An analytical method for cyclosporine using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

A liquid chromatographic mass spectrometric (LC‐MS) assay has been developed for cyclosporine A (CyA) in rat plasma using amiodarone as internal standard (IS). Rat plasma (100 µL) containing drug and IS were extracted using liquid–liquid extraction with 4 mL of 95:5 ether:methanol. After evaporation of the organic layer the residue was reconstituted with 500 µL of water. Then the aqueous layer was transferred to LC‐MS sample vials. A 10 µL volume was injected. The analysis was performed on a C₈ column 3.5 µm (2.1 × 50 mm) heated to 60°C with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile:methanol:0.2% NH₄OH (60:20:20) at an isocratic flow‐rate of 0.2 mL/min. The ions used for quantitation of CyA and IS were m/z 1202.8 and 645.9, with retention times of 3.35 and 4.72 min, respectively. Linear relationships (r² > 0.99) were achieved between plasma or blood concentration and peak height ratios (drug:IS) over the concentration range 50–5000 ng/mL. The CV% and mean error were <19%. Based on validation data, the lower limit of quantification for the assay was 50 ng/mL. The reported assay method displayed high measures of linearity, sensitivity, reliability and precision, allowing its applicability in pharmacokinetic studies in rat. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

SE‐30 Graphite Composite Electrode: An Alternative for the Development of Electrochemical Biosensors

A new graphite composite electrode was constructed by mixing graphite powder with chromatography stationary phase, SE‐30, as the binder. The electrochemical behavior of the new electrode has been evaluated and compared with that of traditional carbon paste electrode (CPE). The proposed electrode provides a remarkable increase in the rate of electron transfer of biomolecules such as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), cysteine, ascorbic acid and catechol and shows a low surface fouling effects. The electrode shows highly promising results when used as an amperometic sensor for biocompounds such as NADH.     

Methylated Azopyridine as a New Electron Transfer Mediator for the Electrocatalytic Oxidation of NADH

Carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE) has been modified with a new synthesized mediator i.e. N,N′‐dimethyl‐4,4′‐azopyridinium hexafluorophosphate (MAZPHP) via sol process and the electron transfer mediating characteristics of this mediator has been evaluated. 4,4′‐Azopyridine (AZP) did not show any electrocatalytic activity toward the selected probe, NADH, while its synthesized methylated derivative, MAZPHP, is a very efficient mediator for the electrocatalytic NADH oxidation. Cyclic voltammetry of MAZPHP/Sol/CILE exhibited a pair of reversible peaks corresponding to incorporated mediator with a formal potential of about 221 mV vs. Ag/AgCl. MAZPHP/Sol/CILE is free from fouling effects by the oxidation products of NADH which generally give hindrance to amperometric detection of NADH. Using amperometric technique, NADH can be determined in the range of 1.0×10^?5 M to 1.4×10^?3 M with a detection limit of 2.0×10^?6 M.     

Yttrium(III) Nitrate: A Powerful Catalyst for Green and Rapid Synthesis of Some Supramolecules

A convenient and rapid procedure for the synthesis of calix[4]resorcinarenes as useful supramolecules has been developed via a reaction of aryl aldehydes with resorcinol in the presence of yttrium(III) nitrate under solvent‐free conditions. This eco‐friendly method has many appealing attributes such as excellent yields, short reactions times, and simple work‐up procedures.     

Three-component synthesis of new unsymmetrical oxindoles via Friedel-Crafts type reaction

The synthesis of 2-(3-(4-(dimethylamino)phenyl)-2-oxoindolin-3-yl)-1H-indene-1,3(2H)-diones as new unsymmetrical oxindoles via a Friedel-Crafts type three-component reaction of 1,3-indandion, N,N-dimethylaniline and isatins in ethanol in the presence of LiClO₄ is reported.     

Cross-Linking Nitroxide-Mediated Radical Copolymerization from a Bayesian Experimental Design Angle

Summary: In an attempt to collect “meaningful” experimental data in cross-linking nitroxide-mediated radical copolymerization of stryene and divinyl benzene, a Bayesian design approach was used to derive optimal experimental sequences to be carried out in the laboratory. Since a considerable amount of prior knowledge about this polymerization system was already available from previous experimental and modeling efforts, application of the Bayesian design of experiments seemed like a perfect approach. In addition, the implementation of the Bayesian approach would, in principle, result in running fewer experiments, hence saving considerable time and resources.     

Fabrication,characterization, and drug release study of vitamin C–loaded alginate/polyethylene oxide nanofibers for the treatment of a skin disorder

Pigmented purpuric dermatosis (PPD) is a skin disorder mainly seen in the lower limbs. The nanofibrous web has been shown to be an appropriate alternative for the treatment of skin diseases as a drug delivery vehicle. In this study, sodium alginate (SA)/polyethylene oxide (PEO) nanofibers containing vitamin C (VC) were fabricated using both blended electrospinning and core/shell electrospinning. The resultant nanofibers were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Enhancing the VC content resulted in increasing the nanofibers diameter. Also, the degradation rate and drug release were investigated. Drug release was evaluated using the in vitro dissolution and permeation method. The degradation rate and the drug release of the core/shell nanofibers were found to be lower than those of the blended nanofibers. The drug release of the extended nanofibers followed a different pattern, indicating that the extension of the nanofibers could be a promising way to control the drug release.     

Applications of Dainshefsky's Dienes in the Asymmetric synthesis of Aza‐Diels‐Alder Reaction

Asymmetric hetero‐Diels‐Alder (AHDA) reactions provide a multitude of opportunities for the highly efficient, regio‐ and stereoselective construction of various heterocycles in enantiomerically pure form. The asymmetric aza‐Diels‐Alder (A‐aza‐DA) reaction using diversely hetero‐dienophiles and hetero‐dienes have been increasingly developed as a valuable method for the synthesis of functionalized nitrogen ring systems. The purpose of this review is to give a detailed discussion of the A‐aza‐DA reaction particularly, the stereoselective reactions of imines as dienophiles with Dainshefsky dienes to obtain optically pure aza‐Diels‐Alder products. The development of stereoselective variants of the reaction make use of imines as the dienophile and Dainshefsky dienes is at the forefront of these studies. This review updates the A‐aza‐DA reactions covering the literature from 1972 till date     

Development and Validation of Salt Gradient CEX Chromatography Method for Charge Variants Separation and Quantitative Analysis of the IgG mAb-Cetuximab

Ion exchange chromatography is widely used for charge variant analysis of proteins, including monoclonal antibodies. In this study, a simple and robust salt gradient cation exchange chromatography was developed and validated for quantitative determination of cetuximab in biopharmaceutical formulations. For this purpose, we investigated the effect of various parameters including buffer composition, column temperature, pH, gradient volume and flow rate on chromatographic separation of charge variants to achieve the acceptable peak separation, and the optimum condition was selected. Validation of the method was done in accordance with the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. The developed method was found to provide a linear regression over the concentration range of 0.06–2.00 mg mL^?1 yielding a correlation coefficient of 0.9972. The limits of detection and quantification for the developed method were 0.02 and 0.06 mg mL^?1, respectively. The intra-day and inter-day precision had relative standard deviation values?≤?2.7%. The robustness of the method was assessed by changes in the applied pH range of buffer, temperature, mobile phase composition, and flow rate. Specificity of the method was confirmed by evaluation of baseline resolution of the mAb variants from product excipients, which showed no interference between excipients and cetuximab. The stability indicating capability of this method was determined using photodegraded, and mechanically and thermally stressed samples. The proposed method could be applied as a simple, precise, and robust quantitative technique which can be reproduced in any labs for the high-throughput quality control and stability assessment of in-process and final product samples.