Analysis of micafungin in serum by capillary zone electrophoresis

A method is developed for measuring the concentration of micafungin, an echinocandin antifungal agent, in serum, using capillary zone electrophoresis. With a 0.1M borate buffer (pH 10.0) as the run buffer, detection is carried out at 200 nm. Pretreatment is performed by adding acetonitrile to serum (1:2) for deproteinization, allowing the supernatant fluid to be taken for measurement. The detection limit of the assay is 0.5 mg/L at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3.0. Coefficients of variation for intra- and inter-assay precision are 3.45-4.47% and 2.61-7.15%, respectively, at a nominal concentration of 5.0-25.0 mg/L. Their recovery rates are 92-110%. It is convenient for the monitoring of micafungin therapy in patients contracting clinically important deep mycoses.