Comparison of micellar electrokinetic chromatography and microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography for separation of pharmacologically active xanthones from Securidaca inappendiculata

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) and microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC) have been investigated for the separation of nine xanthones from Securidaca inappendiculata, based on the systematic optimization of such parameters as pH, concentration of borate buffer, and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) concentration. The study indicated that, in MEKC, although the addition of modifiers including organic solvents and cyclodextrins (CDs) could greatly affect the separation selectivity of xanthones, the baseline separation for nine xanthones could not be completed. As a special variant of electrokinetic chromatography (EKC), MEEKC successfully achieved the baseline separation of nine xanthones with satisfactory repeatability. Compared with MEKC, MEEKC showed better separation selectivity and higher separation efficiency.