RP-18 TLC and Computational Descriptors of Skin Permeability of Sunscreens.

The relationships between the reversed-phase thin layer chromatographic retention parameters obtained on octadecyl-modified silica (RP-18) sorbent for mobile phases containing water and one of six water-miscible organic modifiers (acetone, methanol, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofurane, N,N-dimethylformamide, 1,4-dioxane) and skin permeability coefficients were studied for a group of 21 cosmetic raw materials, mainly organic sunscreens and preservatives. The correlations between the skin permeability coefficients log Kd calculated in silico using EpiSuite software and the RP-18 thin layer chromatographic retention parameters are mostly linear, especially for compounds of lower-to-medium lipophilicity. It was established that skin permeability coefficient models based on retention parameters collected for mobile phases containing acetone or dioxane (75% v/v), proposed for structurally unrelated cosmetic raw materials are also applicable to other actives, as shown using a test set of compounds whose in vivo log Kd data are available. Skin permeability models developed in this study have the benefit of being based on easily obtained, chromatographic descriptors and their applicability extends beyond cosmetic chemistry.

IAM Chromatographic Models of Skin Permeation.

Chromatographic retention factor log kIAM obtained from IAM HPLC chromatography with buffered aqueous mobile phases and calculated molecular descriptors (surface area-Sa; molar volume-VM; polar surface area-PSA; count of freely rotable bonds-FRB; H-bond acceptor count-HA; energy of the highest occupied molecular orbital-EHOMO; energy of the lowest unoccupied orbital-ELUMO; and polarizability-α) obtained for a group of 160 structurally unrelated compounds were tested in order to generate useful models of solutes' skin permeability coefficient log Kp. It was established that log kIAM obtained in the conditions described in this study is not sufficient as a sole predictor of the skin permeability coefficient. Simple put, potentially useful models based on log kIAM and readily available calculated descriptors, accounting for 85 to 91% of the total variability, were generated using Multiple Linear Regression (MLR).The models proposed in the study were tested on a group of 20 compounds with known experimental log Kp values.

Evaluation of the lipophilicity of selected sunscreens--a chemometric analysis of thin-layer chromatographic retention data.

The lipophilicities of 22 selected sunscreens, preservatives, and vitamins used in topical skin products were measured by thin-layer chromatography. Lipophilicity was calculated in silico from the sunscreen molecular structures and compared to the experimental octanol/water partition coefficients found in the literature. The retention of the compounds was investigated on an RP-18 stationary phase with mobile phases consisting of water and one of six organic modifiers (dioxane, tetrahydrofuran, acetone, acetonitrile, methanol, and dimethylformamide) at different concentrations. The theoretical lipophilicities were calculated by several computational algorithms and the results of these calculations were compared using cluster analysis. The results showed that two out of the six investigated organic modifiers (dioxane and acetone) may be used to estimate the octanol/water partition coefficients of highly lipophilic compounds having lipophilicities that cannot be measured directly by the shake-flask method.

Immobilized artificial membrane-chromatographic and computational descriptors in studies of soil-water partition of environmentally relevant compounds.

Chromatographic retention factor log kIAM obtained from immobilized artificial membrane (IAM) HPLC with buffered, aqueous mobile phases and calculated molecular descriptors (molecular weight - log MW; molar volume - VM; polar surface area - PSA; total count of nitrogen and oxygen atoms -(N + O); count of freely rotable bonds - FRB; H-bond donor count - HD; H-bond acceptor count - HA; energy of the highest occupied molecular orbital - EHOMO; energy of the lowest unoccupied orbital - ELUMO; dipole moment - DM; polarizability - α) obtained for a group of 175 structurally unrelated compounds were tested in order to generate useful models of solutes' soil-water partition coefficient normalized to organic carbon log Koc. It was established that log kIAM obtained in the conditions described in this study is not sufficient as a sole predictor of the soil-water partition coefficient. Simple, potentially useful models based on log kIAM and a selection of readily available, calculated descriptors and accounting for over 88% of total variability were generated using multiple linear regression (MLR) and artificial neural networks (ANN). The models proposed in the study were tested on a group of 50 compounds with known experimental log Koc values by plotting the calculated vs. experimental values. There is a good close similarity between the calculated and experimental data for both MLR and ANN models for compounds from different chemical families (R2 ≥ 0.80, n = 50) which proves the models' reliability.

In silico assessment of risks associated with pesticides exposure during pregnancy.

Novel Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) models of compounds' placenta (PL) permeability expressed as their log FM (fetus-to-mother blood concentration) values or binary PL1/0 (crossing/non-crossing) score were generated using a number of statistical tools: Multiple Linear Regression, Boosted Trees, Principal Component Analysis and Artificial Neural Networks, on the basis of molecular descriptors calculated by Mordred software and selected using Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis. It was established that the most important predictor of both log FM and the binary PL1/0 score is Lipinski - a binary variable reflecting the compounds' ability to satisfy the criteria of drug-likeness according to the Lipinski's "Rule of 5". The quantitative (log FM) and qualitative (PL1/0) models of PL permeability were applied to 345 pesticides from different chemical families (triazines, carbamates, pyrethroids, organochlorine, organophosphorus and miscellaneous compounds). The ability of studied pesticides to cross the placenta was assessed; the basic physico-chemical parameters responsible for good or poor placenta transport of pesticides were identified and the relationships between the pesticides' PL permeability, blood-brain barrier (BBB) transfer and gastro-intestinal (GI) absorption were investigated. It was found (on the basis of logistic regression analysis) that the probability of a compound crossing the placenta (PL1) is inversely correlated with its lipophilicity and molar refractivity and positively correlated with the total count of oxygen and nitrogen atoms.

Quantification of sunscreen ethylhexyl triazone in topical skin-care products by normal-phase TLC/densitometry.

Ethylhexyl triazone (ET) was separated from other sunscreens such as avobenzone, octocrylene, octyl methoxycinnamate, and diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate and from parabens by normal-phase HPTLC on silica gel 60 as stationary phase. Two mobile phases were particularly effective: (A) cyclohexane-diethyl ether 1 : 1 (v/v) and (B) cyclohexane-diethyl ether-acetone 15 : 1 : 2 (v/v/v) since apart from ET analysis they facilitated separation and quantification of other sunscreens present in the formulations. Densitometric scanning was performed at 300 nm. Calibration curves for ET were nonlinear (second-degree polynomials), with R > 0.998. For both mobile phases limits of detection (LOD) were 0.03 and limits of quantification (LOQ) 0.1 µg spot(-1). Both methods were validated.

Affinity of Compounds for Phosphatydylcholine-Based Immobilized Artificial Membrane-A Measure of Their Bioconcentration in Aquatic Organisms.

The BCF (bioconcentration factor) of solutes in aquatic organisms is an important parameter because many undesired chemicals enter the ecosystem and affect the wildlife. Chromatographic retention factor log kwIAM obtained from immobilized artificial membrane (IAM) HPLC chromatography with buffered, aqueous mobile phases and calculated molecular descriptors obtained for a group of 120 structurally unrelated compounds were used to generate useful models of log BCF. It was established that log kwIAM obtained in the conditions described in this study is not sufficient as a sole predictor of bioconcentration. Simple, potentially useful models based on log kwIAM and a selection of readily available, calculated descriptors and accounting for over 88% of total variability were generated using multiple linear regression (MLR), partial least squares (PLS) regression and artificial neural networks (ANN). The models proposed in the study were tested on an external group of 120 compounds and on a group of 40 compounds with known experimental log BCF values. It was established that a relatively simple MLR model containing four independent variables leads to satisfying BCF predictions and is more intuitive than PLS or ANN models.

Evaluation of drug-likeness and ADME properties of sunscreens and preservatives using reversed-phase thin layer chromatographic retention data and calculated descriptors.

RP-18 TLC chromatography was used to evaluate the pharmacokinetic properties (volume of distribution, VD; plasma protein binding, %PPB; the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier expressed as log PS and log BB) of several cosmetic raw materials - sunscreen and preservatives. The majority of these compounds are intended for topical use on skin and their drug-likeness and the ability to cross biological barriers are undesired. The retention parameters RM0, S, PC1 and RM75 % obtained for mobile phases containing six organic modifiers (methanol, acetonitrile, THF, acetone, dioxane, DMF) were used as the sole descriptors or combined with calculated physicochemical properties (PSA, MW, VM) of studied compounds. The chromatographic parameters considered in this study are, generally speaking, good predictors of the compounds' pharmacokinetic properties VD, %PPB and log PS. RM75 % and the novel parameters derived from it (RM75 %/MW and RM75 %/VM) can be considered time- and cost-effective alternatives to the chromatographic parameters obtained by extrapolation or interpolation methods. In the case of some pharmacokinetic properties investigated in this study additional descriptors (PSA) have a significant influence on the quality of correlations.

RP-18 TLC retention data and calculated physico-chemical parameters as predictors of soil-water partition and bioconcentration of organic sunscreens.

RP-18 TLC chromatography was used to evaluate the impact on the environment (mobility in soil expressed as soil-water partition coefficient, log Koc; bioconcentration factor in aquatic organisms, log BCF) of several cosmetic raw materials - sunscreens, preservatives and vitamins. The retention parameters RM0 (RM extrapolated to zero concentration of an organic modifier in a mobile phase), S (slope), PC1 (1st principal component) and RM75% (single TLC run parameter for mobile phases containing 75% (v/v) of an organic modifier) obtained for six organic modifiers (methanol, acetonitrile, THF, acetone, dioxane, DMF) were used as the sole descriptors or combined with calculated physico-chemical properties (PSA - polar surface area; MW - molecular weight; VM - molar volume) of studied compounds. The chromatographic parameters considered in this study are, generally speaking, good predictors of the compounds' mobility in soil or the affinity for aquatic organisms. The parameters RM0, S and RM75% obtained for THF, dioxane and acetone may be used to investigate even very lipophilic compounds. RM75% is of a little bit limited use but it should be considered a time- and cost-effective alternative to the chromatographic parameters obtained by extrapolation or interpolation methods. In the case of some environmental parameters investigated in this study additional descriptors (PSA) have a significant influence on the quality of correlations.

Emerging or Underestimated Silica-Based Stationary Phases in Liquid Chromatography.

Several newly synthesized or forgotten silica-based stationary phases proposed for liquid chromatography are described, including non-endcapped, short-chain alkyl phases; hydrophilic and polar-endcapped stationary phases; polar-embedded alkyl phases; long-chain alkyl phases. Stationary phases with aromatic, cyanopropyl, diol and aminopropyl functionalities are also reviewed. Stationary phases of particular interest are biomolecular materials - based on immobilized cholesterol, aminoacids, peptides, proteins or lipoproteins. Packing materials involving macrocyclic chemistry (crown ethers; calixarenes; aza-macrocycles; oligo-and polysaccharides including these of marine origin - chitin- or chitosan-based; macrocyclic antibiotics) are discussed. Since many stationary phases developed for one type of applications (e.g. chiral separation) have been found useful in solving other analytical problems (e.g. drug's plasma protein binding ability), it seemed reasonable to discuss particular chemistries behind the stationary phases presented in this review rather than specific types of interactions or chromatographic modes.

RP-18 TLC Chromatographic and Computational Study of Skin Permeability of Steroids.

The skin permeability of steroids, as investigated in this study, is important because some of these compounds are, or could, be used in preparations applied topically. Several models of skin permeability, involving thin layer chromatographic and calculated descriptors, were generated and validated using Kp reference values obtained in silico and then tested on a group of solutes whose experimental Kp values could be found (log Kpexp). The study established that the most applicable log Kp model is based on RP-18 thin layer chromatographic data (RM) and the calculated descriptors VM (molar volume) and PSA (polar surface area). Two less efficient, yet simple, equations based on PSA or VM combined with HD (H-donor count) can be used with caution for rapid, rough estimations of compounds' skin permeability prior to their chemical synthesis.

Application of RP-18 TLC Retention Data to the Prediction of the Transdermal Absorption of Drugs.

Several chromatographic parameters (RM0 and S obtained from RP-18 TLC with methanol-pH 7.4 phosphate buffer mobile phases by extrapolation to zero concentration of methanol; Rf and RM obtained from RP-18 TLC with acetonitrile-pH 7.4 phosphate buffer 70:30 v/v as a mobile phase) and calculated molecular descriptors (molecular weight-MW; molar volume-VM; polar surface area-PSA; total count of nitrogen and oxygen atoms-(N+O); H-bond donor count-HD; H-bond acceptor count-HA; distribution coefficient-log D; total energy-ET; binding energy-Eb; hydration energy-Eh; energy of the highest occupied molecular orbital-EHOMO; energy of the lowest unoccupied orbital-ELUMO; electronic energy-Ee; surface area-Sa; octanol-water partition coefficient-log P; dipole moment-DM; refractivity-R, polarizability-α) and their combinations (Rf/PSA, RM/MW, RM/VM) were tested in order to generate useful models of solutes' skin permeability coefficient log Kp. It was established that neither RM0 nor S obtained in the conditions used in this study is a good predictor of the skin permeability coefficient. The chromatographic parameters Rf and Rf/PSA were also unsuitable for this purpose. A simple and potentially useful, purely computational model based on (N+O), log D and HD as independent variables and accounting for ca. 83% of total variability was obtained. The evaluation of parameters derived from RM (RM, RM/MW, RM/VM) as independent variables in log Kp models proved that RM/VM is the most suitable descriptor belonging to this group. In a search for a reliable log Kp model based on this descriptor two possibilities were considered: a relatively simple model based on 5 independent variables: (N+O), log D, RM/VM, ET and Eh and a more complex one, involving also Eb, MW and PSA.

Aspects of Drug-Protein Binding and Methods of Analyzing the Phenomenon.

In recent decades, drug-protein interactions have been widely studied and several methods of analysis of these phenomena have been developed and improved. These can be classified into separation, physical, chromatographic and electrophoretic methods. This review depicts the assumptions and mechanisms of methods from each group, details their strengths and weaknesses, and presents examples of their usage from the literature. Equilibrium dialysis, ultrafiltration, Hummel-Dreyer method or high performance affinity chromatography are given as representative examples, but this issue is far more expanded. Nowadays, increasing attention is paid to the computational methods and molecular modeling which are convenient tools to estimate protein binding affinity based on the physicochemical properties of compounds. To gain a broader overview, the study also examines the protein binding ability and pharmacotherapy of drugs against a range of substrates such as plasma, skin, tissue and human milk.

SPE/TLC/Densitometric Quantification of Selected Synthetic Food Dyes in Liquid Foodstuffs and Pharmaceutical Preparations.

Selected synthetic food dyes (tartrazine, Ponceau 4R, Brilliant Blue, orange yellow, and azorubine) were isolated from liquid preparations (mouthwashes and beverages) by Solid Phase Extraction on aminopropyl-bonded silica with diluted aqueous sodium hydroxide as an eluent. The extraction step was followed by thin layer chromatography on silica gel 60 with chloroform-isopropanol-25% aq. ammonia 1 : 3 : 1 (v/v/v) as mobile phase and the densitometric quantification of dyes was achieved using quadratic calibration plots (R2 > 0.997; LOQ = 0.04-0.09 µgspot-1). The overall recoveries for all studied dyes were at the average level of over 90% and the repeatability of the proposed procedure (CV ≤ 4.1%) was sufficient to recommend it for the routine quantification of the aforementioned dyes in liquid matrices.

Phospholipid-based Immobilized Artificial Membrane (IAM) Chromatography: A Powerful Tool to Model Drug Distribution Processes.

A review of applications of the Immobilized Artificial Membrane (IAM) chromatography in drug discovery is given. IAM chromatography is presented as a tool to predict the interactions of solutes with biomembranes, blood-brain barrier permeability, volume of distribution, oral and skin absorption of drugs and compared to other in vitro techniques used to study drug bioavailability (caco-2 cells, liposome partition). Unbound phosphatidylcholine based stationary phases are also discussed. Some new trends and ideas in the IAM chromatography are presented.

Quantification of Sunscreen Benzophenone-4 in Hair Shampoos by Hydrophilic Interactions Thin-Layer Chromatography/Densitometry or Derivative UV Spectrophotometry.

Benzophenone-4 (BZ4) was separated from surfactants, dyes, preservatives, and other components of hair shampoos by thin-layer chromatography on silica gel 60 stationary phase, with ethyl acetate-ethanol-water-pH 6 phosphate buffer (15 : 7 : 5 : 1 v/v/v/v) as mobile phase. Densitometry scanning of chromatograms was performed at 285 nm. The densitometric calibration curve for BZ4 was nonlinear (second-degree polynomial), with R > 0.999. The limits of detection and quantification were ca. 0.03 and ca. 0.1 µg spot(-1), respectively. The results obtained by HPTLC-densitometry were compared to those obtained by zero and 2nd derivative UV spectrophotometry. In the case of spectrophotometric methods, calibration curves were linear with R > 0.9998. The chromatographic method was fully validated.

Comparative (Q)SAR analysis of benzodiazepine derivatives with different biological activity.

211 compounds containing a benzodiazepine moiety (BZD) and belonging to 4 groups of different biological activity (H - inhibitors of reverse transcriptase of HIV-I virus, A - antiarrhythmic agents, G - ligands of benzodiazepine receptor in GABAergic system and C - cholecystokinin receptor antagonists) were subjected to structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis. SAR investigations of all 211 BZD were based on Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA) of physicochemical data connected with BBB (blood-brain barrier) permeability of studied compounds. DFA was performed with STATISTICA 10.0 software by the stepwise method and resulted in 3 discriminant functions whose quality was assessed by Wilk's lambda parameter. Calculated discriminant functions (roots) were applied to draw the scatter diagram of canonical values that showed all 211 cases divided into 4 groups of different biological activity. The method was successfully validated with a set of 38 BZD derivatives expected to belong to groups H, A, G and C. The reliability of the obtained model was confirmed with a cross-validation test. Classification functions presented in this study may be used as a practical tool for predicting new BZD drugs activity.