Parenteral formulation and thermal degradation pathways of a potent rebeccamycin based indolocarbazole topoisomerase I inhibitor.

The development of a practical and pharmaceutically acceptable parenteral dosage form of 1 is described. A cosolvent formulation strategy was selected to achieve the necessary human dose of 1 for administration via intravenous infusion. The final market formulation of 1 chosen for commercial development and Phase II clinical supplies was the topoisomerase inhibitor dissolved in a 50% aqueous propylene glycol solution vehicle with 50mM citrate buffered to pH 4. The thermal degradation pathways of 1 in this aqueous propylene glycol vehicle in the pH range of 3-5 were determined by relative kinetics and degradation product identification using LC/MS, LC/MS/MS, and NMR analysis. The primary mode of degradation of 1 in this aqueous cosolvent formulation is hydrolysis affording the anhydride 2 (in equilibrium with the dicarboxylic acid 3) and release of the hydrazine diol side chain 11. Subsequent oxidative degradation of 11 occurs in several chemical steps which yield a complicated mixture of secondary reaction products that have been structurally identified.

Radical cations from dicyclopropylidenemethane and its octamethyl derivative.

The radical cations of dicyclopropylidenemethane (2) and its octamethyl derivative (2-Me8) are prone to rearrangements into those of (2-methylallylidene)cyclopropane (2a) and its octamethyl derivative (2a-Me8), respectively, by opening one three-membered ring. In contrast to the radical cations of bicyclopropylidene (1) and its octamethyl derivative (1-Me8), 2*+ and 2-Me8*+ are stable to opening of the second ring, because in this case the resulting species would be a non-Kekulé hydrocarbon with a quartet ground state. Similarly to 1, octamethyl substitution in 2 promotes the tendency to rearrangement. Thus, ESR and ENDOR studies indicate that the primary radical cation 2*+, which is formed upon gamma-irradiation of 2 in a CFCl3 matrix at 77 K, does not rearrange up to 150 K. On the other hand, when 2-Me8 is treated in the same way, only the rearranged radical cation 2a-Me8*+ can be observed and characterized by its ESR and ENDOR spectra. Nevertheless, the existence of the two "missing" species, 2a*+ and 2-Me8*+, is revealed by other methods. According to UV and IR studies, X irradiation of 2 in an Ar matrix leads directly to the ring-opened radical cation 2a*+. Moreover, magnetic field effects on the decay of fluorescence, which appears upon recombination of the radical anion of p-terphenyl with a radical cation generated from 2-Me8 in liquid octane, strongly suggest that 2-Me8*+ (and not 2a-Me8*+) is formed initially. From the temperature dependence of the decay, the activation energy of the ring-opening process 2-Me8*+ --> 2a-Me8*+ is estimated. The radical cations 2a*+ and 2a-Me8*+ are formally distonic with the spin residing in the allylic moiety and the charge accommodated on the central carbon atom of the allene pi-system. The intact cyclopropylidenemethylidene moiety assumes a "bisected" conformation, thus favoring an optimal interaction with the positively charged center on the pi-system.

Application of liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance to the identification of degradates of a novel insulin sensitizer in aqueous solutions.

Degradation of a novel insulin sensitizer in aqueous solutions was studied using high pressure liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). The insulin sensitizer, containing a thiazolidine-2,4-dione (TZD), was a new class of antidiabetic agent for the treatment of type II diabetes. Chemical stability of the insulin sensitizer was evaluated by stressing its aqueous solutions at 40 degrees C for 24 h. Oxygen was removed from one of the solutions by bubbling pure nitrogen through to identify non-oxidative pathways. LC/MS analyses of the stressed solutions revealed that hydrolysis and oxidation are the primary degradation pathways for the studied compound. A alpha-thiol acetic acid, acyl amide, and two dimeric diastereomers were the main degradates of the insulin sensitizer. The alpha-thiol acetic acid served as an intermediate-like species, and oxidized to two dimeric degradates upon exposing to air. All of them were identified as ring-opening products of the TZD. The entities of the acyl amide and dimeric degradates were respectively verified by a synthetic standard or NMR following isolation of a diastereomeric degradate. Characterization using MS in both positive and negative ion scans were discussed for an isolated diastereomeric degradate. Mechanisms of fragmentation and formation for those degradates are presented based on the MS result.

Novel rearrangements of an N-oxide degradate formed from oxidation of a morpholine acetal substance P antagonist.

Compound 1 [5-[2(R)-[1(R)-(3,5-bistrifluoromethylphenyl) ethoxy]-3(s)-(4-fluorophenyl)morpholin-4-ylmethyl]-3h-[1,2,3] triazol-4-ylmethyl]dimethylamine represents a new class of potent, orally active substance P antagonists, which possess a characteristic structural feature-a cis-2-alkoxy-3-arylmorpholine core. The oxidative degradation of 1 in drug substance and formulations was found to occur through the two trialkylamine oxides, which undergo secondary degradations to give rise to observed degradation products. In this study, the five primary degradation products of the N-oxide 2 formed from the oxidation of the morpholine core of 1 were identified by LC/MS and MS/MS. The N-oxide 2 undergoes novel thermal rearrangements, which were proposed to follow elimination/addition mechanisms. An unusual, facile [1,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement was also demonstrated.

Collision-induced dissociation of the negative ions of simvastatin hydroxy acid and related species.

Simvastatin hydroxy acid (1) is a well-known, potent HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. Its lactone, simvastatin (commercial name Zocor) (a prodrug of 1), has been widely prescribed in the USA and throughout the world. In this work, collision-induced dissociation (CID) of the negative ion of 1 (m/z 435), a carboxylic anion, was analyzed in detail. The major fragmentation pathway of this ion is a novel de-esterification to form the negative product ions at m/z 319 and 115. The ion at m/z 319 undergoes further collision-induced rearrangements to form the negative ions at m/z 215, 159 and 85. Possible mechanisms of the de-esterification are discussed in terms of both charge-initiated and charge-remote fragmentations. The de-esterification of the negative ion of 1 and the rearrangements of the ion at m/z 319 are rationalized by charge transfer and negative-charge initiated fragmentation. This study deepens our understanding of collision-induced fragmentations of carboxylic anions with multi-functional groups. A comparison of the CID data for the negative ions of 1 and 5 (a major oxidation degradate of 1) indicates that the analysis of the CID data for 1 can serve as a basis for identification of oxidation degradation products or metabolites of 1. The analysis of the CID data for the negative ion of 1 also reveals the fundamental characteristics of the CID data for the negative ions of other statin hydroxy acids such as lovastatin (3) and pravastatin (4).

The importance of chromatographic separation in LC/MS/MS quantitation of drugs in biological fluids: detection, characterization, and synthesis of a previously unknown low-level nitrone metabolite of a substance P antagonist.

The observation of an interference peak in plasma samples from dogs dosed with compound I led to the discovery of an unidentified metabolite. The unknown metabolite had the same molecular weight as the parent drug, and their fragmentation profiles were also quite similar. LC/MS/ MS analysis of the plasma extracts of dogs and rats dosed with I and its deuterium-labeled analogue suggested a nitrone structure for the unknown metabolite. Synthesized nitrone matched the unknown metabolite with identical retention time and nearly identical fragmentation profile. The nitrone slowly decomposed in acidic aqueous solution at ambient temperature and also underwent in-source, thermal-induced hydrolysis during electrospray ionization mass spectrometric analysis. The reaction of the nitrone with diethyl acetylenedicarboxylate readily generated a [2 + 3] cycloaddition product. The example shown here clearly demonstrates that precautions must be taken when LC/MS/MS quantitation is conducted in the selected reaction monitoring mode.

Identification by LC/MS(n) of degradates of a novel carbapenem antibiotic in an aqueous matrix.

Increased drug resistance in Staphylcocci and Enterococci to currently available antibiotics has significantly limited therapeutic options. Recently, a novel carbapenem antibiotic (Compound A) with a releasable side chain adjacent to the carbapenem was investigated to combat methicillin- and vancomycin-resistant Staphylococci and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci. The major advantage of Compound A over existing antibiotics can be attributed to the fact that cleavage of the side chain upon beta-lactam ring opening retained anti-bacterial activity while expelling the immunodominant epitope of the presumed beta-lactam hapten. In this work, LC/MS methods were developed to identify degradates of Compound A in an aqueous matrix utilized in assessing product safety and supporting analytical method and formulation development. A total of eight significant degradates were observed in this Compound A sample by LC/MS(n) and other techniques. Detailed structural analysis of degradates based upon LC/MS(n) data and other supporting results will be described in this work. Proposed molecular structures were confirmed by synthesis and use of authentic standards for several degradates. Degradates 1 and 4 were identified as degradates formed through the reversal of Michael reaction from Degradate 3 that is apparently formed by hydrolysis. Degradates 2 and 8 were found to be Hofmann elimination degradates. Degradates 5 and 6 are believed to be formed through dimerization of two parent molecules followed by the reversal of Michael reaction. Finally, Degradate 7 is attributed to a displacement reaction. Potential degradation pathways based upon these preliminary studies will also be discussed.

Tandem mass spectrum of a growth hormone secretagogue: amide bond cleavage and resultant gas-phase rearrangement.

Compound 1 [N-[1(R)-[(1,2-dihydro-1-methylsulfonylspiro[3H-indole-3,4'-piperidin]-1'-yl)carbonyl]-2-(phenylmethyloxy)ethyl]-2-amino-2-methylpropanamide](MW 528) is an orally-active growth hormone secretagogue (GHS). As part of a continual effort to analyze the ESI/MS and MSn data of novel drugs, the ESI/MS and MS/MS data of protonated 1 (m/z 529) are analyzed and reported here. The analyses reveal that under low-energy collision-induced dissociation (CID) in an ion trap or a quadrupole collision cell, protonated 1 undergoes a gas-phase rearrangement to form protonated 3 (m/z 357) which competes with the y- and b-type product ions during the amide bond cleavages of protonated 1. It is proposed that when the b-type ion is formed by cleavage of the piperidine amide bond, piperidine (a neutral species) and the b-ion (a cation) form an ion-neutral complex. In this complex, piperidine functions as a nucleophile to attack the benzylic carbon of the b-ion, and the protonated ether group in the b-ion acts as a leaving group, which results in the migration of the benzylic group to the piperidine amine to form protonated 3. Protonated 2 (an analog of 1) was studied under the same experimental conditions. The results show that protonated 2 undergoes a similar rearrangement to form protonated 3. While this rearrangement is a relatively minor fragmentation process for protonated 1, it is a predominant process for protonated 2. This phenomenon is explained in terms of the proposed ion-neutral-complex mechanism.