A nonionic surfactant MEKC method with LIF detection was developed for the simultaneous determination of memantine, an anti-Alzheimer's disease agent, and amantadine, an anti-Parkinson's disease drug, in human plasma. Before analysis, the plasma samples were pretreated by liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate, and derivatized with 6-carboxyfluorescein N-hydroxysuccinimide ester. The chemical derivatization is performed with 6-carboxyfluorescein N-hydroxysuccinimide ester in ACN - 5 mM pH 9.0 borate buffer (40:60, v/v) at 35 degrees C for 3 h. After the derivatization reaction, hydrodynamic injection (0.5 psi, 8 s) was used to introduce the derivatized solution, and the separation was performed in borate buffer (30 mM, pH 9.5) with the nonionic surfactant Brij-35 (0.07%, w/v); the separation voltage was 6 kV. The linear ranges of the method for the determination of memantine and amantadine in human plasma were over a range of 2.0-60.0 ng/mL. The detection limit was 0.5 ng/mL (S/N=3). This method was applied successfully to monitor the concentration of memantine or amantadine in patients with Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease.

A simple MEKC with UV detection at 214 nm for simultaneous analysis of cefepime and vancomycin in plasma and in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by direct injection without any sample pretreatment is described. The separation of cefepime and vancomycin from biological matrices was performed at 25 degrees C using a BGE consisting of a Tris buffer with SDS and methanol as the electrolyte solution. Under optimal MEKC conditions for biological samples, good separations with high efficiency and short analysis time are achieved. Several parameters affecting the separation of the drugs from biological matrices were studied, including methanol, pH, and concentrations of the Tris buffer and SDS. The linear ranges of the method for the determination of cefepime and vancomycin in plasma and in CSF using imidazole or cefazolin as an internal standard, respectively, were all over the range of 1-30 microg/mL; the detection limits of cefepime and vancomycin in biological matrices (injection 10 kV, 15 s) were 0.3 and 0.5 microg/mL, respectively. The applicability of the proposed method for the determination of cefepime and vancomycin in plasma and CSF collected after intravenous administration of the drugs in patients with meningitis was demonstrated.

A simple and sensitive MEKC with UV detection was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors including galantamine, rivastigmine and major metabolite NAP 226-90 in plasma. A sample pretreatment by liquid-liquid extraction with diethylether and subsequent quantification by MEKC was used. The optimum separation for these analytes was achieved in <10 min at 25 degrees C with a fused-silica capillary column of 30.2 cm x 50 microm id (effective length 20 cm) and a run buffer containing 25 mM Tris buffer (pH 5.0) with 160 mM sodium octanesulfonate, 20% ACN and 0.01% PVP as a dynamic coating to reduce analytes' interaction with the capillary wall. For sensitivity consideration regarding the determination of linearity, LOD, quantitation and monitoring drugs concentration in patients, the detection wavelengths for galantamine or rivastigmine and NAP 226-90 were set at 214 or 200 nm, respectively. One male volunteer (26-year-old) was orally administered a single dose of 4.5 mg rivastigmine (Exelon, Novartis) in capsule, and blood samples were drawn over a 12 h period for concentration-time profile study. The method was also successfully applied for monitoring galantamine or rivastigmine and its metabolite NAP 226-90 in 11 Alzheimer's disease patients' plasma after oral administration of the commercial products Reminyl (8 mg galantamine/capsule) or Exelon (3 mg rivastigmine/capsule), respectively.

A simple micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) with UV detection at 254 nm for analysis of ceftazidime in plasma and in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by direct injection without any sample pretreatment is described. The separation of ceftazidime from biological matrix was performed at 25 degrees C using a background electrolyte consisting of Tris buffer with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as the electrolyte solution. Under optimal MEKC condition, good separation with high efficiency and short analyses time is achieved. Several parameters affecting the separation of the drug from biological matrix were studied, including pH and concentration of the Tris buffer and SDS. Using cefazolin as an internal standard (IS), the linear ranges of the method for the determination of ceftazidime in plasma and in CSF were all over the range of 3-90 microg/mL; the detection limit of the drug in plasma and in CSF (signal-to-noise ratio = 3; injection 0.5 psi, 5 s) was 2.0 microg/mL. The applicability of the proposed method for determination of ceftazidime in plasma and CSF collected after intravenous administration of 2 g ceftazidime in patients with meningitis was demonstrated.

Field-amplified sample stacking (FASS) in capillary electrophoresis (CE) was used to determine the concentration of donepezil, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, in human plasma. A sample pretreatment by liquid-liquid extraction with isopropanol/n-hexane (v/v 3:97) and subsequent quantification by FASS-CE was used. Before sample loading, a water plug (0.5 psi, 6 s) was injected to permit FASS. Electrokinetic injection (7 kV, 90 s) was used to introduce sample cations. The separation condition for donepezil was performed in electrolyte solutions containing Tris buffer (60 mM, pH 4.0) with sodium octanesulfonate 40 mM and 0.01% polyvinyl alcohol as a dynamic coating to reduce analytes' interaction with capillary wall. The separation was performed at 28 kV and detected at 200 nm. Using atenolol as an internal standard, the linear ranges of the method for the determination of donepezil in human plasma were over a range of 1-50 ng/mL. The limit of detection was 0.1 ng/mL (S/N=3, sampling 90 s at 7 kV). One female volunteer (54 years old) was orally administered a single dose of 10 mg donepezil (Aricept, Eisai), and blood samples were drawn over a 60 h period for pharmacokinetic study. The method was also applied successfully to monitor donepezil in sixteen Alzheimer's disease patients' plasmas.