COMPARISON OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY AND CAPILLARY ELECTROPHORESIS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF SOME BEE VENOM COMPONENTS

HPLC and capillary electrophoretic (CE) methods were compared for the determination of phospholipase A, and melittin in bee venom. Size-excl usion chromatography on a Tessek Separon HEMA-BIO 40 column requires t he use of a denaturing eluent (0.2% trifluoroacetic acid in 20% aceton itrile) to overcome non-specific interactions of some components, e.g. , melittin. Reversed-phase HPLC on a HEMA-BIO 1000 C-18 column with gr adient elution using water-acetonitrile mobile phases containing trifl uoroacetic acid and UV spectrophotometric detection at 215 nm permits the identification and determination of the main bee venom components and their preparative chromatography. CE analysis for bee venom compon ents is optimum with electrolyte system of 150 mM phosphoric acid (pH 1.8) with UV spectrophotometric detection at 190 nm. In comparison wit h HPLC, the CE method is cheaper and faster (6 min vs. 45 min) and the separation is more efficient.