Determination of flufenamic, meclofenamic and mefenamic acids by capillary electrophoresis using beta-cyclodextrin

The possibility of separating flufenamic, meclofenamic and mefenamic acids by capillary electrophoresis was studied. The best approach involved combining a suitable pH of the carrier electrolyte (pH 12.0) with the host-guest complexation effects of beta-cyclodextrin. A running buffer consisting of 30 mM phosphate buffer (pH 12.0), 2 mM beta-CD and 10% (v/v) acetonitrile was found to provide a very efficient and stable electrophoresis system for the analysis of fenamic acids by capillary zone electrophoresis. Responses were linear from 0.4 to 40 microg/ml for the three drugs with detection limits of about 0.3 ng/ml. Intra- and inter-day precision values of about 1-2% R.S.D. (n = 11) and 3-4% R.S.D. (n = 30), respectively, were obtained. The method is highly robust and no breakdowns of the current or capillary blockings were observed for several weeks. The general applicability of this rapid CZE procedure (migration times less than 12 min) is demonstrated for several practical samples, including serum, urine and pharmaceuticals.