Quantitative aspects of the application of capillary electrophoresis to the analysis of pharmaceuticals and drug related impurities

Analysis of different β-lactams antibiotics in pharmaceutical preparations using micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

The potential of micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) for analyzing nine beta-lactams antibiotics (cloxacillin, dicloxacillin, oxacillin, penicillin G, penicillin V, ampicillin, nafcillin, piperacillin, amoxicillin) in different pharmaceutical preparations, have been demonstrated. An experimental design strategy has been applied to optimize the main variables: pH and buffer concentration, concentration of the micellar medium, separation voltage and capillary temperature. Borate buffer (26mM) at pH 8.5 containing 100mM sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) was used as the background electrolyte. The method was validated. Linearity, limit of detection and quantitation and precision were established for each compound. The analysis of some of the beta-lactams in Orbenin capsules, Britapen tables and in Veterin-Micipen injectable, all used in human and veterinary medicine, have demonstrated the applicability of these technique for quality control in the pharmaceutical industry.

Selective reversed-phase liquid chromatography method for the kinetic investigation of 3-hydroxyflavone photostability

This paper reports a fast and accurate RP-HPLC chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of 3-hydroxyflavone (3-OH F) and its photodegradation products. Solutions (5 x 10(-5) M) in acetonitrile (ACN) of the molecule were subjected to forced degradation by exposure to artificial UV-A light source (black-light, lambda(max) 354 nm) and the changes appearing in chromatograms were monitored at selected irradiation times. A multistep gradient was optimised to achieve complete elution of all photoproducts in the shortest analysis time. UV spectra recorded by the diode array detector system (285 and 340 nm) clearly showed the structural changes in the new species formed, with respect to the parent compound. The analytical method was subjected to a validation procedure in which linearity and range, as well as specificity, precision and accuracy were determined according to ICH guidelines. Quantitative evaluation of the photochemical process was performed on the basis of the calculated kinetic parameters: photodegradation rate constant k, half-life time t(0.5), time degradation of 10% of the drug t(0.1).

Enantioseparation of basic pharmaceutical compounds by capillary electrophoresis using sulfated cyclodextrins. Application to E-6006, a novel antidepressant

In this study, a chiral capillary electrophoresis method was optimized and validated for E-6006, a thienylpyrazolylethanamine derivative (pKa 8.9). Enantioselectivity of neutral and anionic cyclodextrins (CDs) was evaluated at acid pH (3), obtaining cathodic and anodic migration, respectively. Hydroxypropyl-beta-CD, carboxymethyl-beta-CD and sulfobutyl ether-beta-CD led to similar and partial selectivity, whereas sulfate (S)-beta-CD produced baseline separation of the enantiomers. Four types of sulfated CDs were compared considering: cavity size (alpha, beta, gamma) and random substitution versus unique derivative (S-beta-CD, 6-heptakis-S-beta-CD). Complete peak separation was obtained in all cases, but with different affinity and binding strength. Some factors that play a role in the complex formation include: position/region/degree of substitution, size of CD cavity and proportion of derivatives in mixtures. Enantioaffinity and enantioselectivity increased with the average of sulfate groups/mol. Beta cavity size complexed better, although alpha and gamma cavities did not compromise separation. 6-Heptakis-S-beta-CD had less affinity and separation efficiency, attributed to its lower degree and unique position of substitution. The method was optimized with S-beta-CD (Aldrich, randomly substituted, 7-11 groups/mol). With this selector, the effect of pH value (3-9) was evaluated. Around pH 7 the cross-over point with change in the direction and order of migration was observed, associated with great enantioselectivity and long migration times. Fine tuning was done by adjusting the CD concentration and the buffer counterion. Definitive conditions were: uncoated silica capillary, 10 mM S-beta-CD-25 mM sodium phosphate, pH 3. Validation parameters are included.

Determination of pioglitazone hydrochloride in bulk and pharmaceutical formulations by HPLC and MEKC methods

High Performance Liquid Chromatographic (HPLC) and Micellar Electrokinetic Chromatographic (MEKC) methods have been developed for the determination of pioglitazone, a new englycemic antidiabetic agent. Pioglitazone and its unsaturated impurity were separated by MEKC in less than 7 min using a 43 cm x 50 microm i.d. uncoated fused-silica capillary with extended light path for better sensitivity (25 kV at 30 degrees C) and a background electrolyte (BGE) consisting of 20% acetonitrile (v/v) in 20 mM sodium borate buffer pH 9.3 containing 50 mM sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS). The influence of various parameters on the separation such as pH of the buffer, SDS concentration, buffer concentration, organic modifiers, temperature and voltage were investigated. The MEKC method was compared with HPLC method using a 5 microm symmetry C18 column (250 x 4.6 mm i.d.) eluted with a mobile phase consisting of a mixture of 50% (v/v) acetonitrile and 10 mM potassium dihydrogen phosphate buffer, adjusting the pH to 6.0 with 0.1 M KOH. The HPLC method is capable of detecting all process related compounds, which may be present at trace levels in finished products. Both methods were fully validated and a comparison was made. The results confirm that the methods are highly suitable for its intended purpose.

Simultaneous separation of the enantiomers of cizolirtine and its degradation products by capillary electrophoresis

The simultaneous enantioselective separation of (+/-)-cizolirtine and its impurities: (+/-)-N-desmethylcizolirtine, (+/-)-cizolirtine-N-oxide and (+/- )-5-(alpha-hydroxybenzyl)-1-methylpyrazole was investigated by capillary electrophoresis. Electrokinetic chromatography with carboxymethyl-beta-CD (CM-beta-CD) and sulfobutyl-ether-beta-CD was tried, showing good enantioseparation but poor chemical selectivity. The four racemic pairs were baseline separated, in a single run, by cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography. The migration buffer composition was: (60 mM hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin-150 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate-50 mM disodium tetraborate, pH 9.2, in water)-butanol 95:5, v/v). Work was done to determine the effect of buffer components and their optimal concentration on selectivity. The method was validated with respect to enantioselectivity of cizolirtine as well as its degradation products and separation selectivity between the different components. Linearity, limit of detection, limit of quantitation and precision were also determined. This method is suitable for the enantiomeric purity determination and stability control of cizolirtine (racemic mixture or enantiomers) and its degradation products. Examples of electropherograms of (R)-cizolirtine degraded under stressed conditions are shown.

Determination of vancomycin in human serum by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with direct sample injection

BACKGROUND

Vancomycin (VCM) has a bacteriostatic effect on gram-positive bacteria such as the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

METHODS

A new assay for measuring vancomycin concentration by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography using direct serum injection was developed. A borate buffer (pH 10.0) containing 100 mmol/l sodium dodecyl sulfate was used as an electrophoresis buffer, and the detection was at 210 nm. The migration time of vancomycin was approximately 7 min.

RESULTS

The linearity was from 0 to 100 microg/ml, with the limit of detection of 1.0 microg/ml (S/N=3). The within-run CV was 3.99-5.53%, and the recovery rate was 91-103% for a concentration range of 6.5-45.5 microg/ml. The between-day CV was 6.76% at 22.2 microg/ml. There was no interference from 32 other antibiotics. The correlation coefficient between the assay and fluorescence polarization immunoassay and direct injection HPLC was 0.982 and 0.985, respectively. The assay required no sample preparation of serum and used only microquantities of an electrophoresis buffer and samples.

CONCLUSIONS

This assay is cost-effective and suitable for routine clinical use.

Capillary electrokinetic separation techniques for profiling of drugs and related products

Capillary electrokinetic separation techniques offer high efficiency and peak capacity, and can be very useful for the analysis of samples containing a large variety of (unknown) compounds. Such samples are frequently met in impurity profiling of drugs (detection of potential impurities in a pharmaceutical substance or product) and in general sample profiling (determination of differences or similarities between samples). In this paper, the potential, merits, and limitations of electrokinetic separation techniques for profiling purposes are evaluated using examples from literature. A distinction is made between impurity profiling, forensic profiling and profiling of natural products, and the application of capillary zone electrophoresis, micellar electrokinetic chromatography, and capillary electrochromatography in these fields is discussed. Attention is devoted to important aspects such as selectivity, resolution enhancement, applicability, detection, and compound confirmation and quantification. The specific properties of the various electrokinetic techniques are discussed and compared with more conventional techniques as liquid chromatography.

Chiral analysis of baclofen by alpha-cyclodextrin-modified capillary electrophoresis and laser-induced fluorescence detection

An enantioselective method for baclofen (4-amino-3-p-chlorophenylbutyric acid) based on capillary electrophoresis (CE) separation and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection has been developed. Naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde (NDA) was used for precolumn derivatization of the nonfluorescent drug. alpha-Cyclodextrin (alpha-CD) was included in the buffer as a chiral selector for the separation of NDA-labeled S-(+)- and R-(-)-baclofen. Optimal resolution and detection were obtained with an electrophoretic buffer of 50 mM sodium borate (pH 9.5) containing 7 mM alpha-CD and a He-Cd laser (lambda ex = 442 nm, lambda em = 500 nm). Combined with a simple cleanup procedure, this method can be applied to the analysis of baclofen enantiomers in human plasma. The relative standard deviation (RSD) values on peak areas of a plasma sample containing 1.0 microM racemic baclofen were 6.4 and 4.9% (n = 8) for the S-(+)- and R-(-)-enantiomer, respectively. The RSD value on migration times of both enantiomers was 0.5% (n = 8). Calibration graphs for S-(+)- and R-(-)-baclofen in plasma showed a good linearity (r > or = 0.999) in the concentration range of 0.1-2.0 microM. The limit of detection of baclofen in plasma was about 10 ng/mL.

Capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence in clinical drug development routine application and future aspects

The clinical bioanalytical setting is characterized by sample volumes of < 1 ml biological fluid (e.g. plasma, urine), a range of 3-4 decades of concentrations to be quantified and a limit of quantitation in the microg/l-ng/l range for sets of 100-5000 individual samples. Setup of capillary electrophoresis (CE) for routine application in this analytical field was successful for analytes accessible to fluorescence detection by using laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection. Empowerment of CE-LIF for routine serial analysis of thousands of samples includes improvement in autosampler techniques, thorough procedures for capillary treatment and particularly more advanced detection technology. Introduction of multi-capillary systems with charge-coupled device cameras and frequency doubled Ar-ion laser (lambda = 257 nm) offers this technique the chance of superiority over classical analytical assays - especially in the field of (new) low volume samples e.g. capillary blood or microdialysate encouraging clinicians to search for meaningful non-invasive samples.

Simultaneous stereoselective analysis of venlafaxine and O-desmethylvenlafaxine enantiomers in clinical samples by capillary electrophoresis using charged cyclodextrins

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) was used for the simultaneous chiral determination of venlafaxine (Vx), a new antidepressant drug and its main active metabolite. O-desmethyl venlafaxine (ODV). Among the charged cyclodextrins (CD) tested, phosphated gamma-CD was the most appropriate. Resolution of Vx and ODV was obtained with 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 2.5) containing 20 mg/ml of phosphated gamma-CD. After optimisation of the method (including robustness), validation was carried out. Vx and ODV concentrations, as well as the enantiomeric ratio, were investigated in clinical samples. Chiral determination of Vx and ODV was performed after a simple liquid-liquid extraction (LLE). In the tested concentration range (25-500 ng/ml), coefficients of correlation were superior to 0.996. Within-day and between-day accuracy and precision were determined at three different concentrations for each enantiomer. Analyses of clinical samples (n = 16) exhibited non-racemic ratios for Vx and ODV, which suggests a stereoselective metabolism in humans.

Determination of enantiomeric excess by capillary electrophoresis

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is becoming an established method for the determination of chiral trace impurities. This paper provides an overview of the state of the art of CE for such determinations. Detection limits of 0.1% impurity is widely accepted as a minimum requirement for chiral trace impurity determinations. This can be relatively easily achieved with CE. However, determination of lower concentrations requires careful optimization of the separation system. Four factors that are of particular significance for trace enantiomeric determinations: resolution, limit of detection, linear range and type of detection, are discussed. Further, the advantages and disadvantages of derivatization in this context are treated as well as the separation approach, ie., direct chiral separation or separation after the formation of diastereomers. It is concluded that the limit of impurity detection can be about 0.05% when UV detection is employed. Using laser-induced fluorescence detection, a quantitative determination at the 0.005% level is often possible.

Enantioseparation of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine and 2-hydrazino-2-methyl-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)propanoic acid by capillary electrophoresis using cyclodextrins

The enantiomeric separations of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (dopa) and 2-hydrazino-2-methyl-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)propanoic acid (carbidopa) by capillary electrophoresis were studied using several native, neutral and anionic cyclodextrins as chiral additives and uncoated fused-silica capillaries. The effect of the type and concentration of the cyclodextrin added to 20 mM phosphate buffer (pH 2.5) on enantioseparation and migration times was studied. A high resolution value of 15.63 was obtained for dopa enantiomers with a buffer containing 20 mM single isomer, heptakis(2,3-diacetyl-6-sulfato)-beta-cyclodextrin. The enantiomers of carbidopa were separated using 20 mM carboxymethyl-beta-cyclodextrin as a chiral resolving agent. Both methods allowed the determination of 0.1% of the D-enantiomer (second migrating) in the presence of the L-enantiomer (first migrating) of dopa and carbidopa with a good precision. These methods also gave good results in terms of precision for both peak area, migration time, linearity and accuracy.

Applications of capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection in pharmaceutical and biomedical analyses

As a high efficiency separation technique, capillary electrophoresis has been widely used in various fields of analytical science. This review discusses the applications of electrochemical detection systems combined with capillary electrophoresis in pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis. These detection methods mainly involve amperometric detection but also include conductivity detection and potentiometric detection. Its applications in the field are divided into six parts, including catechol compounds, thiols, amino acids and peptides, carbohydrates, general pharmaceuticals, and other related compounds. A relatively detailed discussion is described for each compound under the current studied. On this basis, we have suggested several conceivable directions for capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection in the future.

Determination of azathioprine and its related substances by capillary zone electrophoresis and its application to pharmaceutical dosage forms assay

The development of a stability-indicating capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method for the determination of the drug azathioprine (AZA) and its related substances in bulk and dosage forms is described. Theophylline was used as an internal standard to improve quantitative results. The method was fully validated in terms of repeatability (n = 10, RSD for migration time and peak area ratio were 0.15% and 0.60%, respectively), reproducibility (n = 5, RSD of peak area ratio was 0.84%), linearity at two ranges of the azathioprine concentration, limits of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ), and robustness. The method was applied for determination of the drug in bulk and a commercial tablet dosage form (recovery 98.3-101.3%) and in powder for injection (recovery 98.7-100.6%). The method was fast and reliable for the analysis of AZA and its related substances in bulk and dosage forms.

Simultaneous stereoselective analysis of tramadol and its main phase I metabolites by on-line capillary zone electrophoresis-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

On-line combination of partial filling capillary electrophoresis and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry was demonstrated for the simultaneous enantioseparation of tramadol and its main phase I metabolites. The partial filling technique was efficient at avoiding MS contamination by the chiral selector. Different experimental factors were investigated, including the chiral selector nature and concentration, plug length as well as the separation temperature. The best enantioseparation of the investigated compounds was achieved with a coated polyvinyl alcohol capillary and a 40 mM ammonium acetate buffer, pH 4.0, adding sulfobutyl ether beta-cyclodextrin (2.5 mg/ml) as the chiral selector. The charged cyclodextrin not only allowed enantioseparation of tramadol and its metabolites, but also improved the selectivity of compounds with the same molecular mass. Finally, CE-electrospray ionisation-MS was successfully applied to the stereoselective analysis of tramadol and its main metabolites in plasma after a simple liquid-liquid extraction.

Assay for the determination of low dosage form of formoterol dry syrup by capillary electrophoresis with head-column field-amplified sample stacking

The development of a capillary zone electrophoresis method with head-column field-amplified sample stacking injection for the determination of formoterol (FMTR) in a low dosage dry syrup form was described. To obtain the highest sensitivity, the sample solution was prepared by high content of organic solvent with the presence of a small amount of H+ (60-100 microM) and the capillary inlet end was dipped in water before electroinjection. This method was fully validated in terms of repeatability (RSDs for migration time, peak area of FMTR and peak area ratio between FMTR and I.S. at 1 microg/ml of FMTR was 0.76, 1.10 and 0.55% respectively), reproducibility (RSDs from different capillaries, analytes, days and instruments were 1.52%, 1.04%, 1.16% and 1.93% respectively), linearity (y = 0.827x - 0.085, r = 0.9993 (n = 6) over the range of 0.25-2.0 microg/ml), limits of quantitation, ruggedness and robustness. The method was applied to the determination of the drug in commercial dry syrup preparation (recovery was 100.9%, RSD = 1.5%, n = 5) and proved to be fast and reliable for the quantitation analysis of FMTR in the pharmaceutical form.

Determination of the enantiomeric purity of S-ropivacaine by capillary electrophoresis with methyl-beta-cyclodextrin as chiral selector using conventional and complete filling techniques

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) methods based on the conventional and complete filling techniques for determination of the enantiomeric purity of S-ropivacaine are described. The complete filling technique is a separation method which can be used instead of the partial filling technique in order to reduce the total analysis time, when the chiral selector solution does not absorb UV light. In the complete filling technique the total length of the capillary is filled with the chiral selector solution, prior to application of the analyte. During the run both ends of the capillary are connected to the background electrolyte, i.e. without chiral agent. An interlaboratory study was performed to validate the method. The limit of detection and quantification for R-ropivacaine were found to be about 0.6 and 1.6 microg/ml, respectively, corresponding to 0. 1 and 0.25% enantiomeric purity of S-ropivacaine. Good performances were demonstrated for the repeatability and linearity. The consumption of the chiral selector was about 160 times lower with the complete filling technique compared with the conventional CE technique.

Chiral separations in capillary electrophoresis

The marked increase in the number of communications on the utilization of electrophoresis for practical chiral separations within the last three years is the most evident, and the most important fact. It reveals that the basic period of intensive research in the field is finished. The search for chiral selectors discriminating racemates in a reasonably analytical manner and the study of both the mechanism and physicochemical aspects of the chiral discrimination process were the main features of that period. Here, we review the state of the art in the field and state the references of the related literature up to the end of 1998.

Some factors affecting enantiomeric impurity determination by capillary electrophoresis using ultraviolet and laser-induced fluorescence detection

The key factors influencing enantiomer trace determination were investigated; these include resolution capillary diameter, limit of detection, linear range and type of detection. Chiral reagents, (+)- and (-)-1-(9-fluorenyl)ethyl chloroformate (FLEC), were employed as probes to demonstrate the influence of the variables. In order to find the best resolution, separation variables were optimized in both capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) modes by the application of factorial design experiments. A highly efficient chiral separation of the (+/-)-FLEC, derivatized with nonchiral amino acids, was achieved when using gamma-cyclodextrin as the chiral selector. The benefits of using a small diameter capillary for direct determination of both (+) and (-)-FLEC impurity (0.05-0.1% area/area) were demonstrated using UV detection and applying a sample stacking condition. A frequency-doubled argon ion laser (244 nm) was used as light source for laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection. Excitation light was provided by means of an optical fiber directed into the Hewlett Packard 3D capillary cartridge. The signals from UV and LIF were monitored simultaneously. The application of LIF detection greatly improved sensitivity and linear range. Further, as a consequence of the increased sensitivity, sample loading could be decreased, which led to an improvement of separation efficiency. Direct determination of 0.005% impurity could be achieved within the linear range.

Determination of L-threonate in calcium L-threonate preparations by capillary electrophoresis with indirect UV detection

A validated capillary electrophoresis method with indirect UV detection for the determination of L-threonate in a calcium L-threonate (Ca-Th) chewable tablet and dry syrup was described. The 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid (NDC) was used as the background carrier ion and the tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) was used as electroosmotic flow modifier. The running buffer contained 2 mM NDC, 6 mM disodium carbonate and 0.2 mM TTAB. The detection wavelength was set at 240 nm. A linear calibration range of 50-500 microg/mL was obtained (r = 0.9996). The limit of detection and limit of quantitation were found to be 6 microg/mL and 20 microg/mL, respectively. The recovery was 99.45% (RSD = 0.57%, n = 5) and 99.12% (RSD = 0.48%, n = 5) for the tablet and dry syrup preparation, respectively. Repeatability tests on the migration times or peak areas proved that the results were of high precision. The RSD of peak area ratio was lower than 1% (0.74%, n = 5). The factors influencing quantitation were discussed and three batches of chewable tablet and also of dry syrup were assayed by the proposed method.

Simultaneous stereoselective analysis by capillary electrophoresis of tramadol enantiomers and their main phase I metabolites in urine

Capillary zone electrophoresis was successfully applied to the enantiomeric resolution of racemic tramadol and its six phase I metabolites using carboxymethylated beta-cyclodextrin (CMB) added to the background electrolyte (BGE). Baseline resolution of tramadol and its metabolites was obtained in less than 30 min using a 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 2.5) containing 5 mM of CMB. Chiral determinations of tramadol and its main three metabolites, O-demethyltramadol (M1), N-demethyltramadol (M2) and O-demethyl-N-demethyltramadol (M5), were performed in urine after a simple double liquid-liquid extraction of 200 microliters of biological material. In the tested concentration range (0.5-20 micrograms/ml, except for M2: 0.5-10 micrograms/ml) coefficients of correlation superior than 0.994 were obtained. Within-day variation determined on three different concentrations for each enantiomers showed accuracies ranging from 95.4% to 103.2%. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of these assays was determined to be less than 10.0%. Day-to-day variation presented accuracies ranging from 96.3% to 106.5% with a RSD less than 9.0%. After oral administration of 100 mg of tramadol hydrochloride to an healthy volunteer, the urinary excretion was monitored during 30 h. About 15% of the dose was excreted as unchanged tramadol. The enantiomeric ratios of all the excreted analytes, T, M1, M2 and M5, were found to be very different to 1.0, showing that a stereoselective metabolism of tramadol clearly occurred.

Determination of silymarine in the extract from the dried silybum marianum fruits by high performance liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis

Silybine (SBN), isosilybine (ISBN), silycristine (SCN), silydianine (SDN), and taxifoline (TXF) are the main active flavanoids, generally found in the dried fruits of silybum marianum. The concentrations of these compounds, excepted TXF, are all together usually expressed as silymarine content. In this paper the determination of the silymarine titre was made by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and high performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE). Two reversed stationary phases, RP-18 and RP-8, were observed comparing the resolutions of all considered flavanoids with each stationary phases. The HPCE was carried out considering the possible improvement in the resolution of SBN, CN, SDN and TXF using, 8-cyclodextrines or organic modifier. The qualitative and quantitative data obtained by HPLC and HPCE were compared.

Stereoselective determination of S-naproxen in tablets by capillary electrophoresis

A capillary electrophoresis (CE) method was developed for the stereoselective determination of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), S-naproxen, in tablets. Several beta-cyclodextrin derivatives (CDs) were tested as chiral selectors, including sulfobutyl-beta-CD (SBCD), carboxymethyl-beta-CD (CMCD), dimethyl-beta-CD (DMCD) and trimethyl-beta-CD (TMCD), in a phosphoric acid/triethanolamine pH 3 buffer. Under these conditions, the analyte was mainly present in an uncharged form and therefore, the use a neutral CD (DMCD or TMCD) alone could not lead to enantiomeric separation. On the contrary, by addition of a charged CD (SBCD or CMCD) to the running buffer, giving the analyte enantiomers an adequate mobility, chiral resolution could be achieved, although the resolution values obtained in this case were not quite satisfactory (Rs < 1.5). Dual systems, based on the use of mixtures of charged and neutral CDs, were then investigated. The SBCD/TMCD system was found to be particularly well suited to the enantioseparation of naproxen and after optimisation of the concentrations of both CDs, a resolution value of 5.4 could be obtained. The method was validated for the determination of R-naproxen (enantiomeric impurity) in the 0.1-2% range, using the racemic mixture of the analyte. A second validation was performed in the 50-150% range for the quantitation of S-naproxen. In both cases, good results with respect to linearity, precision and accuracy were obtained.

Use of cyclodextrins in capillary electrophoresis: resolution of tramadol enantiomers

Capillary zone electrophoresis was successfully applied to the enantiomeric resolution of racemic tramadol. Both uncoated and polyacrylamide-coated capillaries were tested for method optimization using either negatively charged or native cyclodextrins (CD) added to the background electrolyte (BGE). The resolution was strongly influenced by the CD type and concentration as well as by the pH and the concentration of the BGE. Among the CDs tested, carboxymethylated-beta-cyclodextrin allowed the baseline separation of tramadol enantiomers. After the method was optimized, it was validated in a coated capillary for enantiomeric analysis of tramadol enantiomers in pharmaceutical formulation, including specificity and elution order, linearity, accuracy and precision, determination of limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ), enantiomeric purity linearity, freedom from interference, and stability of sample solutions. Precision at the target concentration was less than 2%, with an accuracy higher than 99%. Furthermore, the method was able to detect 0.3% and to quantify 1% of the minor enantiomer in the presence of the major one at the target value.

Strategies for capillary electrophoresis: method development and validation for pharmaceutical and biological applications

This review is in support of the development of selective, reproducible and validated capillary electrophoretis (CE) methods. Focusing on pharmaceutical and biological applications, the successful use of CE is demonstrated by more than 800 references, mainly from 1994 until 1998. Approximately 80 recent reviews have been catalogued. These articles sum up the existing strategies for method development in CE, especially in the search for generally accepted concepts, but also looking for new, promising reagents and ideas. General strategies for method development were derived not only with regard to selectivity and efficiency, but also with regard to precision, short analysis time, limit of detection, sample pretreatment requirements and validation. Standard buffer recipes, surfactants used in micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC), chiral selectors, useful buffer additives, polymeric separation media, electroosmotic flow (EOF) modifiers, dynamic and permanent coatings, actions to deal with complex matrices and aspects of validation are collected in 20 tables. Detailed schemes for the development of MEKC methods and chiral separations, for optimizing separation efficiency, means of troubleshooting, and other important information for key decisions during method development are given in 19 diagrams. Method development for peptide and protein separations, possibilities to influence the EOF and how to stabilize it, as well as indirect detection are considered in special sections.

Analysis of cefadroxil by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography: development and validation

A method is developed and validated for analysis of the antibiotic cefadroxil using micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography. It permits cefadroxil to be completely separated from ten of its known related substances within 15 min (including the washing procedure). The separation is performed in an acetate buffer (50 mM, pH 5.25) containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS; 110 mM). The fused-silica capillary was 44 cm long (36 cm effective length), 50 microm ID; the voltage, 18 kV; temperature, 15 degrees C; and the detection wavelength; 254 nm. The influence of the type of buffer, buffer pH and concentration, and of the SDS concentration was investigated. The robustness of the method was examined by means of a full-fraction factorial design. The parameters for validation such as linearity, precision, limit of detection and limit of quantitation are also reported.

Capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence: a routine method to determine moxifloxacin in human body fluids in very small sample volumes

The feasibility of capillary electrophoresis with HeCd laser-induced fluorescence detection as a validated routine method for bioanalytical analysis is reported. Method evaluation, validation and results of the determination of moxifloxacin (BAY 12-8039), a new antimicrobially active 8-methoxy-quinolone, in plasma and microdialysate are described. After a one step sample preparation the samples can be injected directly into the capillary. The volume of microdialysate and plasma, respectively, needed for more than 50 injections is only 10 microl and 20 microl. Total run time is less than 7 min using a 27 cm capillary on commercial instrumentation. An analysis time of less than 1 min was shown to be possible, however it could not be used routinely since appropriate instrumentation was not available. Evaluation is based on the relative corrected peak area (analyte/I.S.). The method's dynamic range comprises three orders of magnitude (plasma: 2.5-5000 microg/l; microdialysate: 5-5000 microg/l). Validation according to international guidelines yielded data on accuracy and precision of the method throughout the entire working range of inter-day precision: plasma <6%, microdialysate <5% and inter-day accuracy: plasma <2%, microdialysate <4%. The crossvalidation with an existing HPLC method utilizing clinical study samples shows linear correlation. In view of its adequate sensitivity and high selectivity capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence is a very versatile tool in pharmacokinetic studies of quinolones, especially in situations with limited sample volumes: e. g. pediatrics, patients at risk, animal-, microdialysis- and tissue-kinetic studies. Validation parameters and other features, like high sample throughput and robustness, are comparable to or even better than HPLC. Further necessary improvements of the capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence instrumentation (autosampler, vials, parallel capillaries) and its use in bioanalytical routine analysis are discussed.

Chemiluminescence-based detection: principles and analytical applications in flowing streams and in immunoassays

The present paper provides the principles of chemiluminescence (CL) and its powerful applications in analytical chemistry, mainly in the area of flow injection analysis, column liquid chromatographic and capillary electrophoretic separating systems, and its potential in immunoassays. CL is light produced by a chemical reaction. The most common advantages of chemiluminescent reactions are the relatively simple instrumentation required, the very low detection limits and wide dynamic ranges, which have contributed to the interest of CL detection in flow injection analysis, high performance liquid chromatography, including miniaturized systems, and, most recently, the exploding area of capillary electrophoresis. The latter powerful microanalytical separation technique offers high numbers of theoretical plates and relatively short analysis times requiring only small sample volumes, the migrating system comprising aqueous buffer solutions. In non-isotopic immunoassays, covering a great variety of applications in human and veterinary medicine, forensic medicine, agriculture and food industry, the radioisotope is replaced by a fluorescence or chemiluminescent label. The use of CL as a detection principle permits quantitative determination of various compounds at low concentrations. Disadvantages of the CL-based technique may include lack of sufficient selectivity and sensitivity to various physicochemical factors.

Quantitative analysis of synthetic dyes in lipstick by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

The separation of synthetic dyes, used as color additives in cosmetics, by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) is described in this study. The separation of seven dyes, namely eosine, erythrosine, cyanosine, rhodamine B, orange II, chromotrope FB and tartrazine has been achieved in about 3 min in an untreated fused silica capillary containing as background electrolyte a 25 mM tetraborate/phosphate buffer, pH 8.0, and 30 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate. The electrophoretic method exhibits precision and relatively high sensitivity. A detection limit (LOD, signal/noise = 3) in the range of 5-7.5 X 10(-7) M of standard compounds was recorded. Intra-day repeatability of all the studied dye determinations (8 runs) gave the following results (limit values), % standard deviation: 0.24-1.54% for migration time, 0.99-1.24% for corrected peak areas, 0.99-1.24% for corrected peak area ratio (analyte/internal standard) and 1.56-2.74% for peak areas. The optimized method was successfully applied to the analysis of a lipstick sample where eosine and cyanosine were present.

Choice of capillary electrophoresis systems for the impurity profiling of drugs

In order to develop a strategy for the impurity profiling of drugs, the possibilities of some capillary electrophoresis systems were investigated. A mixture containing a drug and some of its possible impurities has been used as a model problem. The test compounds were investigated by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC). The pH of the CZE buffer was varied, but the two stereoisomers could not be separated. Moreover, CZE is not suitable for neutral compounds. In MEKC, two different types of surfactants, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), have been used and the effect of type and concentration modifier on the separation and the elution window was studied. In the SDS system, both the resolution and the elution window could be increased considerably by the addition of modifier. The use of two MEKC systems of different selectivity seems to be a combination with high potential for the impurity profiling of drugs.

Determination of erythromycin and related substances by capillary electrophoresis

Current compendial methods of assay for the analysis of erythromycin and its related substances involve the use of microbiological techniques. These techniques are non-selective and tedious, thus there is a need for the development of highly specific, quantitative analytical methods. Erythromycin was analysed in a 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.5) and run at an applied voltage of 20 kV. Detection sensitivity was enhanced by using a wavelength of 200 nm and selecting an injection solvent of lower conductivity than the electrolyte: acetonitrile-water (20:80, v/v). In order to facilitate the separation of erythromycin and its related substances, the organic solvent ethanol (35%, v/v) was incorporated into a modified 150 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.5) and run at an applied voltage of 30 kV. Resolution of all the compounds was achieved in approximately 45 min. The methods described are accurate and precise and thus suitable for the quantitative determination of erythromycin and the related substances, erythromycin C, anhydroerythromycin and N-demethylerythromycin A.

Pharmaceutical applications of micelles in chromatography and electrophoresis

This review surveys the use of micelles as separation media in chromatography and electrophoresis. Applications to pharmaceuticals whose molecular masses are relatively small are focused on in this review. In high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), chromatography using micelles and reversed-phase stationary phases such as octadecylsilylized silica gel (ODS) columns is known as micellar liquid chromatography (MLC). The main application of MLC to pharmaceutical analysis is the same as in ion-pair chromatography using alkylsulfonate or tetraalkylammonium. In most cases, selectivity is much improved compared with other short alkyl chain ion-pairing agents such as pentanesulfonate or octanesulfonate. Direct plasma/serum injection can be successful in MLC. Separation of small ions is also successful by using gel filtration columns and micellar solutions. In electrophoresis, especially capillary electrophoresis (CE), micelles are used as pseudo-stationary phases in capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). This mode is called micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC). Most of the drug analysis can be performed by using the MEKC mode because of its wide applicability. Enantiomer separation, separation of amino acids and closely related peptides, separation of very complex mixtures, determination of drugs in biological samples etc. as well as separation of electrically neutral drugs can be successfully achieved by MEKC. Microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC), in which surfactants are also used in forming the microemulsion, is successful for the separation of electrically neutral drugs as in MEKC. This review mainly describes the typical applications of MLC and MEKC for the analysis of pharmaceuticals.

Capillary electrophoresis for pharmacokinetic studies

Different analytical techniques involving capillary electrophoresis for the determination of drugs and metabolites in biological fluids are described. Pharmacokinetic studies carried out using capillary electrophoresis are presented, as well as the in vitro metabolism investigations. The advantages and the limitations of capillary electrophoresis for pharmacokinetic studies are discussed.