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.     

The role of organic solvents in the separation of nonionic compounds by capillary electrophoresis

Although nonionic compounds can be separated by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), application of this technique is restricted by a somewhat limited elution range. Incorporation of organic solvents in the background electrolyte (BGE) greatly extends the scope of MEKC and provides a major variable in optimizing the separation of neutral analytes. This paper provides a systematic review of the principles and scope of the separation of neutral analytes by capillary electrophoresis (CE) in organic-aqueous solution. The methods surveyed include those that use tetraalkylammonium salts, dioctyl sulfosuccinate, lauryl poly(oxyethylene) sulfate. Polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds can be separated using sodium hexadecyl sulfate in 70% methanol (30% aqueous) to 100% methanol.     

Separation of linoleic acid oxidation products by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography and nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis

In this work the suitability of micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) and nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis (CE) to the analysis of the primary oxidation products of linoleic acid was studied with uncoated fused-silica capillaries. The primary autoxidation products of linoleic acid are the four hydroperoxide isomers 13-hydroperoxy-cis-9, trans-11-octadecadienoic acid, 13-hydroperoxy-trans-9, trans-11-octadecadienoic acid, 9-hydroperoxy-trans-10,cis-12-octadecadienoic acid, 9-hydroperoxy-trans-10, trans-12-octadecadienoic acid. Addition of a surfactant such as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or sodium cholate (SC) into the running buffer (20-30 mM 3-(cyclohexylamino)-1-propanesulfonic acid (CAPS) or ammonium acetate, pH 9.5-11) was required to enhance the water solubility of the sample and selectivity of the separation. MEKC proved to be a promising new technique for the separation of the primary oxidation products of lipids giving results comparable to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Partial separation of hydroperoxide isomers was also achieved using nonaqueous CE with methanol-acetonitrile-sodium cholate as running buffer.     

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography for high‐performance analytical separation

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a relatively new method of analytical separation having the advantages of high separation efficiency, requirement of a small sample amount, low operating cost, and fast separation time. CE is a separation method where the analyte migrates under an electric field due to a charge on the analyte. Hence, CE was unable to separate neutral analytes until the advent of micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC). MEKC is performed with an addition of ionic micelles to an electrophoretic medium, where a portion of the analyte is incorporated into the micelle and has an apparent charge, which can be subject to electrophoretic separation. The migration velocity of the neutral analyte in MEKC depends on what portion of the analyte is incorporated into the micelle. Thus, the separation principle of MEKC is similar to that of chromatography, although the micelle corresponding to the stationary phase in chromatography is not stationary inside the capillary. The fundamental characteristics and theoretical treatments of the behavior of the analyte in MEKC were studied extensively by the author's group. MEKC has been established as one of the most popular separation modes in CE. This review describes how MEKC was developed and how it is useful as a method of analytical separation. © 2008 The Japan Chemical Journal Forum and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Chem Rec 8: 291–301; 2008: Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ) DOI 10.1002/tcr.20156     

Capillary liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and micellar electrokinetic chromatography as complementary techniques in environmental analysis

Applications of capillary electrophoresis (CE) and capillary liquid chromatography (LC) to environmental analysis have been limited. In this work we present applications of micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) to the analysis of environmental matrices for synthetic dyes. Separations obtained by capillary LC are compared with those obtained under MEKC for seven selected dyes. Both techniques are capable of resolving the subject compounds at high efficiency. Recovery data for spiked water and soil matrices were obtained for four dyes using solid-phase extraction cartridges and disks with determination by MEKC-UV detection. Both pH adjustment via acid and ion-pairing via a cationic surfactant were investigated for isolating dyes. Capillary LC detection was by continuous-flow liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry (CF-LSI-MS) whereas MEKC used UV detection (214 nm). Application of peak-profiling at high mass resolution is illustrated with the capillary LC-MS technique. Interfacing capillary LC under CF-LSI-MS using the coaxial arrangement is easier than interfacing CE with this arrangement. MEKC provides a powerful screening and determinative technique, while capillary LC-MS provides a confirmatory tool.     

Twenty-five years of micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), which can separate neutral analytes as well as charged analytes by the capillary electrophoretic technique, was developed in 1982 and the first paper was published in 1984. The authors’ group concentrated their effort into the characterization of MEKC as a separation technique until early 1990s. Most issues in MEKC separations were successfully solved and wide applicability of MEKC was verified in 1990s. In particular, sweeping, an on-line sample preconcentration technique, was very successful for the concentration of neutral analyte as well as ionic ones. In this paper, our studies on MEKC will be summarized from the personal viewpoint of the author.     

Advances in capillary electrophoresis: the challenges to liquid chromatography and conventional electrophoresis

In the 1980s, capillary electrophoresis (CE) developed rapidly into a first-class analytical separation technique. Its advances in instrumentation and method development will not only enhance or complement existing mature separation techniques such as liquid chromatography and conventional slab gel electrophoresis, but will also severely challenge these separation methods. A brief overview of the most striking achievements of CE in the 1980s is given. which illustrates the challenges to liquid chromatography and conventional slab gel electrophoresis, and some detailed discussions are presented to highlight the advantages of CE. New developments in CE that can be expected for the 1990s include especially column technology, separation chemistry and instrumentation, which will serve further to diversify and improve the applicability of this technique in areas which are poorly addressed by other separation methods. This paper considers and speculates on the technological advancements that can be expected to emerge for CE in the 1990s.     

Analysis of arylamine isomers by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Analysis of carcinogenic substances is a high-priority area. Carcinogenic arylamines draw the analyst's attention because dyes and pigments are in production and used in large volumes. Identification of carcinogenic isomers of arylamines employing micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), a mode of capillary electrophoresis was studied as it offers better scope for separation science. Mixed micellar modes of MEKC techniques were employed to achieve acceptable analyses. Success of this analytical method was proved by real-sample analysis, which confirmed that this is a promising technique for the arylamine species.     

Separation of binaphthyl enantiomers by capillary zone electrophoresis and electrokinetic chromatography

The capillary electrophoretic (CE) separation of the enantiomers of three binaphthyl compounds is investigated. Several CE modes such as cyclodextrin (CD) modified capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) (CD-CZE), micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), cyclodextrin electrokinetic chromatography (CD-EKC), etc. are employed for the simultaneous enantiomer separation of the three solutes. The successful separation was achieved by combining two modes, in other words by using more than two chiral selectors. A development of the CE enantiomer separation is demonstrated for the binaphthyl compounds. The enantioselectivity of binaphthyl compounds is alo briefly discussed.     

Ion-interaction-capillary zone electrophoresis of cationic proteomic peptide standards

We have employed a novel capillary electrophoresis (CE) approach recently developed in our laboratory, termed ion-interaction-capillary zone electrophoresis (II-CZE), to the resolution of a mixture of 27 synthetic cationic proteomic peptide standards. These peptides were comprised of three groups of nine peptides (with net charges of +1, +2 and +3 for all nine peptides within a group), the hydrophobicity of the nine peptides within a group varying only subtly between adjacent peptides. This bidimensional CE approach achieved excellent resolution of the peptides with high peak capacity by combining the powerful CZE mechanism located in the background electrolyte (BGE) with an hydrophobicity-based mechanism also located in the BGE, the latter consisting of high concentrations (up to 0.4M) of aqueous perfluorinated acids (trifluoroacetic acid, pentafluoropropionic acid and heptafluorobutyric acid). Thus, concomitant with a CZE separation of the three differently charged groups of peptides, there is an hydrophobically-mediated separation of the peptides within these groups effected through interaction of the hydrophobic anions of the perfluorinated acids with hydrophobic amino acid side-chains in the peptides. This methodology is dramatically different from other CE methods that have used complexing agents such as micelles or cyclodextrins in MEKC. Overall, the results presented here demonstrate the value of CE as a peptide separative tool in its own right, including its use for proteomic applications, and not merely as a complementary technique to reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC).     

Separation of Compounds in Traditional Chinese Medicines Using Comprehensive Two Dimensional Chromatography

Traditional Chinese medicine is an invaluable treasure of the Chinese nationalities. Thousands of natural species that are of pharmaceutical importance have been accumulated. Most of them are plants. Traditional Chinese medicines generally are of unusual complexity. Even a single medicinal material may contain hundreds of compounds. Since these compounds play cooperative roles pharmacologically, it is essential to analyze all compounds as a whole. It is also important for quality controls in each step of productions, such as raw material collection, processing, and manufacturing. A comprehensive two-dimensional separation system coupling capillary high performance liquid chromatography with fast capillary electrophoresis (μ-HPLC-CE) is developed to provide a powerful means to separate such complex samples. In the first dimensional separation, a home-packed micro-HPLC column was used to reduce the consultation of sample injection and avoid sample dilution. The second dimensional analysis was carried out by micellar electrokinetic chromatography(MEKC) considering the fact that most compounds in Chinese medicine are neutrals. In order to achieve high-speed separation^ theory of fast MEKC was extensively studied. Models of the fast MEKC migration behaviors were established. Relationships of theoretical plates vs. electric field strength and column length were derived. It is concluded that maintaining certain column length and applying high-voltage at the ends of the capillary simultaneously are the key points to achieving fast MEKC separation. A pulse-contacting interface was developed for the 2-D μ-HPLC-CE system. CE sampling was carried out in an instant contact of HPLC and CE columns in an optimized timing program. During the short contact period, a certain fraction of HPLC effluent was introduced into the CE capillary. Injection efficiency for such an interface was up to 81%. Relative standard deviation (RSD) of migration times and peak heights for 100 consecutive MEKC. separation were 3.0% and 1.8%, respectively. With this novel 2-D μ-HPLC-CE system, some traditional Chinese medicines were analyzed and hundreds of peaks were observed. For liquorice, over 110 components were fairly resolved. More than 250 peaks were obtained for a compound mixture of Cheng-Qi-Tang. The peak capacity of this novel comprehensive 2-D HPLC-CE system was estimated to be about 2400 in 80 min.     

Hydrophobic labeling of amino acids: transient trapping-capillary/microchip electrophoresis

Transient trapping (tr-trapping) was developed as one of the on-line sample preconcentration techniques to improve a low concentration-sensitivity in microchip electrophoresis (MCE), providing highly effective preconcentration and separation based on the trap-and-release mechanism. However, a poor performance to hydrophilic analytes limited the applicability of tr-trapping. To overcome this drawback, tr-trapping was combined with a sample labeling using a hydrophobic reagent in CE. Three commercially available fluorescent dyes, fluorescein isothiocyanate, succinimidyl esters of Alexa Fluor 488 and BODIPY FL-X, were tested as derivatization reagents to increase the hydrophobicity of amino acids (AAs) that were undetectable due to no fluorescence/UV-absorbance. As a result, it was confirmed that BODIPY labeling allowed various AAs to be analyzed in tr-trapping-micellar electrokinetic chromatography (tr-trapping-MEKC) by the increase in the hydrophobicity. In tr-trapping-MEKC, both the improvement of the resolution and 106-125-fold enhancements of the detectability of labeled AAs were achieved relative to the conventional capillary zone electrophoresis. The limit of detection of labeled phenylalanine was improved from 800 to 5 pM by applying tr-trapping-MEKC. In tr-trapping-microchip MEKC, furthermore, an 80-160-fold enhancement of the peak intensity and a baseline separation was also achieved within 30 s. These results clearly demonstrate that the tr-trapping technique with hydrophobic labeling will make CE/MCE more sensitive for various analytes.     

Surfactant-assisted pressurized liquid extraction for determination of flavonoids from Costus speciosus by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), a mode of capillary electrophoresis (CE), is considered an efficient analytical technique allowing for the reduction of organic solvent consumption during the experimental procedure. However, during sample preparation of natural products, the usage of large amount of organic solvent is generally unavoidable. In this article, therefore, a fast, simple, efficient, highly automatic and organic solvent-free sample preparation method, namely surfactant-assisted pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), was developed for the extraction of flavonoids in Costus speciosus flowers before MEKC analysis. The various experimental parameters such as the type and concentration of surfactant, and extraction time were evaluated systematically. Under the optimized conditions, the extraction efficiencies of surfactant-assisted PLE methods were comparable with Soxhlet extraction using organic solvent. The combination of surfactant-assisted PLE and MEKC was shown to be a green, rapid and effective approach for extraction and analysis of flavonoids in C. speciosus flowers.     

Application of protein-liposome conjugate as a pseudo-stationary phase in capillary electrophoresis

Liposomes have very similar structure to cell plasma membranes. Using liposomes as stationary phase in liquid chromatography (LC) or micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) has been demonstrated to be a good, dynamic method for the study of the interaction between cell membranes and important biomolecules. There has been no report on integrating plasma membrane proteins with phospholipids as pseudo-stationary phase in MEKC. In this paper, a novel mode of capillary electrophoresis (CE) is developed, that is, protein-liposome conjugate. This protein-liposome biomimetic membrane is demonstrated for the first time to be applicable as pseudo-stationary phase in MEKC. The protein is able to significantly improve chromatographic performance and stability. The experimental phenomena are further confirmed in terms of specific capacity factors and free binding energy. This new CE mode is used to investigate the interaction between dopamine transporter and dopamine-nomifensine.     

Development of a capillary electrophoretic method for the separation of diastereoisomers of a new human immunodeficiency virus protease inhibitor

A capillary electrophoretic (CE) method was developed for the separation of diastereoisomers of a new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease inhibitor TMC114. In total 16 isomers of this drug have been synthesized (eight pairs of enantiomers). We succeeded in the separation of the eight diastereoisomers, but no enantiomers could be separated. Because of the high similarity and water-insolubility of these isomers, the separation is a real challenge. Different CE modes were tried out: capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE), micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC), and microemulsion electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEEKC). Only MEEKC offered resolution of these compounds.     

毛细管电泳新型手性分离体系研究进展

在现代分离科学中,手性化合物的分离分析一直是研究的重点和难点。相比于高效液相色谱（HPLC）、气相色谱（GC）等传统色谱分析方法,毛细管电泳（CE）技术凭借其高效率、低消耗、分离模式多样化等诸多优势,已经发展成为手性分离研究领域最有应用前景的分析方法之一。近年来,研究人员在CE手性分析方法的构建过程中,基于毛细管电动色谱（EKC）、配体交换毛细管电泳（LECE）、毛细管电色谱（CEC）等各种基础电泳模式,不断地对传统手性分离体系进行优化和改造,构建出了许多高性能的新型手性CE分离体系。如利用各类功能化离子液体以"手性离子液体协同拆分""手性离子液体配体交换""离子液体手性选择剂"等模式设计出多种基于离子液体的CE手性分离体系;利用纳米材料独特的尺寸效应、多样性、可设计性等特点,直接或与传统手性选择剂有机结合构建CE手性分离体系。此外,金属有机骨架材料修饰、低共熔溶剂修饰、非连续分段式部分填充等各式新颖的CE手性分离体系也都被研究人员成功开发,并表现出较大的发展潜力。该综述将对近年来（尤其是2015~2019年）此类新型CE手性分离体系的发展状况进行梳理,并结合相应的手性识别机理研究和手性CE方法实际应用情况,对该领域存在的问题及发展前景进行分析和展望。     

Determination of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in human specimens by capillary zone electrophoresis and micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Therapeutic drug monitoring of anti-inflammatory drugs is necessary for the identification of the agents that cause toxic events and for the decision on the treatment for intoxication. Recently, capillary electrophoresis (CE) has been developed for the simple and rapid analyses of a variety of chemical agents. Micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) can separate acidic, neutral and basic anti-inflammatory drugs in serum. Furthermore, serum samples are directly applied to the CE system without any pretreatments, and some anti-inflammatory drugs can be separated from serum albumin in the MEKC analysis. On the other hand, capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) enables us to determine a few microg/mL levels of acidic anti-inflammatory drugs with simple running buffer and stacking technique. A rapid and simultaneous determination of several analgesic anti-inflammatory agents, including ibuprofen, acetaminophen, indomethacin, and salicylic acid in human serum has been developed by using CZE. Therefore, the CZE and MEKC analysis may become a potentially useful alternative to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) for therapeutic drug monitoring, particularly in serum of patients suffering from intoxication by overdosage of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents.     

Investigation of solvent effects in capillary electrophoresis for the separation of biological porphyrin methyl esters

The effects of organic solvents on the capillary electrophoresis (CE) separation of a number of important biological porphyrin methyl esters - six weakly basic, hydrophobic cyclic tetrapyrroles possessing two and four to eight methyl ester groups around the periphery of the porphyrin ring - were investigated in the mode of micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC), and nonaqueous CE. In aqueous MEKC, partial separation of the six neutral porphyrin methyl esters was obtained with an organic modifier (acetonitrile) in the concentration range between 20 and 40%, in which sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) molecules might be present in the form of SDS micelles and/or SDS micelle-like aggregates. Relatively stable SDS micelles can be formed in nonaqueous MEKC using formamide as the separation medium, but the separation of the target analytes remained unsatisfactory. Improved resolution of all six porphyrin methyl esters was obtained using MEEKC with the running buffer consisting of 0.8% w/w n-heptane (oil phase), 2.25% w/w SDS and 1.0% w/w Brij 35 (mixed surfactant), 6.6% w/w 1-butanol (cosurfactant), and 30% v/v 2-propanol (second cosurfactant), but reproducibility in terms of peak areas for certain porphyrins (especially uroporphyrin I octamethyl ester) was found to be very poor. Best separation performances were achieved with nonaqueous CE separations in which the weakly basic porphyrin methyl esters were protonated under strongly acidic conditions (e.g., using 10 mM perchloric acid) in mixed organic solvents. For example, using a 50:50 mixture of methanol and acetonitrile as the separation medium, baseline separation of all six (positively charged) porphyrin methyl esters can be obtained within 3 min and the average precision (RSD, N = 13) in terms of migration time and peak area were 0.55 and 2.16%, respectively.     

Capillary electrophoretic and micellar electrokinetic separations of asymmetric dimethyl-L-arginine and structurally related amino acids: quantitation in human plasma

We report the development of efficient electrophoretic methods for the separation and quantification of L-arginine and six naturally occurring derivatives that are structurally and functionally related. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) employing a concentrated borate buffer at pH 9.4 achieves the separation of mixtures containing dimethyl-L-arginine, NG-monomethyl-L-arginine, L-arginine, L-homoarginine, L-ornithine, and L-citrulline as 4-fluoro-7-nitrobenzofurazan derivatives. In addition, the separation of the isomeric dimethyl-L-arginine derivatives (symmetric and asymmetric) is attained with baseline resolution by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) when a high concentration of deoxycholic acid is added as a surfactant to the same running buffer. The influence of buffer type, concentration, and pH on the separation was studied to optimize separation conditions. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) for asymmetric dimethyl-L-arginine in aqueous solution was determined to be 20 microM using UV absorption in a CE separation and 0.1 microM using laser induced fluorescence (LIF) detection in an MEKC separation. This newly developed method was successfully applied for the quantitation of asymmetric dimethyl-L-arginine and L-arginine in human plasma samples at levels that might be used as a clinical diagnostic for cardiovascular disease (0.125 microM LOQ).     

Comparative study of capillary zone electrophoresis and micellar electrokinetic chromatography for the separation of twelve aromatic sulphonate compounds

Summary Two modes of capillary electrophoresis (CE), capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), were investigated for the separation of 12 aromatic sulphonate compounds. In CZE, although the voltage applied, the buffer concentration and the pH were optimized for effective separation of the compounds studied, under the best conditions four of the five amino compounds coeluted, as did naphthalene-1-sulphonic acid and naphthalene-2-sulphonic acid. In MEKC, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and Brij 35 were chosen as the anionic and nonionic surfactants and the effect of the concentration of micelles was examined. The effect of adding methanol as the organic modifier was also investigated with each of these micellar systems. All the analytes, including the isomers, were completely separated by use of MEKC with Brij 35 but when SDS was used only 11 compounds were separated because two amino compounds coeluted.