of presented study was to investigate influence of different organic solvents (acetonitrile, methanol, dioxin and tetrahydrofurane) on β-blockers’ retention on C18 bonded silica gel stationary phase. Group of sixteen, diverse in terms of structure, beta blockers was used as a model set. The main goal of this study was to compare chromatographically estimated lipophilicity parameters with values obtained with the use of computational methods. Furthermore, in order to understand molecular mechanisms of retention better, quantitative structure-retention relationships (QSRR) analysis was performed. The next step was focused on application of chromatographically obtained lipophilicity parameters for prediction of protein binding (PB), based on quantitative retention–activity relationships (QRAR) approach. The obtained results showed that reversed-phase thin layer chromatography (RP-TLC), especially with tetrafydrofurane used as an organic modifier of mobile phase, is a useful tool for lipophilicity estimation, as well as for prediction of β-blockers’ biological properties. The QRAR model included C0 parameters for tetrahydrofuran-water as a mobile phase, as well as maximal projection area, and can be easily applied for prediction of systematically synthesized β-blockers structures’ PB.

Determination of quantitative retention-activity relationships between pharmacokinetic parameters and biological effectiveness fingerprints of Salvia miltiorrhiza constituents using biopartitioning and microemulsion high-performance liquid chromatography.

In this study, we analyzed danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) constituents using biopartitioning and microemulsion high-performance liquid chromatography (MELC). The quantitative retention-activity relationships (QRARs) of the constituents were established to model their pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters and chromatographic retention data, and generate their biological effectiveness fingerprints. A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was established to determine the abundance of the extracted danshen constituents, such as sodium danshensu, rosmarinic acid, salvianolic acid B, protocatechuic aldehyde, cryptotanshinone, and tanshinone IIA. And another HPLC protocol was established to determine the abundance of those constituents in rat plasma samples. An experimental model was built in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats, and calculated the corresponding PK parameterst with 3P97 software package. Thirty-five model drugs were selected to test the PK parameter prediction capacities of the various MELC systems and to optimize the chromatographic protocols. QRARs and generated PK fingerprints were established. The test included water/oil-soluble danshen constituents and the prediction capacity of the regression model was validated. The results showed that the model had good predictability.

Establishment of quantitative retention-activity model by optimized microemulsion liquid chromatography

The effective permeability coefficient is of theoretical and practical importance in evaluation of the bioavailability of drug candidates. However, most methods currently used to measure this coefficient are expensive and time-consuming. In this paper, we addressed these problems by proposing a new measurement method which is based on the microemulsion liquid chromatography. First, the parallel artificial membrane permeability assays model was used to determine the effective permeability of drug so that quantitative retention-activity relationships could be established, which were used to optimize the microemulsion liquid chromatography. The most effective microemulsion system used a mobile phase of 6.0% (w/w) Brij35, 6.6% (w/w) butanol, 0.8% (w/w) octanol, and 86.6% (w/w) phosphate buffer (pH 7.4). Next, support vector machine and back-propagation neural networks are employed to develop a quantitative retention-activity relationships model associated with the optimal microemulsion system, and used to improve the prediction ability. Finally, an adequate correlation between experimental value and predicted value is computed to verify the performance of the optimal model. The results indicate that the microemulsion liquid chromatography can serve as a possible alternative to the PAMPA method for determination of high-throughput permeability and simulation of biological processes.

A novel two-dimensional liquid-chromatography method for online prediction of the toxicity of transformation products of benzophenones after water chlorination.

Benzophenone-type UV filters (BPs) are ubiquitous in the environment. Transformation products (TPs) of BPs with suspected toxicity are likely to be produced during disinfection of water by chlorination. To quickly predict the toxicity of TPs, in this study, a novel two-dimensional liquid-chromatography (2D-LC) method was established in which the objective of the first dimension was to separate the multiple components of the BPs sample after chlorination, using a reversed-phase liquid-chromatography mode. A biochromatographic system, i.e. bio-partitioning micellar chromatography with the polyoxyethylene (23) lauryl ether aqueous solution as the mobile phase, served as the second dimension to predict the toxicity of the fraction from the first dimension on the basis of the quantitative retention-activity relationships (QRARs) model. Six BPs, namely 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone, oxybenzone, 4-hydroxybenzophenone, 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone-5-sulfonic acid, 2,2'-dihydroxy-4,4'-dimethoxybenzophenone and 2,2'-dihydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone, were the target analytes subjected to chlorination. The products of these BPs after chlorination were directly injected to the 2D-LC system for analysis. The results indicated that most TPs may be less toxic than their parent chemicals, but some may be more toxic, and that intestinal toxicity of TPs may be more obvious than blood toxicity. The proposed method is time-saving, high-throughput, and reliable, and has great potential for predicting toxicity or bioactivity of unknown and/or known components in a complex sample. Graphical Abstract The scheme for the 2D-LC online prediction of toxicity of the transformation products of benzophenone-type UV filters after chlorination.

A novel two-dimensional liquid chromatographic system for the online toxicity prediction of pharmaceuticals and related substances

In this study, a novel two-dimensional liquid chromatographic (2D-LC) system was developed for simultaneous separation and toxicity prediction of pharmaceutical and its related substances. A conventional ODS column was used on the 1st-D to separate the sample; while, bio-partitioning micellar chromatography served as the 2nd-D to predict toxicity of the components. The established system was tested for the toxicity of ibuprofen and its impurities with known toxicity. With only one injection, ibuprofen and its impurities were separated on the 1st-D; and LC50 values of individual impurity were obtained based on the quantitative retention–activity relationships, which agreed well with the reported data. Furthermore, LC50 values of photolysis transformation products (TPs) of carprofen, ketoprofen and diclofenac acid (as unknown compounds) were screened in this 2D-LC system, which could be an indicator of the toxicity of these TPs and was meaningful for the environmental monitoring and drinking water treatment. The established 2D-LC system was cost-effective, time-saving and reliable, and was promising for fast online screening of toxicity of known and unknown analytes in the complex sample in a single step. It may find applications in environment, pharmaceutical and food, etc.

In vitro and in silico determination of oral, jejunum and Caco-2 human absorption of fatty acids and polyphenols. Micellar liquid chromatography

In this investigation chosen saturated, mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids as well as polyphenols have been analyzed.The main aim of this study was to determine oral, jejunum and Caco-2 human absorption of chosen fatty acids and polyphenols using in vitro and in silico methods. For in vitro determination of human drug absorption, the usefulness of Micellar Liquid Chromatography (MLC) with mobile phases containing different surfactants (including Brij35–Biopartitioning Micellar Chromatography (BMC)) has been confirmed.On the basis of Foley׳s equation, 1/k vs. CM correlations for the tested compounds have been done. Satisfactory linearity of the relationships was found over the whole eluents composition range studied with R2 approximately 0.99 in each case. Moreover, the analyte–micelle association constants (Kma) from Foley׳s equation have been compared for different micellar environments, containing Brij35, SDS and CTAB as a main component of micellar mobile phases. Completely new models describing human oral as well as Caco-2 and jejunum absorption have been constructed and compared with the cited models. These models are based on the Abraham descriptors and lipophilicity parameters as well as steric descriptors. Furthermore, many different correlations between physicochemical parameters and human intestinal absorption have been done, e.g. the correlation between human jejunum permeability estimated in silico and received using LSER parameters was excellent (R2 nearly 0.99).Chromatographic parameters have been collated with steric, electronic and physicochemical ones using QRAR (Quantitative Retention – Activity Relationships) and QSAR (Quantitative Structure – Activity Relationships) models. Moreover, retention BMC data have been compared with lipophilicity parameter logPo/w (n-octanol–water partition coefficient). The influence of lipophilicity on oral absorption (%) has been checked. The correlation between predicted oral absorption (%) and logPo/w has been done. Obtained R2 was 0.82.On the basis of chromatographic, lipophilicity, steric and different physicochemical parameters, the principal components analysis (PCA) has been done.

Fast profiling ecotoxicity and skin permeability of benzophenone ultraviolet filters using biopartitioning micellar chromatography based on penetrable silica spheres

Penetrable silica possesses hierarchical pores, mesopores and penetrable macropores, offering fast mass transfer, satisfactory mechanical strength as well as low column pressure. In the present study, penetrable octadecyl-bonded silica (ODS) was for the first time used as biopartitioning micellar chromatography (BMC) stationary phase to profile ecotoxicity and skin permeability of benzophenone UV-filters. Mobile phase (MP) pH and concentration of polyoxyethylene(23)lauryl ether in the MP were systematically studied. Quantitative retention–activity relationships (QRARs) model was established to correlate retention factors (k) on BMC with bioconcentration factor (BCF) and transdermal rate (TR) of UV-filters. Coefficient of determination (r2) of the QRARs model between log BCF and logk were 0.9398–0.9753, while r2 between TR and logk were 0.7569–0.8434, which demonstrated satisfactory predictive ability of the methodology. It was a powerful tool for fast screening by combining penetrable ODS with BMC, and avoiding column blockage often occurring in BMC.

Evaluation of the Pharmacological Descriptors Related to the Induction of Antidepressant Activity and its Prediction by QSAR/QRAR Methods

Antidepressants are psychiatric agents used for the treatment of different types of depression, being at present amongst the most commonly prescribed drugs, while their effectiveness and adverse effects are still the subject of many studies. To reduce the inefficiency of known antidepressants caused by their side-effects, many research efforts have recently focused on the development of improved strategies for new antidepressants drug design. For this reason it is necessary to apply very fast and precise techniques, such as QSAR (Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships) and QRAR (Quantitative Retention-Activity Relationship), which are capable to analyze and predict the biological activity for these structures, taking in account the possible changes of the molecular structures and chromatographic parameters. We discuss the pharmaceutical descriptors (van der Waals, electrostatic, hydrophobicity, hydrogen donor/acceptor bond, Verloop's parameters, polar area) involved in QSAR and also chromatographic parameters involved in QRAR studies of antidepressants. Antidepressant activities of alkanol piperazine, acetamides, arylpiperazines, thienopyrimidinone derivatives (as preclinical antidepressants) and also the antidepressants already used in clinical practice are mentioned.

Quantitative Retention-Activity Relationship Models of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors Using Biopartitioning Micellar Chromatography

Biopartitioning micellar chromatography (BMC) is a mode of micellar liquid chromatography that uses micellar mobile phases of Brij35 under adequate experimental conditions and can simulate biopartioning process of many kinds of drugs and describe their biological behavior. The capability of BMC to describe and estimate pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) had been studied in this paper. The correlation between retention factors of ACEIs obtained using BMC and bioactivity parameters (half-life, volume of distribution, clearance, and IC(50)) was investigated utilizing a second-order polynomial model. The P-values obtained for half-life, volume of distribution, clearance, and IC(50) models were less than 0.05, and the r(2) of those four models were 0.89, 0.98, 0.94, and 0.97, with r(2)(adj) (adjusted for freedom degrees) being 0.85, 0.98, 0.91, and 0.95, respectively. The predictive and interpretative ability of the chromatographic models was evaluated in terms of cross-validated data [root mean squared error of calibration (RMSEC), root mean squared error of cross-validation (leave-one-out) (RMSECV), and root mean squared error of cross-validation (leave-one-out) for interpolated data (RMSECVi)]. The quantitative retention-activity relationship (QRAR) models of ACEIs developed in this paper may be a useful approach to screening new chemicals in the early stage of development.

Development of predictive quantitative retention–activity relationship models of alkaloids by mixed micellar liquid chromatography

The mixed micellar liquid chromatography is a mode that uses mixed micellar system of Brij35/SDS (85 : 15) as a mobile phase under adequate experimental conditions, can simulate the resting membrane potential and the conformation of the long hydrophilic polyoxyethylene chains remains unchanged. In this article, the applications of biopartitioning micellar chromatography, using mixed micellar system to describe and estimate bioactivities of alkaloids, has been focused. The BMC(Brij35/SDS)-QRAR models of half-life time, volume of distribution, plasma clearance and area under concentration-time curve were obtained using Brij35-SDS retention data. The aim is to take a look at the capability of the mixed micellar liquid chromatography model to describe and/or estimate the bioactivity of alkaloids.

Characterization of biopartitioning micellar chromatography system using monolithic column by linear solvation energy relationship and application to predict blood–brain barrier penetration

The linear solvation energy relationship (LSER) was applied to characterize biopartitioning micellar chromatography (BMC) system using monolithic column, and was utilized to compare the above system with other physicochemical and biological processes in this study. The solute volume and HB basicity had the maximum influence on the retention of the solutes, and an increase in the dipolarity/polarizability, HB basicity, HB acidity or excess molar refraction of the solutes decreased the retention. Principal component analysis of LSER coefficients showed that the system had certain similarity to drug biomembrane transport processes, such as blood–brain barrier penetration, transdermal and oral absorption. The quantitative retention–activity relationship (QRAR) of drug penetration across blood–brain barrier was established and its predictive capability for this biological process was evaluated. With the aid of the high flow rate, the monolithic column significantly facilitated the high-throughput analysis of large compounds’ bank without changing the mechanism of the retention in BMC and without impairing good predictive capability of the biological processes. Accordingly, the BMC system, together with monolithic column, allows for high-throughput profiling the biological processes, such as blood–brain barrier penetration.

Predicting skin permeability using liposome electrokinetic chromatography

The potential of liposome electrokinetic chromatography (LEKC), which is applied to estimate compound penetration through the skin, was evaluated in this report. Quantitative retention-activity relationships (QRARs) were successfully constructed between the compound skin permeability coefficient (log K(p)) and the retention values (log k), as well as some calculated molecular descriptors by the stepwise regression method (R(2) = 0.902). Furthermore, the developed vector method was applied to compare the similarity between the reported lipophilicity measuring scales and compounds through the skin. Both results indicated that the transport of a compound into the liposomal membrane was more similar to its penetration through the skin than that into other systems including the octanol-water system. In a word, LEKC is a promising simple method to predict drug penetration through the skin.

Permeability and toxicological profile estimation of organochlorine compounds by biopartitioning micellar chromatography

This paper points out the usefulness of biopartitioning micellar chromatography (BMC) as a high-throughput primary screening tool providing key information about the oral absorption, skin permeability (K(p)), brain-blood distribution coefficient (BB) and ecotoxicological parameters such as median lethal concentration (LC(50)) and bioconcentration factors of 15 organochloride compounds. The retention data of compounds in BMC conditions were interpolated in previously developed quantitative-retention activity relationships by our research group. Results show that the compounds studied readily cross the intestinal barrier (oral absorption > 90%) and the blood-brain barrier (log BB > 0.4). In addition, the organochlorines DDE, chlorobenzene, 1,3-dichlorobenzene and 1,2-dichlorobenzene are the compounds which can more quickly cross the skin barrier (log K(p ) > -0.74 cm/h). From a ecotoxicological point of view, it can be concluded that the most retained compounds, DDE, DDD, hexachlorobenzene and dicofol, are the most toxic and bioacumulative.

Mixed micellar liquid chromatography methods: modelling quantitative retention–activity relationships of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors

The capability of biopartitioning micellar chromatography (BMC), using pure Brij35 solution and mixed micellar system of Brij35-SDS (85:15) as mobile phase, to describe and estimate bioactivities of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors at different pH has been studied. Quantitative retention-activity relationships (QRAR) in BMC were investigated for these compounds. The obtained BMC(Brij35-SDS)-QRAR models were compared with the traditional BMC(Brij35)-QRAR, and better statistically models were obtained using Brij35-SDS retention data. The superiority of BMC(Brij35-SDS)-QRAR is due to the fact that the mixed micellar mobile phase can simulate the resting membrane potential and the conformation of the long hydrophilic polyoxyethylene chains remains unchanged.

Quantitative Retention‐Activity Relationship Studies by Liposome Electrokinetic Chromatography to Predict Skin Permeability

AbstractLiposome electrokinetic chromatography (LEKC) provides a simple and facile approach for drug membrane interactions using liposome as a pseudostationary phase. This study evaluated the potential of LEKC for high‐throughput skin permeability profiled as an in vitro technique. A quantitative retention‐activity relationship (QRAR) model for the estimation of skin permeability was proposed. For the 16 structurally diverse chemicals, lg k correlated well with permeability values (R2=0.886). The predictive ability of the model was evaluated by cross‐validation. The result was compared to traditional quantitative structure‐activity relationship, QSAR, models using some molecular descriptors and physicochemical parameters. Interestingly, a single LEKC retention parameter was capable of describing the skin permeability, while three variables in QSAR were needed to achieve a similar correlation (R2=0.704). The QRAR models developed in this paper may be a useful method to screening new chemicals and in the early stage of development and selection of chemicals.

The QRAR model study of β-lactam antibiotics by capillary coated with cell membrane

With the accelerating development of new drugs, there is a great need for rapid and simple screening technologies. In this paper, a new in vitro method, capillary coated with cell membrane, was presented for drug screening based on the real biomembrane–drugs interaction, in which the cell membrane was applied to chromatography as pseudo-stationary phase directly. As the cell membrane was coated on the bare-fused capillary via sol–gel technology in our present work, it will be shown to be superior to other pseudo-stationary phases mimicking biological environment. Meanwhile, the quantitative retention–activity relationships (QRAR) model of β-lactam antibiotics was studied through investigating the effect of the membrane coating amount and pH of running buffer on the retention behaviors of the drugs and the logarithm of octanol–water partition coefficient (log P) at pH 7.4 and pH 6.5 were also obtained for comparison. The results showed that the capillary coated with cell membrane could suit the study of QRAR model.