Development of an HPLC Method with an ODS Column to Determine Low Levels of Aspartame Diastereomers in Aspartame.

α-L-Aspartyl-D-phenylalanine methyl ester (L, D-APM) and α-D-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester (D, L-APM) are diastereomers of aspartame (N-L-α-Aspartyl-L-phenylalanine-1-methyl ester, L, L-APM). The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives has set 0.04 wt% as the maximum permitted level of the sum of L, D-APM and D, L-APM in commercially available L, L-APM. In this study, we developed and validated a simple high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method using an ODS column to determine L, D-APM and D, L-APM in L, L-APM. The limits of detection and quantification, respectively, of L, D-APM and D, L-APM were found to be 0.0012 wt% and 0.004 wt%. This method gave excellent accuracy, repeatability, and reproducibility in a recovery test performed on five different days. Moreover, the method was successfully applied to the determination of these diastereomers in commercial L, L-APM samples. Thus, the developed method is a simple, useful, and practical tool for determining L, D-APM and D, L-APM levels in L, L-APM.

Contribution of organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP) 1B1 and OATP1B3 to hepatic uptake of nateglinide, and the prediction of drug-drug interactions via these transporters.

OBJECTIVES: We have investigated the contributions of organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP) 1B1 and OATP1B3 to the hepatic uptake of nateglinide, and the possibility of drug-drug interactions via these transporters. METHODS: Uptake studies using transporter-expressing HEK293 cells and cryopreserved human hepatocytes were performed to examine the contributions of each transporter. Inhibition studies using cryopreserved human hepatocytes were performed to examine the possibility of drug-drug interactions. KEY FINDINGS: The rate of saturable hepatic uptake of nateglinide using human hepatocytes was 47.6%. A certain increase in uptake was observed in the examination using transporter-expressing HEK293 cells, indicating contributions of OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 to hepatic nateglinide uptake. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of nateglinide using cryopreserved human hepatocytes for uptake of estrone 3-sulfate (substrate of OATP1B1), and cholecystokinin octapeptide (substrate of OATP1B3) were 168 and 17.4 µmol/l, respectively. Moreover, ciclosporin inhibited saturable hepatic uptake of nateglinide with an IC50 value of 6.05 µmol/l. The calculated 1 + I(in,max,u) /IC50 values for inhibition of OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 by nateglinide, and the inhibition of saturable uptake of nateglinide by ciclosporin, were all close to 1, indicating a low clinical risk of drug-drug interaction with nateglinide taken up via OATP1B1 and OATP1B3. CONCLUSIONS: OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 may have contributed to the hepatic uptake of nateglinide, but the possibility of drug-drug interactions appeared to be low.

Inhibition of human liver microsomal CYP by nateglinide.

OBJECTIVES: Nateglinide is metabolized by CYP2C9 and CYP3A4, therefore drug-drug interactions through cytochrome P450 (CYP) inhibition may occur. In this study, we examined the inhibitory effects of nateglinide and its major metabolite N-[trans-4-(1-hydroxy-1-methylethyl)-cyclohexanecarbonyl]-D-phenylalanine (M1) on various CYP isoforms in human liver microsomes. METHODS: We used typical substrates (7-ethoxyresorufin for CYP1A1/2, tolbutamide for CYP2C9, S-mephenytoin for CYP2C19, bufuralol for CYP2D6, chlorzoxazone for CYP2E1 and midazolam for CYP3A4) in the evaluation of the inhibitory effects, and examined the possibility of mechanism-based inhibition (MBI) by evaluating the influence of pre-incubation in the inhibition. KEY FINDINGS: The results showed that nateglinide inhibited CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 with an IC50(app) (apparent value of the 50% inhibitory concentration) of 125 micromol/l and 946 micromol/l, respectively, while M1 did not inhibit any of the CYP isoforms. The inhibition constant (K(i)) value of the inhibitory effect of nateglinide on CYP2C9 and the 1 + I(in,max,u)/K(i) value were estimated (where I(in,max,u)= the maximum unbound concentration of nateglinide). The 1 + I(in,max,u)/K(i) value was 1.02 (close to 1), suggesting a low risk of drug-drug interactions. The influence of pre-incubation on the inhibition by nateglinide of CYP3A4, CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 was examined. The results revealed that the inhibition of CYP by nateglinide was not influenced by pre-incubation, and that the possibility of MBI is very low. CONCLUSIONS: The possibility of drug-drug interactions involving nateglinide that might be attributable to CYP inhibition is low.