NMR spectroscopy as a characterization tool enabling biologics formulation development.

This review highlights recent advancements in using high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy as a characterization tool to expedite biologics formulation development, meeting a current need in the biopharmaceutical industry. Conformational changes of protein therapeutics during formulation development can result in various protein-protein and protein-excipient interactions, which can lead to physical aggregation and/or chemical degradation. Innovative analytical techniques that allow studying protein integrity with high specificity during formulation development are urgently needed in order to assess protein formulation stability and mitigate product quality risks.

Simultaneous quantitation of trace level hydrazine and acetohydrazide in pharmaceuticals by benzaldehyde derivatization with sample 'matrix matching' followed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Hydrazine and acetohydrazide are potential genotoxins and therefore need to be controlled in APIs and drug products to ppm levels for patient safety in cases where there is a reasonable probability of either of them being present. They are structurally related and could both be formed in the same chemical process under certain circumstances. However, no previous studies have reported simultaneous trace level quantification of these two compounds.

Flow-injection MS/MS for gas-phase chiral recognition and enantiomeric quantitation of a novel boron-containing antibiotic (GSK2251052A) by the mass spectrometric kinetic method.

The present work demonstrates, for the first time, the application of the mass spectrometric kinetic method for quantitative chiral purity determination by automatic flow-injection MS/MS. The particular compound analyzed is GSK2251052A, a novel boron-containing systemic antibiotic for the treatment of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections. Chiral recognition and quantitation of GSK2251052A was achieved based on the competitive dissociation kinetics of the Cu(II)-bound trimeric complex [Cu(II)(A)(ref*)2-H](+) (A = GSK2251052A or its R-enantiomer, ref* = L-tryptophan) that gives rise to Cu(II)-bound dimeric complexes.

Gas-phase derivatization via the Meerwein reaction for selective and sensitive LC-MS analysis of epoxides in active pharmaceutical ingredients.

A gas-phase derivatization strategy is reported by using the gas-phase Meerwein reaction for rapid and direct LC-MS analysis of epoxides, which are potential genotoxic impurities (GTIs) in active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). This class-selective ion/molecule reaction occurs between epoxides and the ethylnitrilium ion (CH(3)-C≡NH↔CH(3)-C=NH) that is generated by atmospheric pressure ionizations (when acetonitrile is used as the mobile phase). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level show that the gas-phase Meerwein reaction is thermodynamically favorable.

Eliminating pharmaceutical impurities: Recent advances in detection techniques.

The elimination of organic impurities to produce highly pure drug substances is an important goal of process chemistry. For the detection of general impurities, hyphenated techniques (eg, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry [LC-MS]) play a critical role in rapid structural identification (qualitative detection) and in understanding the mechanisms of formation of the impurities, enabling informed decisions to control and eliminate the impurities resulting from the chemical process where possible. Concern regarding genotoxic impurities (GTIs), which must typically be controlled at low parts-per-million limits, continues to increase, and significant advances have been achieved in recent years for the selective and sensitive quantitation (quantitative detection) of such impurities.

LC-MS/MS and density functional theory study of copper(II) and nickel(II) chelating complexes of elesclomol (a novel anticancer agent).

Elesclomol (N-malonyl-bis(N'-methyl-N'-thiobenzoylhydrazide)), which is a novel anticancer agent, can form chelating complexes with Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II) in the gas phase during electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry. In the solution phase with acidic medium during chromatographic separation, however, only Cu(II) and Ni(II) to a lesser degree favor the formation of chelating complexes with elesclomol. The Cu(II)-chelating complex [Cu(II)+elesclomol-H]+· exhibits more complicated MS/MS fragmentation pathways than the Ni(II)-chelating complex [Ni(II)+elesclomol-H]+.

Gas-phase meerwein reaction of epoxides with protonated acetonitrile generated by atmospheric pressure ionizations.

Ethylnitrilium ion can be generated by protonation of acetonitrile (when used as the LC-MS mobile phase) under the conditions of atmospheric pressure ionizations, including electrospray ionization (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) as well as atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI). Ethylnitrilium ion (CH(3)-C≡N+H and its canonical form CH(3)-C+=NH) is shown to efficiently undergo the gas-phase Meerwein reaction with epoxides. This reaction proceeds by the initial formation of an oxonium ion followed by three-to-five-membered ring expansion via an intramolecular nucleophilic attack to yield the Meerwein reaction products.

Analytical control of process impurities in Pazopanib hydrochloride by impurity fate mapping.

Understanding the origin and fate of organic impurities within the manufacturing process along with a good control strategy is an integral part of the quality control of drug substance. Following the underlying principles of quality by design (QbD), a systematic approach to analytical control of process impurities by impurity fate mapping (IFM) has been developed and applied to the investigation and control of impurities in the manufacturing process of Pazopanib hydrochloride, an anticancer drug approved recently by the U.S.

Matrix deactivation: A general approach to improve stability of unstable and reactive pharmaceutical genotoxic impurities for trace analysis.

Trace analysis of unstable and reactive pharmaceutical genotoxic impurities (GTIs) is a challenging task in pharmaceutical analysis. Many method issues such as insufficient sensitivity, poor precision, and unusual (too high/low) spiking recovery are often directly related to analytes' instability. We report herein a matrix deactivation approach that chemically stabilizes these analytes for analytical method development.

Recent advances in trace analysis of pharmaceutical genotoxic impurities.

Genotoxic impurities (GTIs) in pharmaceuticals at trace levels are of increasing concerns to both pharmaceutical industries and regulatory agencies due to their potentials for human carcinogenesis. Determination of these impurities at ppm levels requires highly sensitive analytical methodologies, which poses tremendous challenges on analytical communities in pharmaceutical R&D. Practical guidance with respect to the analytical determination of diverse classes of GTIs is currently lacking in the literature.

Enhancing the detection sensitivity of trace analysis of pharmaceutical genotoxic impurities by chemical derivatization and coordination ion spray-mass spectrometry.

Many pharmaceutical genotoxic impurities are neutral molecules. Trace level analysis of these neutral analytes is hampered by their poor ionization efficiency in mass spectrometry (MS). Two analytical approaches including chemical derivatization and coordination ion spray-MS were developed to enhance neutral analyte detection sensitivity.

Gas-phase Smiles rearrangement in structural analysis of a pseudo-oxidative impurity generated in the pharmaceutical synthesis of S-(thiobenzoyl)thioglycolic acid.

Several mass spectrometry (MS) techniques including accurate MS and MS/MS, as well as hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange, were utilized to characterize a pseudo-oxidative reaction by-product (impurity I) in the pharmaceutical synthesis of S-(thiobenzoyl)thioglycolic acid. The negative ion MS/MS data provided complementary structural information to the positive ion MS/MS data. An understanding of the gas-phase Smiles rearrangement upon collision-induced dissociation (CID) in the negative ion MS/MS mode played an important role in structural elucidation of impurity I.

Dimerization of ionized 4-(methyl mercapto)-phenol during ESI, APCI and APPI mass spectrometry.

A novel ion/molecule reaction was observed to occur under electrospray ionization (ESI), atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), and atmospheric pressure photo ionization (APPI) conditions, leading to dimerization of ionized 4-(methyl mercapto)-phenol followed by fast H(*) loss. The reaction is particularly favored during ESI, which suggests that this ion/molecule reaction can occur both in the solution inside the ESI-charged droplets and in the gas-phase environment of most other atmospheric pressure ionization techniques. The dimerization reaction is inherent to the electrolytic process during ESI, whereas it is more by ion/molecule chemistry in nature during APCI and APPI.

Analytical control of genotoxic impurities in the pazopanib hydrochloride manufacturing process.

Pharmaceutical regulatory agencies are increasingly concerned with trace-level genotoxic impurities in drug substances, requiring manufacturers to deliver innovative approaches for their analysis and control. The need to control most genotoxic impurities in the low ppm level relative to the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), combined with the often reactive and labile nature of genotoxic impurities, poses significant analytical challenges. Therefore, sophisticated analytical methodologies are often developed to test and control genotoxic impurities in drug substances.

A generic approach for the determination of trace hydrazine in drug substances using in situ derivatization-headspace GC-MS.

In situ derivatization-headspace GC-MS methodology has been developed for the determination of hydrazine in drug substance at low ppm levels. This general method uses acetone or acetone-d(6) as the derivatization reagent. The resulting acetone azine or acetone azine-d(12) can then be analyzed by headspace GC-MS.

A practical derivatization LC/MS approach for determination of trace level alkyl sulfonates and dialkyl sulfates genotoxic impurities in drug substances.

Derivatization LC/MS methodology has been developed for the determination of a group of commonly encountered alkyl esters of sulfonates or sulfates in drug substances at low ppm levels. This general method uses trimethylamine as the derivatizing reagent for ethyl/propyl/isopropyl esters and triethylamine for methyl esters. The resulting quaternary ammonium derivatization products are highly polar (ionic) and can be retained by a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) column and readily separated from the main interfering active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) peak that is usually present at very high concentration.

A novel GC-MS method for rapid determination of headspace oxygen in vials of pharmaceutical formulations.

A novel GC-MS method which requires small injection volumes was developed for fast and selective determination of headspace oxygen in pharmaceutical packages. This method does not require a specific GC column for separation of oxygen from other permanent gases such as nitrogen; instead it offers the advantage of using co-eluting nitrogen as the internal standard for quantifying oxygen in the headspace under electron ionization (EI, 70 eV) conditions. The relative ionization efficiency of oxygen to nitrogen, termed as ionization efficiency correction factor (IECF), can be measured using a control sample with known composition of oxygen and nitrogen such as the standard dry air used in this study.

Tandem mass spectrometry and hydrogen/deuterium exchange studies of protonated species of 1,1'-bis(diphenylphosphino)-ferrocene oxidative impurity generated during a Heck reaction.

Oxidation of 1,1'-bis(diphenylphosphino)-ferrocene (DPPF) was found to occur when it served as the ligand for Pd(II)(CH3COO)2 in a Heck reaction. This oxidative impurity of DPPF, referred to as DPPF(O), was identified by high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS/MS) and exact mass measurements. Protonated DPPF(O) exhibited unique fragmentation pathways in the gas phase.

Fragmentation of aromatic sulfonamides in electrospray ionization mass spectrometry: elimination of SO(2) via rearrangement.

Arylsulfonamides are attractive pharmacophores for drug candidates. Fragmentation behaviors of selected aromatic sulfonamides were investigated using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry in the positive ion mode. Some of the sulfonamides afforded unique loss of 64 (loss of SO(2)) ions upon collision-induced dissociation followed by intramolecular rearrangements in the gas phase.

On-line H/D exchange LC-MS strategy for structural elucidation of pharmaceutical impurities.

Structural elucidation of pharmaceutical impurities in drug substances and drug products is an important task in pharmaceutical analysis in various phases of drug development. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technologies play a key role in this task owing to their general attributes of superior selectivity, sensitivity and speed. Full scan and product ion scan analysis, providing molecular weight information and fragmentation data, respectively, offer rich structural information and allow proposal of candidate structures rather quickly.

Disposition of the dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor sitagliptin in rats and dogs.

The pharmacokinetics, metabolism, and excretion of sitagliptin [MK-0431; (2R)-4-oxo-4-[3-(trifluoromethyl)-5,6-dihydro[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyrazin-7(8H)-yl]-1-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)butan-2-amine], a potent dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor, were evaluated in male Sprague-Dawley rats and beagle dogs. The plasma clearance and volume of distribution of sitagliptin were higher in rats (40-48 ml/min/kg, 7-9 l/kg) than in dogs ( approximately 9 ml/min/kg, approximately 3 l/kg), and its half-life was shorter in rats, approximately 2 h compared with approximately 4 h in dogs. Sitagliptin was absorbed rapidly after oral administration of a solution of the phosphate salt.

Characterization of two cyclic metabolites of sitagliptin.

Two novel metabolites of the dipeptidyl peptidase inhibitor sitagliptin (MK-0431, (2R)-4-oxo-4-[3-(trifluoromethyl)-5,6-dihydro[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyrazin-7(8H)-yl]-1-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)-butan-2-amine), were identified after purification from dog urine. The metabolites (referred to as M2 and M5) were characterized by hydrogen/deuterium exchange tandem mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy nuclear Overhauser effect experiments as the cis and trans stereoisomers formed by cyclization of the primary amino group with the alpha carbon of the piperazine ring, following oxidative desaturation.

Unimolecular dissociation of protonated trans-1,4-diphenyl-2-butene-1,4-dione in the gas phase: rearrangement versus simple cleavage.

Fragmentation mechanisms of trans-1,4-diphenyl-2-butene-1,4-dione were studied using a variety of mass spectrometric techniques. The major fragmentation pathways occur by various rearrangements by loss of H(2)O, CO, H(2)O and CO, and CO(2). The other fragmentation pathways via simple alpha cleavages were also observed but accounted for the minor dissociation channels in both a two-dimensional (2-D) linear ion trap and a quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) mass spectrometer.

Strategies for characterization of drug metabolites using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in conjunction with chemical derivatization and on-line H/D exchange approaches.

Strategies using high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in conjunction with techniques such as chemical derivatization and on-line hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange for structural elucidation of drug metabolites in crude samples are reviewed. Useful mass spectrometric scan techniques discussed include product ion scan, constant neutral-loss scan, precursor ion scan, multistage MS(n), and accurate mass measurements. In biological systems, xenobiotics are transformed into metabolites, which usually involves introduction of one or more polar functional groups or removal or blockage of such structural moieties.