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Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the most chronic liver condition in the western population and is fueled by the obesity and type 2 diabetes epidemic. Pegbelfermin (1), a PEGylated human fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) analogue, has previously been shown to improve markers of metabolism and liver fibrosis in obese patients with type 2 diabetes. Radiolabeled Pegbelfermin was needed to access the accumulation of intact drug and metabolized PEG. In an effort to accomplish both goals with one labeled synthesis, the isotopic label was positioned in the PEG. A total of 21 mCi of tritium labeled Pegbelfermin was synthesized having a specific activity of 21.6 Ci/mmol for use in animal studies.

Daclatasvir is a novel hepatitis C virus NS5A inhibitor developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb and marketed as Daklinza®. The need to support the development of daclatasvir required the synthesis of carbon-14 labeled material for use in human absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion studies. A total of 7.53 mCi of [(14) C]-daclatasvir was synthesized in eight steps from commercially available [(14) C]-copper cyanide. The radiochemical purity was 99.6%, and specific activity was 3.86 μCi/mg. To support a human absolute bioavailability study, 5.56 g of [(13) C2 , (15) N4 ]-daclatasvir was synthesized in four steps.

Dual or triple combination regimens of novel hepatitis C direct-acting antivirals (DAA, daclatasvir, asunaprevir, or beclabuvir) provide high sustained virological response rates and reduced frequency of resistance compared to clinical monotherapy. To support pharmacokinetic (PK) assessments in clinical studies, a multiplexed liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the simultaneous quantitation of daclatasvir, asunaprevir, beclabuvir (BMS-791325) and its active metabolite (BMS-794712) in human plasma was developed and validated. Human plasma samples were extracted with methyl-t-butyl ether followed by an LC-MS/MS analysis, which was conducted in a multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The lower limits of quantitation (LLOQ) were 1 ng/mL for daclatasvir, asunaprevir, and BMS-794712, and 2 ng/mL for beclabuvir. Intra-run precision (≤4.5% CV), inter-run precision (≤2.9% CV), and accuracy (±5.3% deviation) based on different concentration levels (low, geometric mean, mid and high) of the quality control samples (QCs) provided evidence of the methods accuracy and precision. Selectivity and matrix effect on LC-MS/MS detection, stability in plasma, and potential interference of coadministered drugs (ribavirin and interferon) were all evaluated and the results were acceptable. Method reproducibility was demonstrated by the reanalysis of a portion of study samples. The cross-validation results for QCs demonstrated the equivalency between this method and two single-analyte methods which were previously validated for quantitation of daclatasvir in human plasma. This approach of using a multiplexed LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous quantitation of three DAAs is time- and cost-effective, and can maintain good data quality in sample analysis.

Stable isotope-labeled [(13) C4 ]entecavir (1) was prepared in 11 steps. Commercially available [(13) C]guanidine hydrochloride and diethyl[1,2,3-(13) C3 ]malonate were condensed to yield 2-amino[2,4,5,6-(13) C4 ]pyrimidine-4,6-diol (8). This was converted to the desired purine (7) in five steps. Introduction of the chiral epoxide was followed by subsequent deprotection to give [(13) C4 ]entecavir (1), in an overall yield of 5.7% from labeled precursors. The chemical purity of the title compound was determined to be >99% by HPLC. The isotopic distribution was determined by mass spectrometry to be 282[M + 4], 98.4%; 281[M + 3], 1.6%; and 278[M + 0]

Tipranavir or Aptivus® is a non-peptidic protease inhibitor approved for the combination treatment with ritonavir of HIV infection. Tipranavir labeled with radioactive and stable isotopes of carbon was required for drug metabolism (excretion, distribution, and absorption) studies and to develop bioanalytical methods needed for the support of clinical studies. [7-14C]-Benzoic acid and uniformly labeled benzoic acid (ring-13C6 99 at% 13C) were used to prepare [14C]- and [13C6]-labeled tipranavir, respectively. Radioactively labeled tipranavir was prepared with a specific activity of 54 mCi/mmol (2GBq/mmol); it was necessary to dilute its specific activity with unlabeled tipranavir to 28 mCi/mmol (46.45 µCi/mg) because of its instability. The N-hydroxyl metabolite (12) and the glucuronide conjugate (13), the most abundant metabolites of tipranavir (when administered in conjunction with ritonavir) were also synthesized. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Daclatasvir is a first-in-class, potent, and selective inhibitor of the hepatitis C virus nonstructural protein 5A replication complex. In support of nonclinical studies during discovery and exploratory development, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance were used in connection with synthetic and radiosynthetic approaches to investigate the biotransformation of daclatasvir in vitro and in cynomolgus monkeys, dogs, mice, and rats. The results of these studies indicated that disposition of daclatasvir was accomplished mainly by the release of unchanged daclatasvir into bile and feces and, secondarily, by oxidative metabolism. Cytochrome P450s were the main enzymes involved in the metabolism of daclatasvir. Oxidative pathways included δ-oxidation of the pyrrolidine moiety, resulting in ring opening to an aminoaldehyde intermediate followed by an intramolecular reaction between the aldehyde and the proximal imidazole nitrogen atom. Despite robust formation of the resulting metabolite in multiple systems, rates of covalent binding to protein associated with metabolism of daclatasvir were modest (55.2-67.8 pmol/mg/h) in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (reduced form)-supplemented liver microsomes (human, monkey, rat), suggesting that intramolecular rearrangement was favored over intermolecular binding in the formation of this metabolite. This biotransformation profile supported the continued development of daclatasvir, which is now marketed for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

Lysophosphatidic acids (LPAs) are biologically active signaling molecules involved in the regulation of many cellular processes and have been implicated as potential mediators of fibroblast recruitment to the pulmonary airspace, pointing to possible involvement of LPA in the pathology of pulmonary fibrosis. LPAs have been measured in various biological matrices and many challenges involved with their analyses have been documented. However, little published information is available describing LPA levels in human bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). We therefore conducted detailed investigations into the effects of extensive sample handling and sample preparation conditions on LPA levels in human BALF. Further, targeted lipid profiling of human BALF and plasma identified the most abundant lysophospholipids likely to interfere with LPA measurements. We present the findings from these investigations, highlighting the importance of well-controlled sample handling for the accurate quantitation of LPA. Further, we show that chromatographic separation of individual LPA species from their corresponding lysophospholipid species is critical to avoid reporting artificially elevated levels. The optimized sample preparation and LC/MS/MS method was qualified using a stable isotope-labeled LPA as a surrogate calibrant and used to determine LPA levels in human BALF and plasma from a Phase 0 clinical study comparing idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients to healthy controls.

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes are responsible for much of the phase I oxidative metabolism observed in vivo. Many important pharmaceutical compounds are metabolized by CYP. Co-administration of a drug with another agent can alter the efficacy or the toxicity, especially in cases where drug clearance depends primarily on the CYP metabolism. Compounds that induce or inhibit the CYP activity are often used in drug–drug interaction studies. Midazolam is one such compound that is routinely used in drug–drug interaction studies because it is a known substrate for CYP3A enzymes. The synthesis of this important tool molecule has been documented, but unfortunately a detailed preparation of carbon-14-labelled midazolam has not been reported in the literature. This paper describes a two-step synthesis leading to [14C]midazolam. A total of 4.5 mCi of [14C]midazolam was obtained having a specific activity of 120.1 µCi/mg (39.12 mCi/mmol). The radiochemical purity as determined by HPLC was 99.8% and the overall radiochemical yield was 9%. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The title compound is a potent and selective 5-HT 1A receptor agonist with clinical potentials for treating anxiety and depression. It has been labeled with stable and radioactive isotopes to support ADME studies in animals and human subjects. Its carboxamide group was labeled with C-14, C-13, or C-13, N-15, and O-18. To provide a radioligand for investigating the receptor binding characteristics of the compound, we also labeled it with tritium in the N-propyl group to obtain the high specific activity of 86.7 Ci/mmol.

(R)-5-(Methylamino)-5,6-dihydro-4H-imidazo[4,5,1-ij]quinolin-2(1H)-one (1) is a dopamine agonist which shows selectivity for the D2 receptor subtype, and is of interest as a potential drug for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. An asymmetric epoxidation approach has been used to prepare 1 in eleven steps (15% overall yield) from 8-nitroquinoline. An advanced intermediate in this synthesis, tert-butyl (R)-methyl(8-amino-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-3-quinolinyl)carbamate (10), has been reacted with [ 14 C]phosgene to provide a two-step synthesis of 1 labeled with carbon-14 at the C-2 position (236 μCi/mg). Bromination of 1 gave the dibromo analogue 12b which was reduced in the presence of tritium gas to give 1 labeled with tritium at the C-6 and C-7 positions (28.5 Ci/mmol). In addition to providing syntheses for labeled forms of the drug which are useful in drug disposition and receptor binding studies, this approach also provides a convenient synthesis for the unlabeled form of drug

Several α,β-unsaturated ketoximes R1CH=CHC(=NOH)R2 were nitrosated using butyl nitrite in aqueous ethanol in the presence of copper(II) sulfate and pyridine. The product distribution varied depending on whether the oxime hydroxyl group was syn or anti with respect to the carboncarbon double bond. The anti-oximes gave the copper complexes of 1-hydroxypyrazole 2-oxides in high yields. The isomeric syn-oximes gave lower yields of the pyrazole complexes along with 4-oximino-4,5-dihydroisoxazole derivatives. For the syn-oximes where R1 is phenyl and R2 is either methyl or ethyl, conversion of the oximes to the parent ketones was also observed. The results may be explained by processes involving N-nitrosonitrone intermediates.

Nitrosation of the oximes of 3-bromo-3-penten-2-one, 3-bromo-4-phenyl- 3-buten-2-one, and 2-bromo-1,3-diphenyl-2-propen-1-one using sodium ni- trite in acetic acid gave low yields of 4-pyrazolone 1,2-dioxides. Nit- rosation using butyl nitrite in the presence of copper(II) sulfate and pyridine in aqueous ethanol produced insoluble copper complexes from which 3,5-dimethyl-, 3-methyl-5-phenyl-, and 3,5-diphenyl-4-bromo-1-hy- droxypyrazole 2-oxides could be liberated by treatment with dilute po- tassium hydroxide, filtration, and acidification of the filtrate. High yields were obtained with the first two oximes, but, presumably due to unfavorable stereochemistry of the oxime, the diphenyl derivative gave a lower yield of the complex, accompanied by 4-bromo- and 4-nitro-3,5- diphenylisoxazole and 4-oximino-3,5-diphenyl-4,5-dihydroisoxazole

Profiling of rat plasma using a highly sensitive LC-ARC-MS technique showed that [(3)H] mefenamic acid was metabolized to several products, including a sulfate conjugate and a hydroxylated analogue as major metabolites. This technique of detecting low levels of radioactivity in plasma was superior to previously used methods, such as beta-RAM detectors.