Microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography for separation and analysis of curcuminoids in turmeric samples

Microemulsion EKC (MEEKC) was developed for quantitative analysis of curcuminoids, such as curcumin (C), demethoxycurcumin (D), and bis-demethoxycurcumin (B). MEEKC separation of curcuminoids was optimized, and a change in resolution was explained using a modified equation for resolution in MEEKC without electroosmosis. The suitable MEEKC conditions for separation of curcuminoids were obtained to be the microemulsion buffer containing 50 mM phosphate buffer at pH 2.5, 1.1% v/v n-octane as oil droplets, 180 mM SDS as surfactant, 890 mM 1-butanol as cosurfactant, and 25% v/v 2-propanol as organic cosolvent; applied voltage of -15 kV; and separation temperature 25 degrees C. Achieved baseline resolution of C:D and D:B was obtained with R(s) -2.4 and analysis time within 18 min. In addition, high accuracy and precision of the method were obtained. This MEEKC method was used for quantitative determination of individual curcuminoids in medicinal turmeric capsules and powdered turmeric used as coloring additive in food, with simple sample preparation such as solvent extraction, dilution, and filtration, and without cleaning up by SPE.     

Microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography of corticosteroids. Effect of surfactants and cyclodextrins on the separation selectivity

The separation of neutral hydrophobic corticosteroids (cortisone, cortisone acetate, hydrocortisone, hydrocortisone acetate, prednisolone and prednisolone acetate) by microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC) was studied. In the preparation of microemulsion, heptane was the solvent, n-butanol the co-surfactant and, as anionic surfactants, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or taurodeoxycholic acid sodium salt (STDC) were employed. Using an acidic running buffer, (phosphate pH 2.5) a strong suppression of the electroosmotic flow (EOF) was observed; this resulted in a fast anodic migration of the analytes partitioned into the negatively charged microemulsion droplets. Under these conditions, STDC showed better separation of corticosteroids than the conventional SDS; however, the use of a single anionic surfactant did not provide the required selectivity. The addition of the neutral surfactant polyoxyethylene glycol octadecyl ether (Brij 76) significantly altered the migration of each analytes allowing a better tuning of separation; however, in order to obtain adequate resolution between couples of adjacent critical peaks, the addition of neutral cyclodextrins (CDs) was found to be essential. This apparently complex system (CD-MEEKC), was optimized by studying the effect of the most important parameters affecting separation: STDC concentration, Brij 76 concentration, nature and concentration of cyclodextrins. Following a rational step-by-step approach, the optimised conditions providing the complete separation of the analytes were found to be: 4.0% STDC, 2.5% Brij 76, 6.6% n-butanol, 1.36% heptane and 85.54% of a solution 5 mM beta-CD in 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 2.5). The optimized system was preliminary applied to the detection of corticosteroids related substances at impurity level and it could be considered a useful orthogonal alternative to HPLC methods.     

Microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography separation by using hexane-in-water microemulsions without cosurfactant: comparison with MEKC

A new hexane-in-water microemulsion was investigated as buffer in microemulsion EKC (MEEKC). At difference with other microemulsions, the addition of cosurfactant was not necessary to stabilize the microemulsion. The proposed microemulsion was successfully used to achieve electrophoretic separation of seven antibiotics including nitroimidazoles, cephapirin and tetracyclines. Selectivity and separation efficiency achieved in MEEKC were compared with MEKC. MEEKC technique proved to be more efficient than MEKC for performing the separation of the analytes and the presence of microemulsions was found to be critical to achieve the separation of tetracyclines. The proposed microemulsion also points out that solvents with high volatility, such as hexane, can be stabilized and used as a microemulsion of SDS.     

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.     

Application of a multivariate approach for analyte focusing by micelle collapse‐micellar electrokinetic chromatography for analyzing sunscreen agents in cosmetics

The operating parameters that affect the performance of the online preconcentration technique “analyte focusing by micelle collapse‐MEKC (AFMC‐MEKC)” were examined using a multivariate approach involving experimental design to determine the sunscreen agents in cosmetics. Compared to the single‐variable approach, the advantage of the multivariate approach was that many factors could be investigated simultaneously to obtain the best separation condition. A fractional factorial design was used to identify the fewest significant factors in the central composite design (cCD). The cCD was adopted for evaluating the location of the minimum or maximum response in this study. The influences of the experimental variables on the response were investigated by applying a chromatographic exponential function. The optimized condition and the relationship between the experimental variables were acquired using the JMP software. The ANOVA analysis indicated that the Tris pH value, SDS concentration, and ethanol percentage influenced the separation quality and significantly contributed to the model. The optimized condition of the running buffer was 10 mM Tris buffer (pH 9.5) containing 60 mM SDS, 7 mM γ‐CD, and 20% v/v ethanol. The sample was prepared in 100 mM Tris buffer (pH 9.0) containing 7.5 mM SDS and 20% v/v ethanol. The SDS concentration in the sample matrix was slightly greater than the CMC value that makes the micelle be easily collapsed and the analytes be accumulated in the capillary. In addition, sunscreen agents in cosmetics after 1000‐fold dilution were successfully determined by AFMC‐MEKC.     

Determination of aromatic amines in environmental water sample by hollow fiber-liquid phase microextraction and microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography

A novel method of microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC) coupled with hollow fiber-liquid phase microextraction (HF-LPME) was developed for determination of six aromatic amines including 4-methylaniline, 3-nitroaniline, 2,4-dimethylaniline, 4-chloroaniline, 3,4-dichloraniline and 4-aminobiphenyl. Baseline separation of six aromatic amines was achieved within 8 min by using the microemulsion buffer containing a 10 mM borate buffer at pH 9.0, 0.8% (v/v) ethyl acetate as oil droplets, 60 mM sodium cholate as surfactant, 5.0% (v/v) 1-butanol as co-surfactant. The influence factors relevant to the HF-LPME process were systemically investigated. The obtained enrichment factors were ranged between 70 and 157 in a 30 min extraction time, and the limits of detection ranged between 0.0021 and 0.0048 μg/mL. This purposed method was successfully applied for the analysis of aromatic amines in water sample and the recoveries were ranged from 87.2% to 99.8%.     

离子液体对胶束电动色谱胶束微结构以及分离效果的影响

考察了离子液体对胶束电动色谱胶柬微结构以及分离效果的影响.研究结果表明,离子液体使胶束的表面电荷密度变小、粒径变大及其内核极性增大.以泼尼松、氢化可的松和泼尼松龙为分析对象,氢化可的松与泼尼松龙在十二烷基硫酸钠(SDS)胶束体系中不能实现分离.而在SDS-离子液体混合介质(20 mmol/L SDS-10 mmol/L...     

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.     

Multivariate evaluation of the separation performance in micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography of peptides: Optimization

Summary A simultaneous optimization of resolution, efficiency and migration times of enkephalin-related peptides in micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) was performed. Six experimental variables; the surfactant concentration, the percentage of organic modifier, the ionic strength of the buffer, the injected plug length, the applied temperature and the sample solution composition were studied via central composite design (CCD). Large differences in separation performance were observed at a commonly used level of organic modifier in the background electrolyte. Partial least squares regression of the responses revealed that the experimental domain was too large and complicated to be explained by the model. A new CCD model was obtained with improved prediction ability at narrower ranges of the experimental factors, especially of the organic modifier. A conflict between maximum resolution and efficiency within the shortest analysis time was observed. Therefore, constraints were set on maximal resolution and analysis time, while solving for maximum efficiency. Optimal operating conditions were found at 35 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), 5% v/v of acetonitrile, 1.9 mm injected plug length, 35°C and sample solution with no added micelles, giving high efficiency and resolution at short analysis time. The value predicted by the model was found to agree very well to the observed values, at the optimal experimental conditions, even on a new capillary.     

Multiobjective optimization strategy based on desirability functions used for the microemulsion liquid chromatographic separation and quantification of norfloxacin and tinidazole in plasma and formulations

The aim of the present study was to optimize a microemulsion liquid chromatography method for the simultaneous determination of norfloxacin and tinidazole binary mixture using a chemometric protocol. Optimization experiments were conducted through a process of screening and optimization. A 2^7‐4 fractional factorial design was used as screening design. While the location of optimum conditions was established by applying Derringer's desirability function. The optimal mobile phase composition was predicted to be: 3.5% w/v SDS, 10.03% v/v 1‐propanol, 0.5% v/v 1‐octanol, and 0.3% triethylamine in 0.02 M phosphoric acid at pH 6.5. The mobile phase was delivered isocratically at a flow rate of 1 mL/min with UV detection at 290 nm. Tinidazole and norfloxacin were eluted with retention times of 1.8 and 5.8 min, respectively. The calibration plots displayed good linear relationships in the concentration ranges of 0.5–50 and 0.75–75 μg/mL for norfloxacin and tinidazole, respectively. The method was successfully applied for determination of both drugs in pharmaceutical dosage forms and real human plasma. Where the accuracy was proved by the low values of % error and high values of recovery, also the relative standard deviation for the results did not exceed 1.5%, proving the precision of the method.     

On-line concentration of neutral analytes by complexation and acetonitrile sweeping in nonionic microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography with direct ultraviolet detection

To separate and detect neutral solutes in nonionic microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC), a novel method was developed, combining complex formation and acetonitrile (ACN) sweeping. In this report, dynamic borate complexation and on-line sweeping occurred simultaneously during a run. The operating parameters which affected the performance of analyte sweeping in nonionic MEEKC were examined in terms of borate complexation, ACN content, Brij-35 concentration and sample plug length. In addition, the validation of the method included tests of the limit of detection, reproducibility and sensitivity enhancement. 60–110-Fold of magnitude improvement in detection sensitivity for model compounds (ginsenoside Rf, ginsenoside Rb2, ginsenoside Re) using Brij-35 microemulsion was demonstrated. Furthermore, the method was applied to the determination of glucosides in the plant extract.     

基于均匀和正交试验设计的胶束电动毛细管色谱法同时测定消毒剂和抗抑菌产品中3种核苷类抗病毒药物

为防止消毒剂与抗抑菌产品中违规添加核苷类抗病毒药物,建立了胶束电动毛细管色谱（MEKC）同时分离测定消毒剂与抗抑菌产品中3种核苷类抗病毒药物（更昔洛韦、阿昔洛韦和喷昔洛韦）的新方法。通过3因素7水平均匀试验设计和4因素4水平的正交试验设计优化了十二烷基硫酸钠（SDS）、磷酸二氢钠（NaH₂PO₄）及硼砂（Na₂B₄O₇）在分离缓冲液中的浓度,最大限度地实现了3种核苷类抗病毒药物在短时间内的有效分离。以30.2 cm×50 μ m（有效长度为20 cm）未涂层熔融石英毛细管为分离柱,以25 mmol/L NaH₂PO₄+10 mmol/L Na₂B₄O₇（pH 7.41）+140 mmol/L（SDS）为分离缓冲溶液,分离电压为10 kV;进样压力为0.003 Pa,进样时间为4 s;检测波长为250 nm。3种抗病毒药物在一定的浓度范围内线性关系良好,相关系数r均不小于0.9995。3种抗病毒药物的检出限均为2.0 mg/kg,定量限均为7.0 mg/kg。低、中、高浓度加标回收率为85.4%~104.1%,相对标准偏差（RSD）均小于8.0%。该方法简便,快速,适于检测消毒剂与抗抑菌产品中更昔洛韦、阿昔洛韦和喷昔洛韦。     

Separation and simultaneous determination of seven bioactive components in Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. F. and Tripterygium preparations by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

A simple, comprehensive, and highly selective MEKC method has been developed for simultaneous analysis of seven bioactive components (triptolide, wilfortrine, wilfordine, wilforgine, wilforine, triptophenolide, and triptonide) in the root extracts of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. F. (TWHF) and Tripterygium preparations (TPs). Optimal BGE consisted of 10 mM sodium tetraborate, 30 mM SDS, and 30% v/v methanol. The separation voltage was 20 kV and the temperature was 25°C. A DAD was used and the detection wavelength was at 218 nm. Under the optimum conditions, the baseline separation of seven components was achieved in less than 26 min. Excellent precision, good stability, and accuracy were obtained. For all analytes, linear calibrations were established within 10–100 μg/mL. The LOD and LOQ were within 1.2–4.2 μg/mL and 4.0–14 μg/mL, respectively. The developed method was suitable for the determination of key components in TWHF and TPs.     

Quantitative analysis of flavonoids and phenolic acids in Arnica montana L. by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

Arnica montana preparations have been used in Europe for centuries to treat skin disorders. Among the biologically active ingredients in the flower heads of the plant are sequiterpenes, flavonoids and phenolic acids. For the simultaneous determination of compounds belonging to the latter two groups a micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) method was developed and validated. By using an electrolyte solution containing 50 mM borax, 25 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate and 30% of acetonitrile the separation of seven flavonoids and four caffeic acid derivatives was feasible in less than 20 min. The optimized system was validated for repeatability (σ_rel ≤ 4.4%), precision (inter-day σ_rel ≤ 8.13%, intra-day σ_rel ≤ 4.32%), accuracy (recovery rates from 96.8 to 102.4%), sensitivity (limit of detection (LOD) ≤ 4.5 μg mL⁻¹) and linearity (R² ≥ 0.9996), and then successfully applied to assay several plant samples. In all of them the most dominant flavonoid was found to be quercetin 3-O-glucuronic acid, whereas 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid was the major phenolic acid; the total content of flavonoids and phenolic acids varied in the samples from 0.60 to 1.70%, and 1.03 to 2.24%, respectively.     

Monitoring of cefepime in human serum and plasma by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography: Improvement of sample preparation and validation by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry

Cefepime monitoring in deproteinized human serum and plasma by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography and liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry in presence of other drugs is reported. For micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography, sample preparation comprised dodecylsulfate protein precipitation at pH 4.5 using an increased buffer concentration compared to that of a previous assay and removal of hydrophobic compounds with dichloromethane. This provided robust conditions for cefepime analysis in the presence of sulfamethoxazole and thus enabled its determination in samples of patients that receive cotrimoxazole. The liquid chromatography assay is based upon use of a column with a pentafluorophenyl‐propyl modified and multiendcapped stationary phase and the coupling to electrospray ionization with a single quadrupole detector. The performances of both assays with multilevel internal calibration were assessed with calibration and control samples and both assays were determined to be robust. Cefepime levels monitored by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography in samples from patients that were treated with cefepime only and with cefepime and cotrimoxazole were found to compare well with those obtained by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Cefepime drug levels determined by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography could thereby be validated.     

Determination of ticagrelol in rat plasma and tablets by micellar electrokinetic chromatography coupled with large volume sample stacking: Application to a pharmacokinetic study

A method using micellar electrokinetic chromatography coupled with large-volume sample stacking for the determination of ticagrelol was developed and validated. The analysis was performed in a fused silica capillary (41.5 cm effective length, 50 μm diameter) with ultraviolet detection at 195 nm. The background electrolytes were 30 mM phosphate buffer of pH 3.0 with 120 mM sodium dodecylsulfate and 10 % (v/v) acetonitrile (120 s X 50 mbar; 20°C; -18 kV) and 30 mM borate buffer of pH 8.5 with 75 mM sodium dodecylsulfate (120 s X 50 mbar; 20°C; 25 kV); under acidic and alkaline conditions, respectively. The method was found to be reliable with respect to specificity, linearity of the calibration line (R² > 0.99), repeatability (relative standard deviation 2.56%–3.34%), and accuracy (recovery in the range 101.21%–102.67%). The limits of detection and quantitation were 0.032, 0.071, and 0.087, 0.188 μg/mL, respectively. The method was successfully applied for the determination of ticagrelol concentrations in rat plasma and tablets with good recoveries and reproducibility. The presented method proved to be suitable for monitoring ticagrelor in rat plasma.     

Enantiomeric separation of ketoconazole and terconazole antifungals by electrokinetic chromatography: Rapid quantitative analysis of ketoconazole in pharmaceutical formulations

EKC using a neutral CD as chiral selector was applied in this work to the development of a method enabling the enantiomeric separation of ketoconazole and terconazole antifungals. The influence of different experimental conditions such as temperature, CD concentration, pH, and nature and concentration of the buffer on the enantiomeric resolution of the compounds studied was investigated. The use of 10 mM heptakis-(2,3,6-tri-O-methyl)-beta-CD in a 100 mM phosphate buffer (pH 3.5) with a temperature of 15 degrees C allowed the separation of the enantiomers of ketoconazole and terconazole with high resolution (R(s) > 2.0). The rapid separation of ketoconazole enantiomers with an analysis time less than 3 min was carried out after fitting some experimental parameters. The developed method was applied to the determination of ketoconazole in different pharmaceutical formulations.