Comparison of two sample preconcentration strategies for the sensitivity enhancement of flavonoids found in Chinese herbal medicine in micellar electrokinetic chromatography with UV detection

Two on-column preconcentration techniques named stacking with reverse migrating micelles (SRMM) and anion selective electrokinetic injection and a water plug-sweeping with reverse migrating micelles (ASIW-sweep-RMM) were used and compared for concentration and separation of flavonoids in Chinese herbs using reverse migration micellar electrokinetic chromatography (RM-MEKC). The optimal background electrolyte (BGE) used for separation and preconcentration was a solution composed of 20mM phosphoric acid (H(3)PO(4))-100mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-20% (v/v) acetonitrile (ACN) buffer (pH 2.0), the applied voltage was -15kV. To achieve reasonable results of the two techniques, the conditions which affected preconcentration were examined. A comparison of used techniques with normal hydrodynamic injection (5s), concerning enhancement factors and limits of detection (LODs) was presented. Under the optimum stacking conditions, about 27-37- and 45-194-fold improvement in the detection sensitivity was obtained for SRMM and ASIW-sweep-RMM, respectively, compared to usual hydrodynamic sample injection (5s). The LODs (S/N=3) for SRMM and ASIW-sweep-RMM in terms of peak height, can reach down to 1.15 x 10(-2) microg/ml for hesperetin and 2.4 x 10(-3) microg/ml for nobiletin, respectively. Finally, the amounts of the six flavonoids in extract of Fructus aurantii Immaturus were successfully determined using ASIW-sweep-RMM. The six analytes were baseline separated with sample matrix under the optimum ASIW-sweep-RMM conditions and the experimental results showed that preconcentration was well achieved after the dilution of sample solutions.     

A novel reverse migration micellar electrokinetic chromatography method for in-capillary screening and quantifying of antioxidant components in Sanyetangzhiqing using 2,2′-Azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate) as oxidation-free radical

A novel method of reverse migration micellar electrokinetic chromatography (RM-MEKC) using 2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate) as oxidation-free radical was developed to screen the major antioxidants from Sanyetangzhiqing (SYTZQ), which is a new patent drug for diabetes. For simultaneous detection and separation of 2,2′-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) ammonium salt (ABTS⁺) and chemical components of SYTZQ, the key factors were optimized and the method was validated under the optimal conditions. All the relative standard deviations of recovery, precision, and stability were below 6.6%. Based on these, the RM-MEKC method has been successfully used to screen the main antioxidants from SYTZQ tablets. Five compounds, including rosmarinic acid, salvianolic acid B, lithospermic acid, hyperoside, and isoquercetin, were separated and identified as the major antioxidants. There was a linear relationship with correlation coefficient of 0.923 between the total amount of major antioxidants and total antioxidative activity of SYTZQ. Consequently, these five ingredients could be selected as combinatorial markers for quality control of SYTZQ, and the established method was concluded to be a simple, reliable, and powerful tool to screen and quantify active compounds for quality evaluation of SYTZQ.     

Sample stacking for the analysis of eight penicillin antibiotics by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

We studied the use of micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography for separating eight penicillins. The method consists of (i) an electrophoretic separation based on micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography, which uses sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as surfactant; (ii) a sample stacking technique called reverse electrode polarity stacking mode (REPSM); and (iii) direct UV detection. The background electrolyte that gave complete separation contained 20 mM sodium borate buffer and 60 mM SDS. The sensitivity of the method was improved by an enrichment step that used on-column stacking. The limits of detection were at the microg.L(-1) level for the penicillins and did not detract from the peak resolution.     

Separation and analysis of cis-diol-containing compounds by boronate affinity-assisted micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Cis-diol-containing compounds (CDCCs) are usually highly hydrophilic compounds and are therefore difficult to separate by conventional reversed-phase-based micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) due to poor selectivity. Here, we report a new method, called boronate affinity-assisted micellar electrokinetic chromatography (BAA-MEKC), to solve this issue. A boronic acid with a hydrophobic alkyl chain was added to the background electrolyte, which acted as a modifier to adjust the selectivity. CDCCs can covalently react with the boronic acid to form negatively charged surfactant-like complexes, which can partition into micelles formed with a cationic surfactant. Thus, CDCCs can be separated according to the differential partition constants of their boronic acid complexes between the micellar phase and the surrounding aqueous phase. To verify this method, eight nucleosides were employed as the test compounds and their separation confirmed that the combination of boronate affinity interaction with MEKC can effectively enhance the separation of CDCCs. The effects of experimental conditions on the separation were investigated. Finally, the BAA-MEKC method was applied to the separation and analysis of nucleosides extracted from human urine. BAA-MEKC exhibited better selectivity and improved separation as compared with conventional MEKC and CZE. Successful quantitative analysis of urinary nucleosides by BAA-MEKC was demonstrated.     

Characterization of anacardic acids by micellar electrokinetic chromatography and mass spectrometry

A possibility of using capillary electrophoresis for separation of anacardic acids (6-alkylsalicylic acids) has been studied. Conventional micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) in non-coated fused silica capillaries and reversed-flow micellar electrokinetic chromatography (RF-MEKC) in capillaries coated with polydimethylacrylamide was applied for separation of anacardic acids extracted from cashew nuts. Influence of the composition of background electrolyte on the resolution of anacardic acid isomers was evaluated. Separations were performed using sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) micelles and mixed micelles of SDS and polyoxyethylene lauryl ether as a pseudostationary phase. To further improve the separation in RF-MEKC, beta-cyclodextrin and a dual cyclodextrin system of beta-cyclodextrin with heptakis-6-sulphato-beta-cyclodextrin was added to the working electrolyte. Best separation of anacardic acids were achieved in the polydimethylacrylamide-coated capillary using 10 mM phosphate background electrolyte pH 6.5 with addition of 1 M urea, 20% acetonitrile, 10 mM of beta-cyclodextrin and 1 mM of heptakis-6-sulfo-beta-cyclodextrin. Mass spectrometry was used for the identification of anacardic acids in the extract from cashew nuts in single and tandem mode using Q-TOF instrument. Nine anacardic acids were identified in the extract form the cashew nuts.     

Optimization of separation and migration behavior of chloropyridines in micellar electrokinetic chromatography

The separation and migration behavior of pyridine and eight chloropyridines, including three monochloropyridines, four dichloropyridines, and 2,3,5-trichloropyridine were investigated by micellar electrokinetic chromatography using either sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as an anionic surfactant or SDS-Brij 35 mixed micelles. Various parameters such as buffer pH, SDS concentration, Brij 35 concentration and methanol content that affect the separation were optimized. Complete separation of these chloropyridines was optimally achieved with a phosphate buffer containing SDS (30 mM) and methanol (10%, v/v) at pH 7.0. The resolution and selectivity of analytes could be considerably affected by the addition of methanol and/or Brij 35 to the background electrolyte. The migration order of these chloropyridines depends primarily on their hydrophobicity. However, electrostatic interactions may also play a significant role in the determination of the migration order of the positional isomers of chloropyridines.     

Separation of cold medicine ingredients by capillary electrophoresis

This study demonstrates the separation of cold medicine ingredients (e.g., phenylpropanolamine, dextromethorphan, chlorpheniramine maleate, and paracetamol) by capillary zone electrophoresis and micellar electrokinetic chromatography. Factors affecting their separations were the buffer pH and the concentrations of buffer, surfactant and organic modifiers. Optimum results were obtained with a 10 mM sodium dihydrogen-phosphate-sodium tetraborate buffer containing 50 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and 5% methanol (MeOH), pH 9.0. The carrier electrolyte gave a baseline separation of phenylpropanolamine, dextromethorphan, chlorpheniramine maleate, and paracetamol with a resolution of 1.2, and the total migration time was 11.38 min.     

Reversed migration micellar electrokinetic chromatography with off-line and on-line concentration analysis of phenylurea herbicides

Three environmentally important phenylurea herbicides (monuron, isoproturon, diuron) were separated in reversed migration micellar electrokinetic chromatography (RM-MEKC) using 50 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate, 50 mM phosphoric acid, and 15 mM gamma-cyclodextrin. Three on-line concentration techniques are then evaluated to increase the detection sensitivity of the RM-MEKC system. Stacking with reverse migrating micelles (SRMM, water as the sample solvent) provided the best results among the focusing techniques studied. Using a z-shaped detection cell, more than 500-fold increase in peak height is obtained. As a sample preparation and off-line concentration method, solid-phase extraction (SPE) that further improved detection sensitivity was used in the analysis of spiked tap and pond water. For example, 1 parts per billion of each herbicide spiked in tap or pond water was detected by MEKC after SPE and SRMM.     

Micellar electrokinetic chromatographic study of hydroquinone and some of its ethers. Determination of hydroquinone in skin-toning cream.

The separation of hydroquinone and some of its ether derivatives was studied by micellar electrokinetic chromatography with sodium dodecyl sulphate as an anionic surfactant in the background electrolyte. The optimized method was used for the determination of hydroquinone in a sample of skin-toning cream. On-column detection at 254 nm with caffeine as an internal standard gave good quantitative results.     

胶束电动色谱法分离与测定己烯雌酚片剂中的有效成分

建立了一种用来分离测定己烯雌酚的胶束电动色谱法,。通过对十二烷基硫酸钠、胆酸钠、脱氧胆酸钠3种表面活性剂进行比较,选定以60mmol/LSDS 10mmol/L硼砂的水溶液作为背景电解质溶液,研究了不同pH对分离己烯雌酚的影响。该方法被应用于测定己烯雌酚片剂中有效成分的含量。     

不同缓冲体系对毛细管电泳法分离15种核苷类化合物效果的比较

对毛细管电泳法分离15种核苷类化合物所用的不同缓冲液体系进行了系统比较,确定不同模式毛细管电泳法分析多种核苷类化合物的最适合背景缓冲液体系(BGE)。分别以四硼酸钠、磷酸氢二钠、乙酸钠、碳酸氢钠、乙酸铵和乙二胺(DEA)为背景电解质,对毛细管区带电泳(CZE)、毛细管电泳-电喷雾飞行时间质谱(CE-ESI-TOF/MS)以及胶束电动毛细管电泳(MEKC)3种模式进行比较,并对其中几种优势缓冲体系进行了优化。结果表明,CZE模式下使用四硼酸钠和磷酸氢二钠缓冲体系无法同时分离15种核苷类化合物,因此只适用于分析核苷类化合物数量较少的样品。而使用含有2%丙酮的300 mmol/L DEA能完全分开15种核苷类化合物,且分辨率和峰形良好。MEKC模式下,以25 mmol/L磷酸氢二钠(添加70 mmol/L十二烷基磺酸钠(SDS))为缓冲盐的分离结果最佳,并且此方法能成功应用于海洋生物海葵中核苷类化合物的分离。CE-ESI-TOF/MS分析中,以20 mmol/L乙酸铵(pH 10.0)为背景电解质,正离子模式检测,15种核苷类化合物的质谱信号均良好,检测灵敏度明显优于文献中报道的使用DEA缓冲体系的结果。本研究阐明了不同缓冲体系对15种核苷类化合物分离的适用性,为毛细管电泳技术在复杂基质中多种核苷类化合物的分离方法中的应用奠定了基础。     

肽脂质在毛细管胶束电动色谱中的应用

以自主合成的肽脂质(N C5Gly2C16)作为表面活性剂进行毛细管胶束电动色谱(MEKC)研究。测定了不同pH值条件下的迁移时间窗口,并且与十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(CTAB)为准固定相的MEKC模式对比,考察了硫脲的保留行为。结果表明,肽脂质可以在较低的浓度下形成胶束,具有背景较低的特征。在优化条件下,采用此系统成功分离了石芽茶提取物,说明以肽脂质作为表面活性剂的MEKC系统具有特殊的分离选择性。     

Optimization of solid-phase extraction and solid-phase microextraction for the determination of alpha- and beta-endosulfan in water by gas chromatography-electron-capture detection

The electrophoretic behaviour of ionizable and neutral alkylxanthines commonly used in pharmaceutical preparations was studied. The performance of various separation modes including capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), cyclodextrin electrokinetic chromatography, and micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) with either sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or bile salts as surfactants, was assessed. CZE in an alkaline medium successfully separates ionizable xanthines and dyphylline. The addition of carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin to the background electrolyte allows only partial resolution of neutral xanthines. Based on MEKC results, bile salts exhibit more discrimination ability than SDS to separate similar xanthines. The best results are provided by taurodeoxycholic acid, which ensures baseline separation of xanthines.     

Highly efficient separation of isomeric epoxy fatty acids by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

A capillary electrophoresis (CE) method has been developed for simple and direct separation of cis- and trans-12,13-epoxy-9(Z)-octadecenoic acid and 9,10-epoxy-12(Z)-octadecenoic acid isomers. Separation was performed in micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) using a buffer consisting of 25 mM borate (pH 9.20), 10 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and 10% v/v acetonitrile. The key variables, concentrations of SDS and organic modifier, were optimized by the application of a factorial experimental design. The use of a low micellar concentration, just above critical micelle concentration (CMC), in a background electrolyte containing an organic modifier not only made it possible to dissolve and separate highly hydrophobic fatty acid isomers, but also resulted in improved separation efficiency and selectivity. Separation efficiency up to 4 x 10(5) theoretical plates/m was achieved under an optimized condition. Also investigated were the influence of temperature on separation and the effect of organic modifier concentration on the dynamic exchange of the analytes between micelles and the bulk of the buffer solution. Direct UV was applied for detection of the fatty acids.     

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).     

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography systems for the separation of mixtures of charged and uncharged compounds

In this study, the migration behavior of charged and uncharged analytes was investigated under different conditions. Effective mobilities - electrophoretic mobilities under the influence of micelles - of cations, anions, and neutrals were measured at neutral, basic, and acidic pH (7.5, 11, and 2.2) using background electrolytes containing different sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) concentrations (0-90 mM) and acetonitrile (ACN) proportions (0-75%). SDS concentration and ACN proportion were found to have a tremendous effect on the effective mobilities and migration order of the model compounds. Although the SDS micelles preferably interact with neutrals and cations, hydrophobic bonds can also occur with anions. Cations, anions, and neutrals having rather different migration behaviors, it is possible to considerably enhance the selectivity of the method by adjusting properly the SDS concentration and the ACN proportion. These observations confirm the interest of using micellar electrokinetic chromatography not only for the separation of neutral substances but also to analyze charged compounds.     

Retention modeling and resolution optimization for a group of N-phenylpyrazole derivatives in micellar electrokinetic chromatography using empirical and physicochemical models

The optimization of the separation resolution for a group of N-phenylpyrazole derivatives in micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) as a function of the separation buffer composition (surfactant and organic modifier concentration) has been performed. In order to achieve our purpose, the first step has been the prediction of the migration times of the electroosmotic flow (t(0)) and micelles (t(m)), and the retention factors of solutes (k), as a function of surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate) and alcohol (n-propanol or n-butanol) concentrations, by means of empirical equations. Also, some physicochemical models have been applied to relate the retention factors to the surfactant and the organic modifier concentrations in order to optimize the separation resolution and to increase our knowledge of the separation process. Finally, a comparison of the resolution optimization through the use of the physicochemical and empirical models selected has been made in order to obtain the optimum separation buffer composition for the separation of a group of 17 N-phenylpyrazole derivatives as test solutes.     

Separation of metal ions and metal-containing species by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography, including utilisation of metal ions in separations of other species

The use of micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) for the separation of metal ions and metal-containing species is reviewed, together with the use of metal ions as a means to separate other species. Topics covered include the manipulation of separation selectivity through the use of complexation reactions induced by addition of a metal ion to the background electrolyte, enantiomeric separations facilitated through metal-analyte interactions, separation of organometallic species, separation of stable metal complexes in which the entire complex is the analyte and the separation of metal ions as analytes using pre-capillary or on-capillary complexation reactions with a suitable ligand.     

Study on the systematic optimization of capillary electrophoresis using a controlled weighted centroid variable size simplex algorithm

The systematic optimization of capillary electrophoretic separations using a dynamic scouting optimum method-controlled weighted centroid variable size simplex algorithm is described. The factors affecting the efficiency of the separation are simultaneously considered during the optimization procedures. The established optimization method is applied to amino acid separation by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with on-column indirect UV detection and to the separation of local anesthetics by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MECC) with on-column UV detection. The optimization procedures include the pH and the background absorption electrolyte (BGAE) concentrations together with the applied voltage in the CZE separation of amino acids. The pH, the SDS concentrations together with the percentage of methanol are considered in the MECC separation of local anesthetics. Two methods, i.e., the Long Coefficient and Uniform Design Table, are used to define the start vertexes during the optimization procedure and similar final experimental conditions for the separations are achieved. Thirteen native amino acids are baseline separated by CZE and 4 local anesthetics are satisfactorily separated by MECC. Received: 10 November 1997 / Revised: 19 January 1998 / Accepted: 24 January 1998