Effect of a high-fat meal on the pharmacokinetics of dapagliflozin, a selective SGLT2 inhibitor, in healthy subjects.

Dapagliflozin is a potent and selective inhibitor of sodium-glucose co-transporter type 2 that is being developed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. This open-label, randomized, two-period, two-treatment (single doses of 10-mg dapagliflozin fasted or fed), crossover study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a high-fat meal on the pharmacokinetics of dapagliflozin in 14 healthy subjects. Compared to the fasted state, a high-fat meal decreased mean dapagliflozin maximum plasma concentrations (C(max) ) by 31%, increased the time to C(max) (T(max) ) by 1 h, but did not affect overall dapagliflozin systemic exposure [area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC)]. As the cumulative (daily) amount of glucose excreted in the urine induced by dapagliflozin is dependent upon dapagliflozin AUC, the effect of food on dapagliflozin C(max) is unlikely to have a clinically meaningful effect on dapagliflozin's efficacy. On the basis of these findings, dapagliflozin can be administered without regard to meals.

Chiral analysis of drug substance in clinical plasma extracts using achiral HPLC with circular dichroism detection.

A circular dichroism (CD) detector in series with a UV detector was used with reversed-phase gradient HPLC to do the chiral analysis of unresolved enantiomers of a single stereoisomer drug substance in extracts of clinical plasma samples. The CD/UV peak area ratio of the unresolved enantiomers in the plasma extracts was calculated and compared with pure drug substance standards to show that there was no racemization of the chiral center during pharmacokinetic studies. The CD detector can be used only with chiral compounds with a UV chromophore and the limit of detection was approximately 5 ng with the drug substance and chromatographic conditions used in this study.

Column selection and method development for the determination of the enantiomeric purity of investigational non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors.

DPC 961 and DPC 083 are investigational non-nucleoside reversed transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) being evaluated for the treatment of HIV infections (Corbett et al., Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1999;43:2893-2897). Both compounds are chiral and are synthesized as single enantiomers by an asymmetric synthetic pathway (Magnus et al., Tetrahedron Lett 2000;41:3015-3019). A chiral method was developed to control the enantiomeric purity of the drug substance and to monitor for any chiral inversion in the drug substance and in the tablet formulation during stability studies. Three columns were evaluated: Chiralpak AD, Chirobiotic V, and Whelk-O. All three columns have broad applicability and can resolve enantiomers of compounds of very diverse molecular structure and polarity. The three columns were evaluated with various mobile phase compositions for their ability to resolve the racemic mixtures of DPC 083, DPC 961, and their respective enantiomers and for their selectivity toward the synthetic impurities of the two drug substances. Nonaqueous mobile phases were selected because the two drugs are poorly water soluble. The separation between the unwanted enantiomer of DPC 083 and DPC 961, which is a major impurity of DPC 083, in particular, was closely monitored. The final method was fully validated and is used for the routine testing of the drug substance and tablets.

In-use testing of extemporaneously prepared suspensions of second generation non-nucleoside reversed transcriptase inhibitors in support of phase I clinical studies.

DPC 961 and 963 are two of a series of prospective second generation non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) being considered for the treatment of HIV infections. The 'powder in a bottle' approach was used for drug administration for Phase I clinical studies. This new approach consists of compounding the active drug as a suspension or solution at the clinical site immediately before dosing. Prior to clinical use, studies were conducted to determine the compatibility of the drugs with the suspending agent, the recovery of the drugs using the administration procedure and the dissolution profile of the suspensions. The stability of the DPC 961 and 963 in the dosing formulation was followed over a 24-h period using a stability indicating HPLC method. In addition, the dissolution profiles of the suspensions were established for future comparison with solid dosage forms. Although the two drugs have very similar chemical structures, they clearly exhibited different behaviors in liquid/liquid extraction and dissolution experiments. These differences could be related to the physical characteristics of the powders, such as particle size and surface area. The results of the in-use testing of the suspension showed adequate recovery of the drugs from the bottle at two drug levels. The stability of DPC 961 and 963 in the suspending agent was sufficient for constitution and administration of the suspensions at the clinical site.

Selectivity in capillary electrophoresis: the use of proteins.

Proteins, by their very diverse nature, provide a wide variety of options for generating selectivity in capillary electrophoresis (CE). Their use in different modes of CE will be considered in this review. Proteins added in solution to the background electrolyte allow separations to be made in a similar fashion to other electrokinetic chromatography methods, e.g., micellar separations. Alternatively, different immobilization schemes can be used to secure proteins within the capillary; these have included capillary electrochromatography with the protein grafted onto a silica support, or immobilization of the protein within a gel structure. Compounds varying in size from small inorganic ions to biopolymers may be bound by proteins. There is the potential for any sort of intermolecular interaction to play a role in the binding process (e.g., hydrophobic interactions, electrostatic interactions, etc.). Very specific high-affinity binding often occurs, but also there is often weaker, non-selective binding. Frequently the interactions of chiral compounds with proteins are stereoselective. Obtaining chiral selectivity has been one of the main applications of protein selectors in CE, and this use will be emphasized here in a discussion structured by type of protein. As well as utilizing the selectivity of proteins to develop separations, the role of CE in investigating ligand-protein interactions will be emphasized.

The effect of co-administered drugs on oxaprozin binding to human serum albumin.

The binding of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug oxaprozin to human serum albumin was studied by bioaffinity high-performance liquid chromatography using a column based on immobilized human serum albumin. Displacement studies using marker compounds for the major drug binding sites showed that oxaprozin has a high affinity for the benzodiazepine/indole site and binds to the warfarin site but with a significantly lower affinity. Biochromatography and ultrafiltration techniques were used to screen for possible competition and allosteric interactions between oxaprozin and potential co-administered drugs including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antipyretics, hypoglycaemics, inhibitors of angiotensin-converting enzyme, anaesthetics, metal ions and anticancer agents. Competition occurred mainly with drugs bound at the benzodiazepine site (benzodiazepines, various non-steroidal anti-inflammatories).

Comparison of drug binding interactions on human, rat and rabbit serum albumin using high-performance displacement chromatography.

The binding of warfarin, a series of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and a series of benzodiazepines to rat serum albumin (RatSA) and rabbit serum albumin (RabSA) was compared with their binding to human serum albumin (HSA) using high-performance liquid chromatography on stationary phases based on immobilized albumins. The effect of the addition to the mobile phase of compounds known to bind to HSA at site I (phenylbutazone) or at site II (R- and S-ibuprofen) or at both sites (2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid) was investigated on all three proteins. The results indicated that for the chiral compounds studied, the stereoselectivity of drug binding was much lower on RatSA than on HSA. On RatSA and RabSA, the benzodiazepine site was not a major binding site for R- and S-ibuprofen. The results indicated the existence of two binding sites for R and S warfarin on RatSA and probably on RabSA. On RatSA, one site is the major stereoselective site and is the major binding site of phenylbutazone and piroxicam. The other one is a major binding site for R- and S-ibuprofen and R- and S-ketoprofen.

Chromatographic modelling of interactions between melanin and phenothiazine and dibenzazepine drugs.

Differences in drug-melanin interactions were determined for 13 phenothiazine neuroleptics and 2 dibenzazepine thymoleptics by means of high-performance liquid chromatography. The chromatographic column was packed with a stationary phase obtained by chemical immobilization of synthetic L-dopa melanin on silica particles. For six phenothiazines the melanin-binding parameters were also determined by an ultrafiltration method. Correlation between measures of drug-melanin interaction determined chromatographically and by the standard slow-equilibrium method was significant, however moderate. The chromatographic method of assessing interactions between drugs and melanin permitted reliable and quantitatively comparable data for representative series of solutes to be readily obtained. Such data were subjected to the analysis of quantitative structure-retention relationships (QSRR). It was found that retention of the agents on the immobilized melanin column could be described by two-parameter regression equations comprising the energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital and either the water-accessible surface area of a drug molecule or its hydrophobicity parameter, determined chromatographically on an immobilized artificial membrane column. The QSRR equation derived allows for the estimation of melanin binding based on the structure of a compound candidate, and thus rationalizes predictions of potential toxicity of drugs or drug candidates.

Location of binding sites on immobilized human serum albumin for some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Anti-inflammatory drugs are widely used therapeutic agents and are very often administered with various other drugs. Because they are highly bound to human serum albumin (HSA), interferences between nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and coadministered drugs may arise from their interactions at a binding site on HSA. Although the percentage of binding to HSA is generally accurately determined, the binding sites to which a particular therapeutic agent binds are often unknown. In order to clarify where different classes of NSAIDs bind on the HSA molecule, competition studies were carried out on a HSA-based HPLC column using site I and site II markers as displacing agents. Results show that all the NSAIDs included in the study were affected by site I and site II markers and that a number of drugs had (an) extra binding site(s) not affected by any of the competitors used in the study. Competition data also suggest that binding of NSAIDs at the benzodiazepine site could in fact occur at two separate subsites, as previously observed for benzodiazepines.

Development of a melanin-based high-performance liquid chromatography stationary phase and its use in the study of drug-melanin binding interactions.

Drug-melanin interactions were studied using a melanin-based HPLC column. Two approaches were chosen for the preparation of the stationary phases: covalent coupling of synthetic L-dopa melanin and in situ polymerization of L-dopa. Retention of a series of phenothiazines on melanin-based stationary phases was attributed to binding to melanin. Frontal affinity chromatography experiments on one melanin-based column allowed us to calculate the affinity and binding capacity of chlorpromazine and promethazine. A competition was observed between chlorpromazine and haloperidol which was qualitatively consistent with previously described results. Data indicated that the interaction was not a simple competition at one site.

Plasma concentrations of the enantiomers of halofantrine and its main metabolite in malaria patients.

The plasma concentrations of the enantiomers of halofantrine and its N-desbutyl metabolite in six patients with malaria were measured after oral administration of 3 x 750 mg doses of micronised, racemic halofantrine hydrochloride given at 6-hour intervals. Significant differences were observed between the plasma concentrations of the enantiomers both of halofantrine and its N-monodesbutyl metabolite. AUC(0)84h values were higher for (+)halofantrine (9917 micrograms.ml-1.h) than for (-)-halofantrine (6127 micrograms.ml-1.h). The clinical significance of these observations is not known. The isomers have equipotent activity in vitro but their relative toxicity has not yet been assessed.

Determination of the magnitude and enantioselectivity of ligand binding to rat and rabbit serum albumins using immobilized-protein high performance liquid chromatography stationary phases.

Rat, rabbit and human serum albumins were immobilized on an HPLC stationary phase, and the resulting phases were tested for their abilities to determine the extent and enantioselectivity of ligand binding to the respective albumins. A series of achiral and chiral compounds were chromatographed on the phases including benzodiazepinones, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, amino acids, warfarin and leucovorin. The chromatographic retentions of the benzodiazepinones and one series of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents were compared with protein binding data from ultrafiltration studies. The observed correlation factors (r) were consistently 0.999, indicating that the albumin phases can be used to determine the magnitude of binding to the respective proteins. The enantioselectivity was also investigated, and the results indicate that the stationary phases can be used to determine relative enantioselectivities and intraspecies differences in this stereoselectivity. For example, when R- and S-warfarin were studied, R-warfarin was retained to a greater extent than S-warfarin by the rabbit serum albumin-stationary phase, whereas the opposite enantioselectivity was found for the rat and human albumins. Binding interaction studies were also conducted on the rabbit and rat albumin stationary phases by sequentially adding increasing concentrations of octanoic acid to the chromatographic mobile phase. The octanoic acid reduced the retention of a series of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, and the results of the experiments suggest that the interaction takes place at two or more sites on the albumin molecule and by anti-cooperative allosteric interactions and competitive displacement. The results of this study demonstrate that the immobilized serum albumin columns can be used to quantitate and probe ligand binding interactions.