Capillary Electrophoretic Separation of Estrogens Using Anionic Sulfobutyl Ether β-Cyclodextrin

Abstract

The determination of estrogens is important for the diagnosis of reproductive diseases and for monitoring the normal process of pregnancy. Previous separations of estrogens by capillary electrophoresis have employed a combination of cyclodextrins and surfactants. This paper describes the complete separation of five estrogens, 2-hydroxyestrone, 2-methoxyestradiol, estrone, estriol, and 17α-estradiol, using sulfobutyl ether β-cyclodextrin as the buffer additive. In this case, the separation can be accomplished with good efficiency without the addition of a surfactant or organic modifier to the run buffer.