Evaluation of UV-C Decontamination of Clinical Tissue Sections for Spatially Resolved Analysis by Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MSI).

Clinical tissue specimens are often unscreened, and preparation of tissue sections for analysis by mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) can cause aerosolization of particles potentially carrying an infectious load. We here present a decontamination approach based on ultraviolet-C (UV-C) light to inactivate clinically relevant pathogens such as herpesviridae, papovaviridae human immunodeficiency virus, or SARS-CoV-2, which may be present in human tissue samples while preserving the biodistributions of analytes within the tissue. High doses of UV-C required for high-level disinfection were found to cause oxidation and photodegradation of endogenous species. Lower UV-C doses maintaining inactivation of clinically relevant pathogens to a level of increased operator safety were found to be less destructive to the tissue metabolome and xenobiotics. These doses caused less alterations of the tissue metabolome and allowed elucidation of the biodistribution of the endogenous metabolites. Additionally, we were able to determine the spatially integrated abundances of the ATR inhibitor ceralasertib from decontaminated human biopsies using desorption electrospray ionization-MSI (DESI-MSI).

Impact of short access nicotine self-administration on expression of α4ß2* nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in non-human primates.

RATIONALE: Although nicotine exposure upregulates the α4ß2* subtype of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), the upregulation of nAChRs in non-human primates voluntarily self-administering nicotine has never been demonstrated. OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study is to determine if short access to nicotine in a non-human primate model of nicotine self-administration is sufficient to induce nAChRs upregulation. METHODS: We combined a nicotine self-administration paradigm with in vivo measure of α4ß2* nAChRs using 2-[(18)F]fluoro-A-85380 (2-FA) and positron emission tomography (PET) in six squirrel monkeys. PET measurement was performed before and after intravenous nicotine self-administration (unit dose 10 µg/kg per injection). Monkeys were trained to self-administer nicotine under a fixed-ratio (FR) schedule of reinforcement. Intermittent access (1 h daily per weekday) to nicotine was allowed for 4 weeks and levels of α4ß2* nAChRs were measured 4 days later. RESULTS: This intermittent access was sufficient to induce upregulation of α4ß2* receptors in the whole brain (31 % upregulation) and in specific brain areas (+36 % in amygdala and +62 % in putamen). CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that intermittent nicotine exposure is sufficient to produce change in nAChRs expression.

Imaging MALDI MS of Dosed Brain Tissues Utilizing an Alternative Analyte Pre-extraction Approach.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) imaging mass spectrometry has been adopted in the pharmaceutical industry as a useful tool to detect xenobiotic distribution within tissues. A unique sample preparation approach for MALDI imaging has been described here for the extraction and detection of cobimetinib and clozapine, which were previously undetectable in mouse and rat brain using a single matrix application step. Employing a combination of a buffer wash and a cyclohexane pre-extraction step prior to standard matrix application, the xenobiotics were successfully extracted and detected with an 8 to 20-fold gain in sensitivity. This alternative approach for sample preparation could serve as an advantageous option when encountering difficult to detect analytes.

Two smart spectrophotometric methods for the simultaneous estimation of Simvastatin and Ezetimibe in combined dosage form.

Two simple, accurate, precise, sensitive and economic spectrophotometric methods were developed for the simultaneous determination of Simvastatin and Ezetimibe in fixed dose combination products without prior separation. The first method depends on a new chemometrics-assisted ratio spectra derivative method using moving window polynomial least square fitting method (Savitzky-Golay filters). The second method is based on a simple modification for the ratio subtraction method. The suggested methods were validated according to USP guidelines and can be applied for routine quality control testing.

Identification, isolation and characterization of process related impurities in ezetimibe.

During the synthesis of ezetimibe, two process related impurities were detected were HPLC analysis at levels ranging from 0.05 to 0.8%. These two impurities were isolated by column chromatography and co-injected with ezetimibe sample to confirm the retention times in HPLC. These two impurities were characterized as 2-(4-hydroxybenzyl)-N,5-bis(4-fluorophenyl) pentanamide (impurity-I) and 1-(4-fluorophenyl)-3(3-(4-fluorophenyl)propyl)-4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)azetidin-2-one (impurity-II). Isolation, structural elucidation of these impurities by spectral data ((1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, MS and IR) and probable mechanism of their formation have been discussed.

Simultaneous determination of some cholesterol-lowering drugs in their binary mixture by novel spectrophotometric methods.

Four simple, specific, accurate and precise spectrophotometric methods manipulating ratio spectra were developed and validated for simultaneous determination of simvastatin (SM) and ezetimibe (EZ) namely; extended ratio subtraction (EXRSM), simultaneous ratio subtraction (SRSM), ratio difference (RDSM) and absorption factor (AFM). The proposed spectrophotometric procedures do not require any preliminary separation step. The accuracy, precision and linearity ranges of the proposed methods were determined, and the methods were validated and the specificity was assessed by analyzing synthetic mixtures containing the cited drugs. The four methods were applied for the determination of the cited drugs in tablets and the obtained results were statistically compared with each other and with those of a reported HPLC method. The comparison showed that there is no significant difference between the proposed methods and the reported method regarding both accuracy and precision.

Development and validation of stability-indicating assay method by UPLC for a fixed dose combination of atorvastatin and ezetimibe.

A stability-indicating ultra-performance liquid chromatography method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of a fixed dose combination of atorvastatin and ezetimibe in bulk drugs. The developed method was successfully applied to the simultaneous quantitative analysis of the combination drugs in tablet. The chromatographic separation was performed on a Kromasil Eternity C18 UHPLC column (2.5 µm, 2.1 × 50 mm) using a gradient elution of acetonitrile and ammonium acetate buffer (pH 6.70; 0.01M) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min with column oven temperature of 40°C. Ultraviolet detection was performed at 245 nm. Total run time was 5 min, within which the primary compounds and their degradation products were separated. The method was validated for accuracy, repeatability, reproducibility and robustness. Linearity, limit of detection and limit of quantitation were established for atorvastatin and ezetimibe.

A new radioligand binding assay to measure the concentration of drugs in rodent brain ex vivo.

We have developed a new radioligand binding assay method to measure the concentration of nonradiolabeled drugs in the brain ex vivo. This new method fuses the concepts of standard competition and saturation binding assays and uses a transformed version of the Cheng-Prusoff equation (Biochem Pharmacol 22:3099-3108, 1973) to calculate the drug concentration. After testing the validity of this method, we demonstrated its utility by measuring the brain concentration of sazetidine-A, a newly developed nicotinic receptor ligand, and its elimination rate after a single subcutaneous administration. Our results indicate that sazetidine-A reaches brain concentrations that are known to occupy and desensitize the majority of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor binding sites. Furthermore, using this method, we estimated the half-life of sazetidine-A in the rat brain to be ∼65 min. It is important to note that the method described here to measure sazetidine-A in brain should be generalizable to other drugs acting at any receptor that can be reliably measured with a radiolabeled ligand.

Determination of the thrombin inhibitor AZD0837 and its metabolites in human bile using mixed mode solid phase extraction and LC-MS/MS.

A method for the determination of AZD0837 and its two metabolites AR-H069927 and AR-H067637 in human bile was developed and validated. All three analytes and their stable isotope-labeled internal standards were isolated from bile using solid phase extraction on a mixed mode reversed phase/anion exchange column. Elution was done at high ionic strength with 0.125 M ammoniumacetate in 50% methanol. The extraction recoveries were >75%. Due to the high concentration of AR-H067637 a portion of the extract was diluted before injection on to the LC column, while undiluted extract was directly injected for the analysis of AZD0837 and AR-H069927. Chromatographic separation of all three analytes was achieved in a single system utilizing a C18 column based on fused core particle technology at high flow rate. The two metabolites were eluted when a gradient from 30 to 57% methanol was applied while the more hydrophobic pro-drug, AZD0837, eluted during a steeper second gradient from 57 to 80% methanol with the ammonium acetate concentration and acetic acid concentration kept constant at 3.8 mmol/L and 0.1%, respectively. The total cycle time was 3.2 min. Detection was performed using positive electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The linearity range was 0.02-20 µmol/L for AZD0837 and AR-H069927, and 1-1000 µmol/L for AR-H067637. The repeatability and the overall precision were less than 15% (RSD) and the accuracy was within the interval 93-100%.

Enantioselective analysis of melagatran via an LSPR biosensor integrated with a microfluidic chip.

The impact of chiral compounds on pharmacological and biological processes is well known. With the increasing need for enantiomerically pure compounds, effective strategies for enantioseparation and chiral discrimination are in great demand. Herein we report a simple but efficient approach for the enantioselective determination of chiral compounds based on a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) biosensor integrated with a microfluidic chip. A glass microfluidic chip with an effective volume of ~0.75 µL was fabricated for this application. Gold nanorods (AuNRs) with an aspect ratio of ~2.6 were self-assembled onto the surface of the inner wall of the chip to serve as LSPR transducers, which would translate the analyte binding events into quantitative concentration information. Human α-thrombin was immobilized onto the AuNR surface for enantioselective sensing of the enantiomers of melagatran. The proposed sensor was found to be highly selective for RS-melagatran, while the binding of its enantiomer, SR-melagatran, to the sensor was inactive. Under optimal conditions, the limit of detection of this sensor for RS-melagatran was found to be 0.9 nM, whereas the presence of 10,000-fold amounts of SR-melagatran did not interfere with the detection. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of an LSPR-based enantioselective biosensor.

Micelle-enhanced spectrofluorimetric method for determination of cholesterol-reducing drug ezetimibe in dosage forms.

A simple and sensitive spectrofluorimetric method was developed for the determination of ezetimibe in its pharmaceutical formulations. The proposed method is based on investigation of the fluorescence spectral behavior of ezetimibe in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micellar system. In aqueous solution of acetate buffer pH 5.0, the fluorescence intensity of ezetimibe was greatly enhanced, 200% enhancement, in the presence of SDS. The fluorescence intensity of ezetimibe was measured at 380 nm after excitation at 268 nm. The fluorescence-concentration plot was rectilinear over the range of 0.03-3.0 µg/mL with lower detection limit of 3.08 × 10(-3) µg/mL. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of ezetimibe in its commercial tablets; the results were in good agreement with those obtained with the reported method. The application of the proposed method was extended to the stability studies of ezetimibe after exposure to different forced degradation conditions, such as acidic, alkaline, photo and oxidative conditions, according to ICH guidelines.

Prediction of theoretical physicochemical properties and one-pot synthesis of bis-azetidinones by [2+2] ketene--imine cycloaddition in the presence of montmorillonite.

A simple, highly efficient and environmentally friendly microwave accelerated one-pot synthesis of a series of differently substituted bis-azetidinones have been synthesized expeditiously in good yields from 1,2-diaminoethane and aromatic aldehydes in the presence of zeolite. The structures of the newly synthesized compounds were confirmed by IR, NMR, and mass spectra. The design and calculated molecular properties of all the reported compounds are on the basis of hypothetical antibacterial pharmacophores, which were formulated to interact with microorganisms. A correlation of structure and activity relationship of these compounds with respect to Lipinski rules and drug likeness properties of drugs are described and verified experimentally.

Enhanced spectrophotometric determination of two antihyperlipidemic mixtures containing ezetimibe in pharmaceutical preparations.

Two spectrophotometric methods are presented for the simultaneous determination of ezetimibe/simvastatin and ezetimibe/atorvastatin binary mixtures in combined pharmaceutical dosage forms without prior separation. The first is the derivative ratio method where the amplitudes of the first derivative of the ratio spectra ((1) DD) at 299.5 and 242.5 nm were found to be linear with ezetimibe and simvastatin concentrations in the ranges 0.5-20 µgml(-1) and 1-40 µgml(-1) , respectively, whereas the amplitudes of the first derivative of the ratio spectra ((1) DD) at 289.5 and 288 nm were selected to determine ezetimibe and atorvastatin in the concentration ranges 5-50 µgml(-1) and 1-40 µgml(-1) , respectively. The second is the H-point standard additions method; absorbances at the two pairs of wavelengths, 228 and 242 nm or 238 and 248 nm, were monitored while adding standard solutions of ezetimibe or simvastatin, respectively. For the analysis of ezetimibe/atorvastatin mixture, absorbance values at 226 and 248 nm or 212 and 272 nm were monitored while adding standard solutions of ezetimibe or atorvastatin, respectively. Moreover, differential spectrophotometry was applied for the determination of ezetimibe in the two mixtures without any interference from the co-existing drug. This was performed by measurement of the difference absorptivities (ΔA) of ezetimibe in 0.07 M 30% methanolic NaOH relative to that of an equimolar solution in 0.07 M 30% methanolic HCl at 246 nm. The described methods are simple, rapid, precise and accurate for the determination of these combinations in synthetic mixtures and dosage forms.

Determination of rosuvastatin and ezetimibe in a combined tablet dosage form using high-performance column liquid chromatography and high-performance thin-layer chromatography.

This paper describes validated HPLC and HPTLC methods for the simultaneous determination of rosuvastatin (ROS) and ezetimibe (EZE) in a combined tablet dosage form. The isocratic RP-HPLC analysis was performed on a Chromolith C18 column (100 x 6 mm id) using 0.1% (v/v) orthophosphoric acid solution (pH 3.5)-acetonitrile (63 + 37, v/v) mobile phase at a flow rate of 1 mL/min at ambient temperature. Quantification was carried out using a photodiode array UV detector at 245 nm over the concentration range of 0.5-10 microg/mL for ROS and EZE. The HPTLC separation was carried out on an aluminum-backed sheet of silica gel 60F(254) layers using n-butyl acetate-chloroform-glacial acetic acid (1 + 8 + 1, v/v/v) mobile phase. Quantification was achieved with UV densitometry at 245 nm over a concentration range of 0.1-0.9 micro/spot for ROS and EZE. The analytical methods were validated according to International Conference on Harmonization guidelines. Low RSD values indicated good precision. Both methods were successfully applied for the analysis of the drugs in laboratory-prepared mixtures and commercial tablets. No chromatographic interference from the tablet excipients was found. These methods are simple, precise, and sensitive, and are applicable for simultaneous determination of ROS and EZE in pure powder and tablets.

Development and validation of spectrophotometeric method for simultaneous determination of simvastatin and ezetimibe in tablet formulations.

A versatile, accurate, precise and economic method for simultaneous determination of simvastatin and ezetimibe in fixed dose combination products was developed. The absorbance values at 236 nm and 234 nm of over line spectrum was used for the estimation of simvastatin and ezetimibe, respectively without mutual interference. This method obeyed Beer's law in the concentration range of 4-16 µg/ml for simvastatin and 4-16 µg/ml for ezetimibe. The results of analyses have been validated statistically for linearity, accuracy and precision of the proposed method.

Simultaneous determination of ezetimibe and simvastatin in pharmaceutical preparations by MEKC.

A micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of ezetimibe and simvastatin in pharmaceutical preparations. The influence of buffer concentration, buffer pH, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) concentration, organic modifier, capillary temperature, applied voltage, and injection time was investigated, and the method validation studies were performed. The optimum separation for these analytes was achieved in less than 10 min at 30 degrees C with a fused-silica capillary column (56 cm x 50 microm i.d.) and a 25mM borate buffer at pH 9.0 containing 25mM SDS and 10% (v/v) acetonitrile. The samples were injected hydrodynamically for 3 s at 50 mbar, and the applied voltage was +30.0 kV. Detection wavelength was set at 238 nm. Diflunisal was used as internal standard. The method was suitably validated with respect to stability, specificity, linearity, limits of detection and quantification, accuracy, precision, and robustness. The limits of detection and quantification were 1.0 and 2.0 microg/mL for both ezetimibe and simvastatin, respectively. The method developed was successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of ezetimibe and simvastatin in pharmaceutical preparations.

Quantitative analysis of the cholesterol-lowering drugs ezetimibe and simvastatin in pure powder, binary mixtures, and a combined dosage form by spectrophotometry, chemometry, and high-performance column liquid chromatography.

Simple, accurate, sensitive, and precise UV spectrophotometric, chemometric, and HPLC methods were developed for simultaneous determination of a two-component drug mixture of ezetimibe (EZ) and simvastatin (SM) in laboratory-prepared mixtures and a combined tablet dosage form. Four spectrophotometric methods were developed, namely, ratio spectra derivative, ratio subtraction, isosbestic point, and mean centering of ratio spectra. The developed chemometric-assisted spectrophotometric method was the concentration residual augmented classical least-squares method; its prediction ability was assessed and compared to the conventional partial least-squares method. The developed HPLC method used an RP ZORBAX C18 column (5 microm particle size, 250 x 4.6 mm id) with isocratic elution. The mobile phase was acetonitrile-pH 3.5 phosphate buffer (40 + 60, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min, with UV detection at 230 nm. The accuracy, precision, and linearity ranges of the developed methods were determined. The developed methods were successfully applied for determination of EZ and SM in bulk powder, laboratory-prepared mixtures, and a combined dosage form. The results obtained were compared statistically with each other and to those of a reported HPLC method; there was no significant difference between the proposed methods and the reported method regarding both accuracy and precision.

Rapid and sensitive simultaneous determination of ezetimibe and simvastatin from their combination drug products by monolithic silica high-performance liquid chromatographic column.

A simple, precise and rapid high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of ezetimibe (EZE) and simvastatin (SIM) from their combination drug products. The applicability of monolithic LC phases in the field of quantitative analysis has been evaluated. The existing method with UV detection set at 240 nm was successfully transferred from a conventional silica column to a 10 cm x 4.6 mm i.d. monolithic silica column. By simply increasing the mobile phase flow rate, run time was about five-fold reduced and the consumption of mobile phase was about two-fold decreased, while the chromatographic resolution of the analytes remain unaffected. Ranitidine (RAN) was used as internal standard to guarantee a high level of quantitative performance. The method used a mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile-ammonium acetate (50 mM pH 5.0) (65:35, v/v). It was validated with respect to system suitability, specificity, limit of quantitation (LOQ) and detection (LOD), linearity, precision, accuracy, and recovery, respectively. The described method was linear over the range of 40-1200 ng ml(-1) (r=0.999) for both drugs. The LOD for EZE and SIM were 13.2+/-0.4029 and 13.3+/-0.4772 ng ml(-1), respectively. The LOQ were found to be 39.9+/-1.221 and 39.5+/-1.446 ng ml(-1) for EZE and SIM, respectively. The method is fast (less than 2.0 min) and is suitable for high-throughput analysis of the drug and ones can analyze 700 samples per working day, facilitating the processing of large-number batch samples.

Online capillary solid phase extraction and liquid chromatographic separation with quantitative tandem mass spectrometric detection (SPE-LC-MS/MS) of ximelagatran and its metabolites in a complex matrix.

This work presents the development and validation of a fully automated quantitative analysis method of melagatran, its prodrug ximelagatran, and its major metabolites for the study of drug behavior in biofluids. The method involves online sample clean-up and enrichment on a C(4) capillary column followed by separation on a capillary C(18) column. Electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric detection in positive ion mode was performed with multiple reactions monitoring of eight different transients, divided into two time segments with four transients each. The structural similarity, the complexity of the matrix (pig liver extract) and the formation of isobaric fragment ions, made efficient chromatographic separation necessary. The analysis method provides valid accuracy (<9%; RSD%), precision (<8%; RSD%), linearity (<1.2 nM-1 microM; R(2)>0.999), limit of quantitation (<3.6 nM), retention repeatability (<1.2%; RSD%), selectivity, as well as analyte and column stabilities over a wide concentration range.