Determination of recombinant human epidermal growth factor (rhEGF) in a pharmaceutical preparation by capillary electrophoresis

A simple assay method of recombinant human epidermal growth factor (rhEGF) in a pharmaceutical preparation was studied and validated by capillary electrophoresis (CE) using micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) techniques. Factors affecting the migration behavior and separation performances of the peptide; type of buffer, pH, buffer concentration, and concentration of sodium dodecyl sulfates (SDS) were investigated to optimize the analytical performance. CE was performed using running buffer, 50.0 mM borate (pH 8.5) containing 12.5 mM SDS at 20 kV of the applied voltage. Calibration curves for the rhEGF showed good linearity (r >0.999) over the wide dynamic range from 1.25 to 100 mug/ml. Sample analysis was performed by using standard addition method to eliminate the matrix effects of dosage vehicle. This method is assumed to be useful for quality control (QC) of various forms of pharmaceutical products of the peptide.