The binding of drugs with proteins in blood, serum or plasma is an important process in determining the activity, distribution, rate of excretion, and toxicity of drugs in the body. Highperformance affinity chromatography (HPAC) has received a great deal of interest as a means for studying these interactions. This review examines the various techniques that have been used in HPAC to examine drug-protein binding and discusses the types of information that can be obtained through this approach. A comparison of these techniques with traditional methods for binding studies (e.g., equilibrium dialysis and ultrafiltration) will also be presented. The use of HPAC with specific serum proteins and binding agents will then be discussed, including human serum albumin and α 1 -acid glycoprotein. Several examples from the literature are provided to illustrate the applications of such research. Recent developments in this field are also described, such as the use of improved immobilization techniques, new data analysis methods, techniques for working for directly with complex biological samples, and work with immobilized lipoproteins. The relative advantages and limitations of the methods that are described will be considered and the possible use of these techniques in the high-throughput screening or characterization of drugprotein binding will be discussed.

Columns containing immobilized lipoproteins were prepared for the analysis of drug interactions with these particles by high-performance affinity chromatography. This approach was evaluated by using it to examine the binding of high density lipoprotein (HDL) to the drugs propranolol or verapamil. HDL was immobilized by the Schiff base method onto silica and gave HPLC columns with reproducible binding to propranolol over four to five days of continuous operation at pH 7.4. Frontal analysis experiments indicated that two types of interactions were occurring between R/Spropranolol and HDL at 37°C: saturable binding with an association equilibrium constant (K a ) of 1.1-1.9 × 10 5 M −1 , and non-saturable binding with an overall affinity constant (n K a ) of 3.7-4.1 × 10 4 M −1 . Similar results were found at 4 and 27°C. Verapamil also gave similar behavior, with a K a of 6.0 × 10 4 M −1 at 37°C for the saturable sites and a n K a value for the non-saturable sites of 2.5 × 10 4 M −1 . These measured affinities gave good agreement with solution-phase values. The results indicated HPAC can be used to study drug interactions with HDL, providing information that should be valuable in obtaining a better description of how drugs are transported within the body.

Columns containing immobilized low density lipoprotein (LDL) were prepared for the analysis of drug interactions with this agent by high-performance affinity chromatography (HPAC). R/S-Propranolol was used as a model drug for this study. The LDL columns gave reproducible binding to propranolol over 60 h of continuous use in the presence of pH 7.4, 0.067 M potassium phosphate buffer. Experiments conducted with this type of column through frontal analysis indicated that two types of interactions were occurring between R-propranolol and LDL, while only a single type of interaction was observed between S-propranolol and LDL. The first type of interaction, which was seen for both enantiomers, involved non-saturable binding; this interaction had an overall affinity (nKa) of 1.9 (± 0.1) × 105 M-1 for R-propranolol and 2.7 (± 0.2) × 105 M-1 for S-propranolol at 37 °C. The second type of interaction was observed only for R-propranolol and involved saturable binding that had an association equilibrium constant (Ka) of 5.2 (± 2.3) × 105 M-1 at 37 °C. Similar differences in binding behavior were found for the two enantiomers at 20 °C and 27 °C. This is the first known example of stereoselective binding of drugs by LDL or other lipoproteins. This work also illustrates the ability of HPAC to be used as a tool for characterizing mixed-mode interactions that involve LDL and related binding agents.

The study of metabolomics can provide valuable information about biochemical pathways and processes at the molecular level. There have been many reports that have examined the structure, identity and concentrations of metabolites in biological systems. However, the binding of metabolites with proteins is also of growing interest. This review examines past reports that have looked at the binding of various types of metabolites with proteins. An overview of the techniques that have been used to characterize and study metabolite-protein binding is first provided. This is followed by examples of studies that have investigated the binding of hormones, fatty acids, drugs or other xenobiotics, and their metabolites with transport proteins and receptors. These examples include reports that have considered the structure of the resulting solute-protein complexes, the nature of the binding sites, the strength of these interactions, the variations in these interactions with solute structure, and the kinetics of these reactions. The possible effects of metabolic diseases on these processes, including the impact of alterations in the structure and function of proteins, are also considered.

High-performance affinity chromatography (HPAC) was utilized to examine the binding of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) with drugs, using R/S-propranolol as a model. These studies indicated that two mechanisms existed for the binding of R- and S-propranolol with VLDL. The first mechanism involved non-saturable partitioning of these drugs with VLDL, which probably occurred with the lipoprotein's non-polar core. This partitioning was described by overall affinity constants of 1.2 (± 0.3) × 106 M-1 for R-propranolol and 2.4 (± 0.6) × 106 M-1 for S-propranolol at pH 7.4 and 37 °C. The second mechanism occurred through saturable binding by these drugs at fixed sites on VLDL, such as represented by apolipoproteins on the surface of the lipoprotein. The association equilibrium constants for this saturable binding at 37 °C were 7.0 (± 2.3) × 104 M-1 for R-propranolol and 9.6 (± 2.2) × 104 M-1 for S-propranolol. Comparable results were obtained at 20 °C and 27 °C for the propranolol enantiomers. This work provided fundamental information on the processes involved in the binding of R- and S-propranolol to VLDL, while also illustrating how HPAC can be used to evaluate relatively complex interactions between agents such as VLDL and drugs or other solutes.