Applications of capillary electrophoresis in pharmaceutical analysis

The role of capillary electrophoresis (CE) in the analysis of peptide/proteins, chiral pharmaceuticals, and other small-molecule drugs has been reviewed. Potential uses of CE range from purity and structural confirmation to a micropreparative technique. Strategies for the prevention of protein wall adsorption include the use of extreme pH values, surface-modified capillaries, and high ionic strengths employing salts of alkali metals or by the addition of zwitterionic surfactants to the background electrolyte. Chiral separations of amino acids and other racemic pharmaceuticals have been achieved by micellar electrokinetic chromatography or by the introduction of cyclodextrins/modified cyclodextrins or other reagents to the running buffer. Applications of capillary electrophoresis to the analysis of small-molecule pharmaceuticals include determinations of drugs and/or excipients in various pharmaceutical preparations and the analysis of miscellaneous pharmaceuticals in standard solutions and biological fluids. The complementary nature of capillary electrophoresis and HPLC, in addition to future expectations of CE in pharmaceutical analysis, is discussed.