Comparison of CE and HPLC Methods for Determining Lovastatin and Its Oxidation Products after Exposure to an Oxidative Atmosphere

Lovastatin is a cholesterol-lowering agent, which competitively inhibits the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase. Several HPLC methods for its analysis have been developed but there is no report of its determination using capillary electrophoresis (CE). In this paper, we report the development of a simple CE method for lovastatin determination, which is selective with respect to its degradation products and useful for routine analyses. Since the molecule of lovastatin in its lactone form is uncharged and is only slightly soluble in water, base hydrolysis was used to open the lactone ring and transform the compound into a water-soluble acid form, which is negatively charged. Different solvents, different amounts of NaOH added, different hydrolysis times and different temperatures for sample preparation were tested. The CE and HPLC methods are compared in terms of susceptibility, precision, linearity and accuracy. HPLC method was found to be more susceptible and more precise

Comparison of CE and HPLC Methods for Determining Lovastatin and Its Oxidation Products after Exposure to an Oxidative Atmosphere

Lovastatin is a cholesterol-lowering agent, which competitively inhibits the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase. Several HPLC methods for its analysis have been developed but there is no report of its determination using capillary electrophoresis (CE). In this paper, we report the development of a simple CE method for lovastatin determination, which is selective with respect to its degradation products and useful for routine analyses. Since the molecule of lovastatin in its lactone form is uncharged and is only slightly soluble in water, base hydrolysis was used to open the lactone ring and transform the compound into a water-soluble acid form, which is negatively charged. Different solvents, different amounts of NaOH added, different hydrolysis times and different temperatures for sample preparation were tested. The CE and HPLC methods are compared in terms of susceptibility, precision, linearity and accuracy. HPLC method was found to be more susceptible and more precise