Correlation between ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry and reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography hydrophobicity data for evaluation of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors absorption

In this research seven ACE inhibitors (enalapril, quinapril, fosinopril, lisinopril, cilazapril, ramipril, benazepril) were studied to evaluate the correlation between their absorption and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS) and reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography (RP-TLC) hydrophobicity data (φ0 or C0 parameters, respectively). Their absorption values were in the range of 25–60%, while calculated KOWWIN logP values were from −0.94 to 6.61. Additionally, perindopril (absorption 70%, KOWWIN logP 2.59) and moexipril (absorption 22%, KOWWIN logP 3.36) were introduced for the theoretical considerations due to their high/low absorption values which were on the opposite sites in comparison with the majority of ACE inhibitors (25–60%). In the theoretical considerations it was shown that the solubility data (logS) must be considered, as independent variable, simultaneously with KOWWIN logP to obtain reliable correlation (r2 = 0.7208) between absorption and ACE inhibitors lipophilicity. As the main topic of this study, the relationships between literature available and absorption data predicted by multiple linear regression (MLR) using logS values besides chromatographically obtained hydrophobicity parameters C0 (r2 = 0.6424) or φ0 (r2 = 0.6762) were studied proving that these parameters could be used in ACE inhibitors absorption evaluation. The UHPLC–MS method provides the direct application of experimentally obtained φ0 values that is the advantage of this method. For better MLR correlation of ACE inhibitors absorption with C0 parameters (RP-TLC) and logS, mathematical conversion of C0 parameters to logC0 values was necessary based on requisite for probability value of regression analysis (P < 0.05). The accordance and differences between hydrophobicity parameters obtained by UHPLC–MS and RP-TLC were defined.