Comparison of microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography and micellar electrokinetic chromatography methods for the analysis of phenolic compounds

In this study, microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC) and micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) were compared for their abilities to separate and detect thirteen phenolic compounds (syringic acid, p-coumaric acid, vanillic acid, caffeic acid, gallic acid, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, (+)-catechin, (-)-epigallocatechin, (-)-epicatechin gallate, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, (-)-epicatechin, and (-)-gallocatechin), and two other ingredients (caffeine and theophylline) in teas and grapes. Separation of phenolic compounds was improved by changing the SDS concentration for MEEKC, but the SDS concentration rarely affected the resolution for MEKC. Organic modifier (acetonitrile or methanol) was found to markedly influence the resolution and selectivity for both MEEKC and MEKC systems. In addition, a higher voltage and a higher column temperature improved the separation efficiency without any noticeable reduction in resolution for MEEKC whereas they caused a poor resolution for the MEKC system. Although separations with baseline resolution were achieved by the optimized MEEKC and MEKC methods, the separation selectivity resulting from the proposed MEEKC method was completely different from that of MEKC.     

Comparison of microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography and micellar electrokinetic chromatography as methods for the analysis of ten benzophenones

Microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC) and micellar electrokinetic chromatograpy (MEKC) were compared for their abilities to separate and detect ten similar benzophenones, which are commonly used as UV filters in various plastic and cosmetic products. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) concentration and column temperature rarely affected separation resolution for MEEKC, but separation of benzophenones could be improved by changing the SDS concentration and column temperature for MEKC. Buffer pH and ethanol (organic modifier) were found to markedly influence the separation selectivity for both MEEKC and MEKC systems. In addition, a higher electric voltage improved the separation efficiency without a noticeable reduction in separation resolution for MEEKC, whereas it caused a poor separation resolution for the MEKC system.     

Comparison of microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography and solvent modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography on rapid separation of heroin, amphetamine and their basic impurities

Microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC) and solvent modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) were investigated with the goal of the rapid separation of complex heroin and amphetamine samples. The rapid simultaneous separation of 17 species of heroin, amphetamine and their basic impurities and adulterants was performed within about 10 min using MEEKC for the first time, whereas solvent modified MEKCs were unable to resolve all the components. The comparisons between MEEKC and solvent modified MEKC proved internal lipophilic organic phase in microemulsions played an important role in improving the separation performance with respect to efficiency. However, the role of internal lipophilic organic phase in MEEKC was disgusted at high concentrations of cosurfactant, and the separations of MEEKC and 1-butanol modified MEKC became similar at high concentrations of 1-butanol. The evaluation of reproducibility, linearity and detection limit of optimized MEEKC method provided good results for all the analytes investigated, thus allowing its application to real controlled drug preparation analysis.     

Determination of itraconazole and hydroxyitraconazole in human serum and plasma by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

The electrokinetic separation of the hydrophobic antimycotic drug itraconazole (ITC) and its major metabolite, hydroxyitraconazole (HITC), by a binary aqueous-organic solvent medium containing sodium dodecylsulfate, by microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC) and by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) was studied. The results suggest that the first approach is difficult to apply and that there is no substantial difference between separations performed using MEEKC and MEKC modified with n-butanol. The simpler MEKC method is more than adequate and was thus employed for the analysis of ITC and HITC in human serum and plasma. Separation was achieved in plain fused-silica capillaries having a low-pH buffer (pH 2.2) with sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles and reversed polarity. The addition of 2-propanol and n-butanol enhanced analyte solubility and altered the selectivity of the separation by influencing the magnitude of the electrophoretic component in the separation mechanism. Under optimised conditions and using head-column field-amplified sample stacking, an internal standard, ITC and two forms of HITC could be separated in under 9 min, with detection limits less than 0.01 microg/mL. Analysis of samples from patients currently prescribed ITC revealed a different HITC peak area ratio to that of the standards, suggesting a stereoselective component of ITC metabolisation. Comparison of MEKC data with those of a HPLC method employed on a routine basis showed excellent agreement, indicating the potential of this approach for therapeutic drug monitoring of ITC.     

Comparing micellar electrokinetic chromatography and microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography for the analysis of preservatives in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products

In this study, separation and determination of nine preservatives ranging from hydrophilic to hydrophobic properties, which are commonly used as additives in various pharmaceutical and cosmetic products, by micellar electrokinetic chromatograpy (MEKC) and microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC) were compared. The effect of temperature, buffer pH, and concentration of surfactant on separation were examined. In MEKC, the separation resolution of preservatives improved markedly by changing the sodium dodecyl sulfate concentration. Temperature and pH of running buffers were used mainly to shorten the magnitude of separation time. However, in order to detect all preservatives in a single run in a MEEKC system, a microemulsion of higher pH was needed. The separation resolution was improved dramatically by changing temperature, and a higher concentration of SDS was necessary for maintaining a stable microemulsion solution, therefore the separation of the nine preservatives in MEEKC took longer than in MEKC. An optimum MEKC method for separation of the nine preservatives was obtained within 9.0 min with a running buffer of pH 9.0 containing 20 mM SDS at 25 degrees C. A separation with baseline resolution was also obtained within 16 min using a microemulsion of pH 9.5 which composed of SDS, 1-butanol, and octane, and a shorter capillary column at 34 degrees C. Finally, the developed MEKC and MEEKC methods determined successfully preservatives in various cosmetic and pharmaceutical products.     

Micellar and microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography of hop bitter acids

The elution order of the hop α- and β-acids has been studied under different modes of electrokinetic separation. A model is advanced to explain the shorter migration times of the more hydrophobic β-acids compared to the α-acids in micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC). For quality control of the bitter principles in hops, the ruggedness of electrokinetic separation could be improved by replacing MEKC by microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC).     

Optimised separation of endogenous urinary components using cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

In this study both native and chemically modified cyclodextrins (CDs) were investigated as buffer additives to improve the micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) separation of endogenous bioanalytes in human urine. The following CDs were investigated: alpha, beta, gamma-CDs; hydroxypropyl-alpha-CD, hydroxypropyl-beta-CD, methylated beta-CD, sulphated beta-CD, sulphobutyl ether-beta-CD and hydroxypropyl-gamma-CD. The separations were compared to MEKC without additives. The best improvement in peak resolution and separation of urine components was observed with the sulphated beta-CD. A four-factor three-level full factorial design study was conducted on voltage, temperature, pH and sulphated beta-CD molarity. The optimum conditions were 25 mM sodium tetraborate, pH 9.5, 75 mM sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and 6.25 mM sulphated beta-CD and were able to resolve 70 peaks from a urine pool in 12 min. These optimum conditions have been successfully applied to a number of clinical samples.     

Systematic investigations of different capillary electrophoretic techniques for separation of methylquinolines

The migration behaviour of isoquinoline, quinoline, and methyl derivatives of quinoline in different capillary electrophoretic modes has been systematically investigated. Optimised separation conditions were established by varying the key parameters (solvent, pH, temperature, surfactant concentration, core phase) for aqueous and non‐aqueous capillary zone electrophoresis (NACE), micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) with anionic or non‐ionic micelles (SDS, Brij 35), and microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC) with charged or uncharged microemulsion droplets. A separation of all quinolines could be achieved by MEEKC with charged droplets, by MEKC or by formamide‐based NACE. Comparing the separations with respect to separation selectivity, substantial changes in migration order could be observed between the different techniques. Regarding separation efficiency, the number of theoretical plates and limits of detection (LOD) have been compared. The best LODs were achieved using SDS as surfactant in MEKC, followed by MEEKC.     

毛细管微乳电动色谱应用的研究进展

近年来毛细管微乳电动色谱(MEEKC)研究的范围不断扩大,其分离分析的化合物类型也不断增多。该文综述了2002年以来MEEKC应用的研究进展,指出了目前MEEKC研究中存在的一些问题,对今后的研究发展方向进行了展望。     

Predicting and evaluating separation quality of micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography by artificial neural networks

Computer-aided optimization of micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) separations was demonstrated by artificial neural networks (ANNs) using a Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm and an orthogonal experimental design. A novel criterion, named Q, for evaluating the separation quality of MEKC was firstly presented, which considered both separation selectivity and analysis time. MEKC separation conditions of seven plant hormones were then simulated and optimized using ANNs based on this novel criterion. The result was further compared to that obtained using ANNs based on a traditionally used criterion of overall normalization resolution (named r). Finally, the separation under optimum conditions predicted by ANNs using the criterion Q was compared to, and proved to be better than that obtained by empirical step-by-step optimization procedures. This method may also be adapted to other separation methods due to its generality.     

Separation of hydrophobic solutes by organic-solvent-based micellar electrokinetic chromatography using cation surfactants

In this study, the separation of 13 homologous stick-like hydrophobic solutes, i.e., biphenyl nitrile derivatives, by organic-solvent-based micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) was investigated in terms of separation medium composition, species and concentration of surfactant, other additives, separation voltage and temperature. The results showed that the 13 strong hydrophobic compounds were baseline separated in 25 min with a repeatability of less than 1.3% (RSD) for migration time. The separation medium was a mixture of methanol, 2-propanol and water (58.5:10:31.5), containing 150 mM cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and 20 mM sodium borate. Variety of solvent composition, temperature and applied voltage all showed remarkable effect on the separation. The organic-solvent-based MEKC method proved to be superior to the aqueous MEKC and microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC) methods for the separation of strongly hydrophobic compounds.     

Enantioseparation of esbiothrin by cyclodextrin‐modified microemulsion and micellar electrokinetic chromatography

A comparison between chiral cyclodextrin‐modified microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (CD‐MEEKC) and cyclodextrin‐modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography (CD‐MEKC) for the enantiomeric separation of esbiothrin was carried out. For both methods, the separation conditions were optimized by varying CD types and concentration, running buffer pH and compositions, organic modifiers, and temperature. The optimal CD‐MEEKC conditions were 0.8% n‐heptane, 2.3% SDS, 6.6% n‐butanol, 90.3% 10 mM sodium tetraborate containing 3% (w/v, the ratio of CD mass to microemulsion volume) methyl‐β‐cyclodextrin, pH 10, 25°C. The optimized CD‐MEKC conditions were 3.3% SDS, 96.7% 10 mM sodium tetraborate containing 5% (w/v) β‐CD, pH 10, 25°C. The difference in physicochemical properties of the buffer and CDs resulted in different optimal CD type. The competitive distribution between the microemulsion (or micelle) and chiral CD contributed to the chiral separation. Both methods provided excellent separation (R_s ～? 3) with similar migration time (ca. 15 min). CD‐MEEKC provided higher separation efficiencies (>300000) than CD‐MEKC (>200000). The LODs for CD‐MEEKC and CD‐MEKC were 4.7 μg/mL and 3.2 μg/mL, respectively. The RSDs of migration time and peak area for CD‐MEEKC were slightly higher than for CD‐MEKC. Both the demonstrated CD‐MEEKC and CD‐MEKC methods provided high efficiencies, low LODs, and reproducible enantioseparations of esbiothrin.     

Simultaneous micellar electrokinetic chromatography and liquid chromatography of adriblastina and tarabine PFS Their application to some biological fluids

The current work presents analytical procedures for simultaneous determination of tarabine PFS and adriblastina by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) and liquid chromatography (LC). For MEKC analysis, separations and identifications were accomplished using uncoated fused-silica capillary with hydrodynamic injections in the presence of 50mM borate/phophate pH 8.7 and 100mM SDS. The migration times of tarabine PFS and adriblastina were found to be 2.70 and 6.40min, respectively. Calibration curves were established for 10-300ng/mL (r=0.998) tarabine PFS and for 8-120microg/mL (r=0.999) adriblastina. For LC analysis, separations were performed on teicoplanin stationary phase with reversed mobile phase containing methanol:buffer pH 4.05 (20:80%, v/v) at 285nm. The retention times of tarabine PFS and adriblastina were 5.18 and 7.20min, respectively. Calibration curves were established for 3-90microg/mL (r=0.998) tarabine PFS and for 10-120microg/mL (r=0.999) adriblastina. Both MEKC and LC methods were applied for the simultaneous determination of analytes in urine samples.     

Indirect laser-induced fluorescence detection of explosive compounds using capillary electrochromatography and micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Mixtures of nitroaromatic and nitramine explosive compounds and their degradation products were analyzed using electrokinetically driven separations with both indirect laser-induced fluorescence (IDLIF) and UV absorption detection. Complete separations of the 14-component mixture (EPA 8330) were achieved using both capillary electrochromatography (CEC) and micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC). IDLIF detection was performed using an epifluorescence system with excitation provided by a 635 nm diode laser and micromolar concentrations of the dye Cy-5 as the visualizing agent. While the sensitivity of the two detection methods was similar for the nitroaromatic compounds, the nitramines could only be detected using UV absorption due to their low fluorescence quenching efficiency of Cy-5. The detection sensitivity using IDLIF was limited by low frequency oscillations in the fluorescence background. The oscillations increased with higher electric field strength and were attributed to thermal fluctuations caused by Joule heating. Due to the more conductive running buffer and higher separation currents used in MEKC, sensitive IDLIF detection could only be achieved using low (approximately 100 V/cm) field strengths, resulting in long analysis times. CEC separations, which are typically run with low conductivity mobile phases to avoid bubble formation, are less sensitive to this effect. In CEC separations with IDLIF detection a stable fluorescence background using Cy-5 could be established using only a nonporous stationary phase. In capillaries packed with porous silica particles, anomalous migration behavior was observed with charged dye molecules and a stable fluorescence background could not be established under electrokinetic flow. This is the first demonstration of IDLIF in packed channel CEC.     

Chiral separations in microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography. Use of micelle polymers and microemulsion polymers

In this study, microemulsions of the chiral surfactant polysodium N-undecenoyl-D-valinate (poly-D-SUV) was utilized for enantiomeric separation by investigating two approaches using polymeric chiral surfactant in microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC). In the first approach, poly-D-SUV was used as an emulsifier surfactant along with 1-butanol and n-heptane. Enantioseparation of anionic or partially anionic binaphthyl derivatives, anionic barbiturates, and cationic paveroline derivatives were achieved by varying the mass fraction of 1-butanol, n-heptane and poly-D-SUV. For anionic or partially anionic analytes, relatively lower mass fractions of n-heptane, and poly-D-SUV were found to give optimum chiral separations as compared to that for cationic solutes. In the second approach, the chiral microemulsion polymer was prepared by polymerizing mixtures of 3.50% (w/w) of sodium N-undecenoyl-D-valinate (D-SUV) and 0.82% (w/w) of n-heptane (core phase) at varying concentration of 1-butanol. After polymerization, the n-heptane and 1-butanol were removed to yield solvent free microemulsion polymers (MPs) which were then utilized for the separation of anionic binaphthyl derivatives and anionic barbiturates. When MPs of D-SUV were utilized for chiral separation, 1.00% (w/w) 1-butanol and 3.50% (w/w) 1-butanol was optimum for enantioseparation of (+/-)-BNP and (+/-)-BOH, respectively. On the other hand, for anionic (+/-)-barbiturates very low concentration of butanol (0.25%, w/w) provided optimum resolution. Compared with micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), the use of micelle polymers or microemulsion polymers in MEEKC showed dramatic enhancement for resolution of (+/-)-BNP, while this enhancement was less dramatic for other binaphthyls [(+/-)-BOH, (+/-)-BNA] as well as for (+/-)-barbiturates and (+/-)-paveroline derivatives. However, higher separation efficiency of the enantiomers was always observed with MEEKC than in MEKC.     

Liquid crystals purity assay using nonaqueous capillary electrokinetic chromatography

A method for purity control of newly synthesized lactic acid–based liquid crystals has been developed. The electrokinetic chromatography proved to be suitable for the separation of these electroneutral substances from their impurities. The separations were performed in an acidic acetonitrile-based background electrolyte (BGE) with a pseudostationary phase formed by a cationic surfactant. During the optimization step, appropriate concentrations of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, acetic acid, and water were seeked. In the optimized method, separations were carried out in acetonitrile with 1-mol/L acetic acid, 80-mmol/L cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, and 6% (v/v) water. Interesting positive effects of a small water content in the BGE on electroosmotic flow and resolution of liquid crystal substances from their impurities were observed and discussed. Samples of five liquid crystal substances, both pure and containing impurities from synthesis, were analyzed. The identification of analytes was based on a comparison of relative migration times related to the migration time of mesityl oxide. For all five samples, impurities were separated from the liquid crystals and the method thus showed its viability. To the best of our knowledge, this method is used for the first time for the purity control of newly synthesized liquid crystals. This method can be used to confirm or complement the results obtained by commonly used high-performance liquid chromatography and supercritical fluid chromatography methods. Furthermore, the electrokinetic chromatography method requires very small amounts of sample, solvents, and buffer constituents. Overall, its operational costs are significantly lower.     

二维毛细管区带电泳/胶束电动毛细管色谱分离尿样中的药物及其对映体

建立了毛细管区带电泳(CZE)/胶束电动毛细管色谱(MEKC)二维毛细管电泳分离平台,CZE毛细管和MEKC毛细管通过一段带微孔的聚四氟乙烯(polytetrafluoroethylene, PTFE)套管固定。样品在CZE毛细管中分离后进入MEKC毛细管进一步分离,在二维转换过程中采用动态pH连接-胶束扫集法避免第一维分离区带在接口处扩散。将该方法成功用于鼠尿样品中4种药物及其对映体的分离,各组分的理论塔板数为(2.8～4.3)×104/m,检出限为0.015～0.052 mg/L,实际样品中峰面积和迁移时间的相对标准偏差(n=7)分别为1.7%～3.8%和1.3%～4.6%。方法重现性好、灵敏度和分离度高、峰容量大,适用于尿样中多种药物组分及其对映体的同时分离检测。     

Capillaries modified by noncovalent anionic polymer adsorption for capillary zone electrophoresis, micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography and capillary electrophoresis mass spectrometry

A simple coating procedure for generation of a high and pH-independent electroosmotic flow in capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) is described. The bilayer coating was formed by noncovalent adsorption of the ionic polymers Polybrene and poly(vinylsulfonate) (PVS). A stable dynamic coating was formed when PVS was added to the background electrolyte. Thus, when the PVS concentration in the background electrolyte was optimized for CZE (0.01%), the EOF differed less than 0.3% after 54 runs. The electroosmotic mobility in the coated capillaries was (4.9+/-0.1) x 10(-4) cm2V(-1)s(-1) in a pH-range of 2-10 (ionic strength = 30 mM). When alkaline compounds were used as test substances intracapillary and intercapillary migration time variations (n = 6) were less than 1% relative standard deviation (RSD) and 2% RSD, respectively in the entire pH range. The coating was fairly stable in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate, and this made it possible to perform fast MEKC separations at low pH. When neutral compounds were used as test substances, the intracapillary migration time variations (n = 6) were less than 2% RSD in a pH range of 2-9. In addition to fast CZE and MEKC separations at low pH, analysis of the alkaline compounds by CE-MS was also possible.     

Comparison of micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography on fingerprint of Cnidium monnieri

In our studies, micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) was employed in fingerprint analysis of Cnidium monnieri for the first time. Average chromatography of 10 batches Cnidium monnieri from Jiangsu province, China, which have long been considered as the original and genuine herbal medicine, was first established as the characteristic fingerprint. Within 25 min the major effective components were separated by 18 mM borate, 12 mM phosphate and 50 mM SDS (pH 9.2) containing 20% methanol. The relative standard deviations of migration times and peak areas were less than 5%. As a new approach of fingerprint, MKCE was compared to the conventional approach-HPLC in our experiments. The fingerprint developed by HPLC comprised 8 peaks that were collected within 40 min. Relative standard deviation (RSD) values of retention times of corresponding peaks in HPLC analysis were very small (maximum 3% and average 0.9%). In conclusion, each two methods had its advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, besides HPLC, MEKC as a feasible method, could be used in the development of fingerprint of Cnidium monnieri.     

Determination of lignans in Schisandra chinensis using micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

Micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) has been developed as a promising method for the determination of lignans in plant samples. The separation conditions have been optimized with respect to the different parameters including sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and acetonitrile concentration, pH of the background electrolyte, separation voltage, and capillary temperature. The background electrolyte consisting of 40 mM SDS and 35% acetonitrile in 10 mM tetraborate buffer (pH 9.3) was found to be the most suitable electrolyte for this analysis. The applied voltage of 28 kV (positive polarity) and the capillary temperature 25 degrees C gave the best separation of lignans. The interday reproducibility of the peak areas and the migration times was below 2.0%. The results of MEKC analyses were compared with those obtained by capillary electrochromatography (CEC) and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The possibilities of using this method for the determination of lignans in drug and in serum samples were also tested.