Capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry in pharmaceutical and biomedical analyses

Acquiring accurate and reliable results are crucial in pharmaceutical and biomedical analyses. There is a demand for the ongoing development and validation of advanced analytical and bioanalytical methods. Mass spectrometry (MS) has become an extremely powerful tool for the identification, quantification, and characterization of small and macro-(bio)molecules. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) presents fast and high-resolution separation and in combination with MS allows sensitive and selective identification and detailed characterization. To date, CE-MS has been used to analyze a wide range of molecules, including pharmaceuticals, biopharmaceuticals, metabolites, peptides, and proteins. This review provides an update on recent applications and approaches of CE-MS relevant to biomedical and (bio)pharmaceuticals between January 2018 and May 2022. Furthermore, the latest developments on the hyphenation of CE with MS, as well as different CE modes including capillary isotachophoresis, capillary zone electrophoresis, and micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography along with on-capillary on-line analyte stacking methods such as field-amplified sample injection, transient isotachophoresis, dynamic pH junction, and solid-phase extraction are discussed.