Development of methods to improve sensitivity and portability of capillary electrophoresis for the analysis of stabilizers and drugs

Abstract

Methods to improve sensitivity and portability of capillary electrophoresis for the analysis of stabilizers and drugs samples are developed in this study. Sensitivity enhancement and miniaturization are two major trends of capillary electrophoresis, gaining more and more attention. Firstly, a modified field amplification sample injection method was developed to enhance sensitivity of MEKC analysis of a group of neutral stabilizers in pharmaceutical products with UV absorbance detection. Second, a MEKC method was developed using a portable capillary electrophoresis, which provided higher sensitivity than a previous used HPLC method, as well as the capability for on-site analysis. Simple and fast methods to determine non-UV active drugs directly without derivatization on portable capillary electrophoresis systems with conductivity detection were also developed. Components of gentamicin (including its two stereoisomer components), neomycin and carnitine were separated and determined rapidly with wide linearity ranges, good repeatability and low limits of detection using the methods developed. These methods were applied in the analysis of real samples. In addition to improved resolution and enhanced sensitivity compared with previous methods, the methods developed using the portable capillary electrophoresis system may be promising in on-site analysis.