Development of CE-C⁴D Method for Determination Tropane Alkaloids

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Pharmacognosy
• Plant Science

Background:

• Tropane alkaloids, such as atropine and scopolamine, are significant compounds found in Solanaceae plants.
• Accurate quantification of these alkaloids is crucial for pharmaceutical applications and toxicological assessments.
• Existing methods for tropane alkaloid determination can be time-consuming and require specialized equipment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a rapid and portable method for determining atropine and scopolamine concentrations.
• To utilize capillary electrophoresis with a capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detector (CE-C4D) for enhanced sensitivity and speed.
• To assess the method's applicability in analyzing complex matrices like plant extracts and pharmaceutical formulations.

Main Methods:

• Development of a fast separation technique using a portable capillary electrophoresis (CE) instrument.
• Optimization of the background electrolyte (0.5 M acetic acid with 0.25% β-CD) for efficient alkaloid separation.
• Validation of the CE-C4D method, including assessment of precision, accuracy (recovery), and matrix effects.

Main Results:

• Achieved separation of atropine and scopolamine within 5 minutes.
• Established a limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.5 µg/mL and 1.5 µg/mL, respectively.
• Demonstrated high precision (CV: 1.07-2.08%), accuracy (RE: 101.0-102.7%), and minimal matrix effect (ME: 92.99-94.23%).

Conclusions:

• The developed CE-C4D method is a fast, accurate, and reliable technique for tropane alkaloid quantification.
• The method's portability and efficiency make it suitable for on-site analysis of Solanaceae plant materials.
• Successful application to plant extracts and pharmaceuticals confirms the method's practical utility and robustness.