Abstract
The applicability of micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) with mass spectrometric detection for the determination of artemisinin and its analogs (e.g. ascaridole, artemisia ketone, casticin, deoxyartemisinin, arteannuic acid, artemetin, dihydroartemisinic acid) was studied. 40 mM ammonium perfluorooctanoate (pH 9.5) with 2% isopropanol (IPA) was used as background electrolyte (BGE) and the sheath liquid was 50 % (v/v) IPA:water containing 0.1 % formic acid. Separation was performed in a bare fused silica capillary. Artemisinin was detected at 283.1545 m/z as [M+H]+ ion. For artemisinin the linear range was found to be 0.6 μg/mL - 60 μg/mL and the limit of detection was 0.18 μg/mL. The RSD% values were 2.6 % for migration times and 4.8 % for peak areas (N = 6). In the ethanolic extracts of Artemisia annua leaves, in addition to artemisinin, a large number of other organic components could be separated and determined. MEKC-MS revealed the existence of diastereomers of several compounds (artemisinin, deoxyartemisinin, dihydroartemisinic acid) in the plant extracts.
Highlights
Malaria is a life-threatening disease affecting millions of people worldwide, with the African region having a disproportionately high share of cases
We propose for the first time, a CE-MS method utilizing micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) mechanism for the separation of artemisinin and related compounds
When an ethanolic plant extract was measured with ESI-MS, artemisinin could be detected in positive ion mode, the most abundant form being [M + Na]+
Summary
Malaria is a life-threatening disease affecting millions of people worldwide, with the African region having a disproportionately high share of cases. Artemisinin is a sesquiterpene lactone having an endoperoxide group, to which the antimalarial activity can be attributed, through the formation of free radicals [3]. Artemisinin derivatives, such as artesunate, dihydroartemisinin, artemether and arteether play an important role in fighting off the infection. This revelation paved the way for the introduction of artemisinin-based combination therapies, saving the lives of many. In addition to being a potent antimalarial drug, there have been indications of artemisinins possessing anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties [4]
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