Micellar Liquid Chromatography Study of Quantitative Retention–Activity Relationships for Antihypertensive Drugs

Use of micellar mobile phases in reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) results in hydrophobic and electrostatic sites for interaction. Modified stationary phases in micellar liquid chromatography (MLC) are structurally similar to biomembranes. To confirm this we focused on the effects of the type and concentration of surfactant (Brij 35, SDS, and CTAB) and mobile phase pH on the retention of antihypertensive drugs on modified C₁₈ stationary phases. Quantitative retention-activity relationships are proposed for the drugs and the different surfactants and compared with those obtained using aqueous–organic mobile phases. Finally, a correlation was obtained between the logarithm of retention factors (log k) and the toxicity (LD₅₀) of antihypertensive drugs. Revised: 14 September 2005 and 4 April 2006     

Micellar liquid chromatography retention model based on mass-action concept of micelle formation

Mass-action model of surfactant micelle formation has been used to develop a conceptual retention model in micellar liquid chromatography (MLC). The retention model bases on the consideration of the changes of the sorbate microenvironment at its transferring from the mobile phase (hybrid micellar eluent) to the stationary phase (a modified surface of alkyl-bounded sorbent). Principal retention equation contains the characteristics of hybrid micelles (critical micelle concentration, degree of counterion binding, partition coefficient of modifier between aqueous solution and micellar pseudo-phase) as well as three fitting parameters. The fitting parameters are an absolute term and coefficients that are equal to the number of molecules of surfactant and modifier, which are attached/detached by sorbate transferring from a hybrid micellar eluent to a modified surface of the stationary phase. On the MLC separation of five antibiotics of rubomicin derivatives and four esters of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid the model of the change of sorbate microenvironment has been tested. The adequateness of model to experimental data has been shown. A simple three-parameter function connecting log k with log cS and log cR that provides a high goodness-of-fit follows from principal retention equation (cS and cR are the molar concentrations of surfactant and organic modifier in the micellar eluent, respectively).     

Separation and mechanism elucidation for six structure-like matrine-type alkaloids by micellar liquid chromatography

A mixed micellar liquid chromatography (MLC) method, the mobile phase consisting of anionic surfactant SDS and nonionic surfactant Brij35, was firstly developed for the separation and determination of six structure-like matrine-type alkaloids, including matrine, oxymatrine, sophocarpine, oxysophocarpine, sophoridine, and oxysophoridine. The factors influencing the resolution of the six alkaloids were systematically investigated and optimized, including the micellar composition and concentration, column temperature, the type and amount of organic solvent, and the pH values in the mobile phases. Under the optimized separation conditions, the six matrine-type alkaloids could be easily isocratically eluted with a baseline separation within 22 min. Under the designated conditions (SDS concentration from 10 to 50 mM, Brij35 from 5 to 30 mM, pH 3 and 5% 1-propanol), the hydrophobic selectivity was negatively correlated with the concentration of Brij35 but not with SDS. The functional group selectivity of the carbonyl group, double bond, and diastereomers, all decreased with the increase in percentage of SDS in the mixed micellar phase, because the strong electrostatic force masks other molecular forces which can discriminate the retention of the analytes. Therefore, such a combination in surfactants of MLC is a powerful strategy to increase the selectivity by adjusting the balance among the various molecular interaction forces influencing analytes' retention. Finally, the developed method was successfully used to separate and determine the contents of main alkaloids in Sophora medicinal plants, S. flavescens Ait. In summary, the mixed MLC is a valuable approach to separate and determine the structure-like multi-component natural samples.     

阴离子型胶束液相色谱的溶质保留行为

以SDS阴离子表面活性剂作流动相,酸性、中性及两性药物为受试药物,运用三相平衡理论考察影响阴离子型胶束液相色谱（AMLC）溶质保留行为的几个因素。保留由溶质与胶束相及修饰后固定相的综合作用决定。有机调节剂正丙醇的加入改变了溶质从水相到固定相或到胶束相的平衡,保留取决于溶质疏水性和静电性间的平衡。此外对羟基苯甲酸酯类同系物的亲脂性与3种细菌最小抑菌浓度具有显著相关性,提示其抑菌机理主要取决于药物与生物膜的亲和性。     

Retention mechanisms in micellar liquid chromatography

Micellar liquid chromatography (MLC) is a reversed-phase liquid chromatographic (RPLC) mode with mobile phases containing a surfactant (ionic or non-ionic) above its critical micellar concentration (CMC). In these conditions, the stationary phase is modified with an approximately constant amount of surfactant monomers, and the solubilising capability of the mobile phase is altered by the presence of micelles, giving rise to diverse interactions (hydrophobic, ionic and steric) with major implications in retention and selectivity. From its beginnings in 1980, the technique has evolved up to becoming a real alternative in some instances (and a complement in others) to classical RPLC with hydro-organic mixtures, owing to its peculiar features and unique advantages. This review is aimed to describe the retention mechanisms (i.e. solute interactions with both stationary and mobile phases) in an MLC system, revealed in diverse reports where the retention behaviour of solutes of different nature (ionic or neutral exhibiting a wide range of polarities) has been studied in a variety of conditions (with ionic and non-ionic surfactants, added salt and organic solvent, and varying pH). The theory is supported by several mechanistic models that describe satisfactorily the retention behaviour, and allow the measurement of the strength of solute-stationary phase and solute-micelle interactions. Suppression of silanol activity, steric effects in the packing pores, anti-binding behaviour, retention of ionisable compounds, compensating effect on polarity differences among solutes, and the contribution of the solvation parameter model to elucidate the interactions in MLC, are commented.     

Isocratic and gradient elution in micellar liquid chromatography with Brij‐35

Polyoxyethylene(23)lauryl ether (known as Brij‐35) is a nonionic surfactant, which has been considered as an alternative to the extensively used in micellar liquid chromatography anionic surfactant sodium lauryl (dodecyl) sulfate, for the analysis of drugs and other types of compounds. Brij‐35 is the most suitable nonionic surfactant for micellar liquid chromatography, owing to its commercial availability, low cost, low toxicity, high cloud temperature, and low background absorbance. However, it has had minor use. In this work, we gather and discuss some results obtained in our laboratory with several β‐blockers, sulfonamides, and flavonoids, concerning the use of Brij‐35 as mobile phase modifier in the isocratic and gradient modes. The chromatographic performance for purely micellar eluents (with only surfactant) and hybrid eluents (with surfactant and acetonitrile) is compared. Brij‐35 increases the polarity of the alkyl‐bonded stationary phase and its polyoxyethylene chain with the hydroxyl end group allows hydrogen‐bond interactions, especially for phenolic compounds. This offers the possibility of using aqueous solutions of Brij‐35 as mobile phases with sufficiently short retention times. The use of gradients of acetonitrile to keep the concentration of Brij‐35 constant is another interesting strategy that yields a significant reduction in the peak widths, which guarantee high resolution.     

Separation optimization of quercetin,hesperetin and chrysin in honey by micellar liquid chromatography and experimental design

The chemometrics approach was applied for the separation optimization of flavonoid markers (quercetin, hesperetin and chrysin) in honey using micellar liquid chromatography (MLC). The investigated method combines SPE of flavonoids from honey using C₁₈ cartridge and their separation and quantification by micellar liquid chromatography. A two level full factorial design was carried out to evaluate the effect of four experimental factors including concentration of SDS, alkyl chain length of the alcohol used as the organic modifier (N), volume percentage of the organic modifier (V_m) and volume percentage of acetic acid (AcOH) in mobile phase on analytes retention times. Experiments for analytes retention times modeling and optimization of separation were performed according to central composite design. Multiple linear regression method was used for the construction of the best model based on experimental retention times. Pareto optimal method was used to find suitable compatibility between resolution and analysis time of analytes in honey. The optimum mobile phase composition for separation and determination of analytes in honey were [SDS]=0.124 mol/L; 7.8% v/v ethanol and 5.0% v/v AcOH. Limits of detection and linear range of flavonoid markers were 0.0079–0.0126, 0.05–50.0 mg/L, respectively.     

Improved efficiency in micellar liquid chromatography using triethylamine and 1-butanol as mobile phase additives to reduce surfactant adsorption

The effect of triethylamine as a mobile phase modifier on chromatographic efficiency in micellar liquid chromatography (MLC) is reported for nine different columns with various bonded stationary phases and silica pore sizes, including large-pore short alkyl chain, non-porous, and perfluorinated. Reduced plate height (h) versus reduced velocity (nu) plots were constructed for each column and the A' and C' terms calculated using a simplified Van Deemter equation introduced in our previous work. To further explore the practicality of using triethylamine in the micellar mobile phase, the efficiency of nine polar and non-polar substituted benzenes was studied on seven columns. Surfactant adsorption isotherms were measured for five columns with three micellar mobile phases to understand the relationship between adsorbed surfactant, mobile phase additive, and column efficiency. Clear improvements in efficiency were observed with the addition of 2% (v/v) triethylamine to a 1-butanol modified aqueous micellar mobile phase. This finding is supported by the lower amount of surfactant adsorbed onto the stationary phase when TEA is present in the mobile phase compared to an SDS only or a 1-butanol modified SDS mobile phase.     

Simultaneous Optimization of Surfactant Concentration and Organic Modifier in Micellar Liquid Chromatography. Application to the Separation of Phenolic Compounds

ABSTRACT

The separation selectivity of eighteen phenolic derivatives in micellar high-performance liquid chromatography was studied as a function of parameters on which it depends: surfactant and organic modifier concentration. The surfactant used in this study was cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, and as organic modifier methanol. An iterative regression optimization strategy for these two parameters has been used. The equation that best explains the experimental

results is 1/k' = A +Bμ + Cφ + DμΦ. We propose the use of this model in conjunction with the appropriate factorial design to predict the solute retention behaviour in micellar liquid chromatography with hibrid eluents.     

Modelling of retention behaviour of solutes in micellar liquid chromatography

In micellar liquid chromatography (MLC), the resolution for a given multi-component mixture can be optimized by changing several variables, such as the concentrations of surfactant and organic modifier, the pH and temperature. However, this advantage can only be fully exploited with the development of mathematical models that describe the retention and the separation mechanisms. Several reports have appeared recently on the possibilities of accurately predicting the solute retention in MLC. Although the retention and selectivity may strongly change with varying concentrations of surfactant, organic modifier and/or pH, the observed changes are very regular, and are well described by simple models. This characteristic enables a successful prediction of retention times and compensates the negative effect of the broad and tailed chromatographic peaks obtained for some solutes when micellar eluents are used. An overview of the models proposed in the literature to describe the retention behaviour in pure micellar eluents and micellar eluents containing an organic modifier, at a fixed pH or at varying pH, is given. The equations derived permit the evaluation of the strength of micelle-solute and stationary phase-solute interactions. The prediction of the retention based on molecular properties and the use of neural networks, together with the factors affecting the prediction capability of the models (linearization of the equations, dead time, critical micellar concentration, ionic strength and temperature) are commented on. The strategies used for the optimization of resolution are also given.     

Comparison of Micellar and Reversed-Phase Liquid Chromatography for Determination of Sulfamethoxazole and Trimethoprim

A simple, sensitive, and precise micellar liquid chromatographic method for simultaneous analysis of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim, with ultraviolet detection at 245 nm, has been developed, validated, and used for determination of the compounds in commercial pharmaceutical products. The compounds were well separated on a Hypersil ODS reversed-phase column at 35°C by use of a mobile phase consisting of 0.1M sodium dodecyl sulfate in a 2:98 (V/V) mixture of 1-butanol and pH 3.0 phosphate buffer solution at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min^?1. A comparative study of the performance of reversed-phase liquid chromatography with aqueous-organic or micellar-organic mobile phases for separation of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim is reported. The study showed that micellar liquid chromatography (MLC) and reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RP HPLC) are of similar efficiency, sensitivity, and selectivity for determination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim.     

Efficiency enhancements in micellar liquid chromatography through selection of stationary phase and alcohol modifier

Micellar liquid chromatography (MLC) remains hindered by reduced chromatographic efficiency compared to reversed phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) using hydro-organic mobile phases. The reduced efficiency has been partially explained by the adsorption of surfactant monomers onto the stationary phase, resulting in a slow mass transfer of the analyte within the interfacial region of the mobile phase and stationary phase. Using an array of 12 columns, the effects of various bonded stationary phases and silica pore sizes, including large-pore short alkyl chain, non-porous, superficially porous and perfluorinated, were evaluated to determine their impact on efficiency in MLC. Additionally, each stationary phase was evaluated using 1-propanol and 1-butanol as separate micellar mobile phase alcohol additives, with several columns also evaluated using 1-pentanol. A simplified equation for calculation of A' and C' terms from reduced plate height (h) versus reduced velocity (nu) plots was used to compare the efficiency data obtained with the different columns and mobile phases. Analyte diffusion coefficients needed for the h versus nu plots were determined by the Taylor-Aris dispersion technique. The use of a short alkyl chain, wide-pore silica column, specifically, Nucleosil C4, 1000A, was shown to have the most improved efficiency when using a micellar mobile phase compared to a hydro-organic mobile phase for all columns evaluated. The use of 1-propanol was also shown to provide improved efficiency over 1-butanol or 1-pentanol in most cases. In a second series of experiments, column temperatures were varied from 40 to 70 degrees C to determine the effect of temperature on efficiency for a subset of the stationary phases. Efficiency improvements ranging from 9% for a Chromegabond C8 column to 58% for a Zorbax ODS column were observed over the temperature range. Based on these observed improvements, higher column temperatures may often yield significant gains in column efficiency, assuming the column is thermally stable.     

Adsorption of the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate on a C18 column under micellar and high submicellar conditions in reversed‐phase liquid chromatography

Micellar liquid chromatography makes use of aqueous solutions or aqueous‐organic solutions containing a surfactant, at a concentration above its critical micelle concentration. In the mobile phase, the surfactant monomers aggregate to form micelles, whereas on the surface of the nonpolar alkyl‐bonded stationary phases they are significantly adsorbed. If the mobile phase contains a high concentration of organic solvent, micelles break down, and the amount of surfactant adsorbed on the stationary phase is reduced, giving rise to another chromatographic mode named high submicellar liquid chromatography. The presence of a thinner coating of surfactant enhances the selectivity and peak shape, especially for basic compounds. However, the risk of full desorption of surfactant is the main limitation in the high submicellar mode. This study examines the adsorption of the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate under micellar and high submicellar conditions on a C₁₈ column, applying two methods. One of them uses a refractive index detector to obtain direct measurements of the adsorbed amount of sodium dodecyl sulfate, whereas the second method is based on the retention and peak shape for a set of cationic basic compounds that indirectly reveal the presence of adsorbed monomers of surfactant on the stationary phase.     

Effect of molecular structure on the solute-micelle and solute-stationary phase binding constants in micellar liquid chromatography

The effects of molecular structure on the solute-micelle and solute-stationary phase binding constants in micellar liquid chromatography (MLC) have been investigated. The following points have been observed. (1) There is quite a good linear relationship between the solute-micelle and solute-stationary phase binding constants in MLC with the cationic (CTAB) and anionic surfactants as the additives, which means that the contribution of physico-chemical properties of solutes on the solute-micelle and solute-stationary phase binding constants acts in a parallel way. (2) Good quantitative relationships between the solute-micelle and solute-stationary phase binding constants and the solvatochromic parameters have been obtained, which indicates that the distribution mechanism of the neutral solutes in MLC is determined via their molecular interactions. Both the cavity process and the hydrogen bond interaction play a very important role in the retention of neutral solutes in MLC. The contribution of the hydrogen bond interaction, especially the hydrogen donor ability of the solutes on those binding constants in anionic and cationic surfactant MLC, is determined in a different way. (3) Linear regression analysis of the solute-micelle and solute-stationary phase binding constants between the cationic and anionic surfactant MLC has been carried out. The obtained results suggest that the transfer of the non-polar solutes from the aqueous phase to the anionic and cationic surfactant micelles acts in a parallel way, but that of the polar solutes in a different way. A model of micelles with three different sites of solubilization, i.e., (1) the core of the micelle, (2) the surface of the micelle and (3) the palisade layer of the micelle, has been used to successfully explain the observed results. Finally, the retention behavior of solutes in MLC is compared with that in reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RP-LC). It has been observed that there is no difference in separation selectivity for the non-polar solutes between MLC and RP-LC; however, for the polar solutes, MLC provides a different separation selectivity compared to that in RP-LC.     

Causes and remediation of reduced efficiency in micellar liquid chromatography

Broad peaks are obtained when purely aqueous micellar phases are used in micellar liquid chromatography (MLC). The causes of reduced efficiency in MLC are investigated. Slow solute mass-transfer kinetics between micelles, the aqueous phase and the surfactant covered stationary phase are the origins of the efficiency loss. Knox plots show that the reduced efficiency comes from A term increase and, for lipophilic solutes, A and C terms increases. Surfactant adsorption reduces the pore volume and surface area of the stationary phase changing the flow anisotropy (A term). The surfactant adsorbed layer slows down the mass transfer (C term). Three ways for efficiency loss remediation are known: flow-rate reduction, temperature increase and alcohol addition. Alcohols are known to change the micelle structure and to increase the kinetics of micelle formation-destruction. It is shown that the ratio of the alcohol chain length to surfactant alkyl chain length, C_{n, OH}/C_{nm surf}, should be equal or higher than 1/3 to produce the best efficiency enhancements in MLC. Also, the volume of alcohol to be added is not absolute but relative to the surfactant concentration. The alcohol to surfactant concentration ratio should be kept constant. Temperature increases and especially alcohol additions reduce the retention factors. Thermodynamic and kinetics of the micellar exchanges in MLC cannot be dissociated.     

Performance of short-chain alcohols versus acetonitrile in the surfactant-mediated reversed-phase liquid chromatographic separation of β-blockers

Organic solvents are traditionally added to micellar mobile phases to achieve adequate retention times and peak profiles, in a chromatographic mode which has been called micellar liquid chromatography (MLC). The organic solvent content is limited to preserve the formation of micelles. However, at increasing organic solvent contents, the transition to a situation where micelles do not exist is gradual. Also, there is no reason to neglect the potentiality of mobile phases containing only surfactant monomers instead of micelles (high submicellar chromatography, HSC). This is demonstrated here for the analysis of β-blockers. The performance of four organic solvents (methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, and acetonitrile) was compared in mobile phases containing the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulphate in the MLC and HSC modes. The association of the organic solvent molecules with micelles gives rise to a significant loss in the elution strength of the organic solvent; whereas upon disruption of micelles, it tends to that observed in the hydro-organic mode. The elution behaviour of the β-blockers was modelled to predict the retention times. This allowed the detailed exploration of the selectivity and resolution of the chromatographic systems in relatively wide ranges of concentration of surfactant and organic solvent. The best performance in terms of resolution and analysis time was achieved using HSC with acetonitrile, being able to base-line resolve a mixture of eight β-blockers. Ethanol also provided a good separation performance, significantly improved with respect to methanol and 1-propanol. In contrast, the hydro-organic mode using acetonitrile or any of the short-chain alcohols could not succeed with the separation of the β-blockers, owing to the poorer selectivity and wider peaks.     

Reliability of the retention factor estimations in liquid chromatography

The retention factor is one of the most universally used parameters in chromatography. However, large differences in the experimental retention factor values are observed when the same compound is injected in a given stationary/mobile phase system under intermediate precision conditions. Conventional protocols for estimating retention factors have problems that mainly arise from difficulties in the hold-up time measurements and the omission of the existence of extra-column times by practicing chromatographers. In the present paper, three different approaches for estimating retention factors are tested: (i) classical retention factor estimations based on the gross hold-up time, (ii) based on the real hold-up time (taking into account the extra-column time), and (iii) a new approach that uses 'relative' retention factors based on the use of an external standard. Assays are performed in micellar liquid chromatography (MLC) under intermediate precision conditions (different days, equipments, columns lengths, and mobile phase flow rates). The reliability of the three approaches tested is evaluated by means of precision studies, analysis of factors affecting retention factors, and uncertainty calculations. The approach based on 'relative' retention factors was found to be the most precise, reliable, and robust strategy for estimating retention factors.