Chiral separation of ephedrine alkaloids from Ephedra sinica extract and its medicinal preparation using cyclodextrin-modified capillary zone electrophoresis

A fast capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method using dimethyl-beta-cyclodextrin (DM-beta-CD) as modifier with tetrabutylammonium chloride (TBAC) as addition has been developed for the chiral separation of (+/-)-ephedrine ((+/-)-EP), (+/-)-pseudoephedrine ((+/-)-PP), (+/-)-N-methylephedrine ((+/-)-MP), and (+/-)-norephedrine ((+/-)-NP). The electrophoretic separation was performed using a 35-cm x 50 mu m I.D. (30-cm effective length) fused silica capillary. Samples were introduced under electromigrated injection at 5 kV for 4 s, and the running voltage was 15 kV at the injector end of the capillary. Within 19 min, eight ephedrine compounds were separated and detected at 210 nm. The method was successively applied to the determination of the ephedrine enantiomers in the Chinese herbal extract from Ephedra sinica and its medicinal preparation (Xiaoerqing feiwan). Parameters affecting the resolution between (+) and (-)-enantiomers, such as pH, cyclodextrin type and concentration, organic modifier, and tetraalkylammonium reagents, were reported.