Capillary electrophoresis for the direct determination of cephalosporins in clinical samples

The possibility of determination of four cephalosporin antibiotics in clinical samples by capillary electrophoresis has been investigated. The separation conditions for capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) were studied in detail. The precision of migration times measured by use of the optimized method was satisfactory (RSD < 1%) and response was linearly dependent on concentration over the approximate range 2 - 150 mg L-1 for all the compounds studied (cefuroxime, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, and ceftazidime). Complete separation could be achieved within 5 min. The CZE method was found to be highly suitable for direct determination of the antibiotics in clinical samples such as wound drainage, cerebrospinal fluid, and urine; for serum, however, the use of micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatograpy (MECC) was more advantageous.