OPTIMIZED SEPARATION OF PHARMACOLOGICALLY ACTIVE FLAVONOIDS FROM EPIMEDIUM SPECIES BY CAPILLARY ELECTROPHORESIS

Sixteen pharmacologically active flavonoids and one phenylethanoid glu coside isolated from Epimedium species were analyzed by capillary elec trophoresis in different buffer systems of AMPSO, CAPS, phosphate and berate. The berate system proved to be the best. After optimization an d studies of the effect of berate and SDS concentrations, organic modi fier, voltage and effective capillary length on migration of the analy tes, 14 flavonoids and one phenylethanoid glucoside were baseline sepa rated within 20 min in the buffer system of 20 mM berate and 48 mM SDS containing 1 mM 1, 3-diaminopropane at pH 8.5 and at the detection wa velength of 254 nm. The two-marker (xanthene-9-carboxylic acid/meso-2, 3-diphenylsuccinic acid) technique and the computer program based on M ATLAB were applied to improve the repeatability of analysis and to con firm the reliability of identification between two successive compound s. The reliability of identification was enhanced up to 25-fold for th e analytes when the migration indices were used with the two-marker te chnique.