毛細管電泳（CE）是最近新發展出來的分析工具，具有高效、快速、選擇性佳的特性。為解決高效能液相層析（HPLC）在中藥高极性成分分析上的困難，本研究乃以毛細管電泳技術開發多種可測定甘草、當歸、大黃及乙字湯製劑之組成成分的方法，並比較CE與HPLC分析條件及系統的差異。
甘草製劑可直接以80%的0.02M磷酸二氫鈉溶液和20%的氰甲烷配成的緩衝溶液在十分鐘內完成甘草酸與甘草次酸的定量分析。各成分之回收率在98.1~102.2%之間，再現性在1.29~1.94%之間。
使用逆電滲流毛細管區帶電泳（reversed EOF CZE）分析方法，用90%含10mMLTAC、5mMNa2B4O7和10mMNaH2PO4的溶液與10%的氰甲烷混合之緩衝溶液，可在三分鐘內定量當歸或含當歸製劑的三個芳香族有機酸（ferulic acid、nicotinic acid及phthalic acid）。各成分之回收率在98.0~102.1%之間，其相對標準偏差同日進行的（intraday）在0.93~1.06%，非同日進行的（interday）在0.91~1.08%之間。
大黃的五個藥效成分（sennoside A、sennoside B、emodin、aloeemodin、rhein）可以75%含10mMSDS, 15mMNa2B4O7, 12.5mMNaH2PO4的溶液和25%的氰甲烷之緩衝溶液來分析，各成分之回收率在96.5~102.5%之間,各成分之相對標準偏差在0.75~1.46(intraday), 0.95~1.97%(interday)之間。多種大黃製劑的sennoside A, sennoside B, emodin, aloe-emodin和rhein含量也可以此條件來測定。
分別以逆相高效能液相層析（reversed HPLC）和膠束電動力學層析（MEKC）分析乙字湯的十二個化學成分。前者使用逆相管柱（C18）及酸性沖提液（含KH2PO4、TBA溶液與氰甲烷、甲醇），可定量乙字湯的八個成分，其總分析時間為五十分鐘；後者以含18mMSDS、2mMCA、12.5mMNa2B4O7及10mMNaH2PO4的緩衝溶液，可在十五分鐘內同時定量乙字湯的十一個成分。相較之下，毛細管電泳的分析時間短、柱效高、管柱的清洗容易、樣品及溶劑用量少、可自動化分析，非常適合中藥材及製劑中高極性成分的定量分析。

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a recently developed analytical instrument which possess the features of high efficiency, short analysis time and high selectivity. In order to overcome the difficulties of HPLC in analyzing high polar components of Chinese herbal drug, the techniques of capillary electrophoresis have been applied to accomplish the determination of bioactive components in Glycyrrhizae Radix-containing, Angelicae Radixcontaining and Rhei Rhizoma-containing Chinese medicinal preparations and I-tzu-tang. The difference between CE and HPLC were also compared in this study.
A buffer solution consisting of 20% of acetonitrile and 80% of 0.02M sodium dihydrogenphosphate (adjusted to pH 7.5 with 0.05N sodium hydroxide) could be used to determine the contents of glycyrrhizin and glycyrrhetinic acid in Glycyrrhizae Radix-containing Chinese medicinal preparations within 10 min. Recoveries of these two components were 98.1~102.2% and the reproducibilities (relative standard deviations) were 1.29~1.94%.
A reversed electroosmotic flow (EOF) capillary electrophoretic method was applied to the assay of three aromtic acids in Angelicae Radix and Angelicae Radix-containing Chinese medicinal preparations within 3 min. The carrier composed of buffer solution (10mM lauryltrimethylammonium chloride, 5mM sodium borate and 10mM sodium dihydrogenphosphate) and acetonitrile (9:1) was found to be the most suitable electrolyte for this analysis. The recoveries of these aromatic acids were 98.0~102.1%, and their relative standard deviations were 0.93~1.06% (intraday) and 0.91~1.08% (interday).
By using a buffer system composed of 75% of aqueous solution (containing 10mM sodium dodecyl sulfate, 15mM sodium borate and 12.5 mM sodium dihydrogenphosphate) and 25% of acetonitrile, the contents of sennoside A, sennoside B, emodin, aloe-emodin and rhein in Rhei Rhizoma samples could easily be determined. The recoveries of these five compounds were 96.5~102.5% and the relative standard deviations were 0.75~1.46% (intraday) and 0.95~1.97% (interday). Under the same condition, the contents of these five components in several Rhei Rhizoma-containing Chinese medicinal preparatins were also determined.
Reversed HPLC and MEKC were both used to analyze twelve chemical components in I-tzu-tang. A reversed phase C18 column and an acidic eluent (containing potassium digydrogenphosphate, tetrabutyl-ammonium bromide, acetonitrile and methanol) were used in reversed HPLC to determine 8 components in I-tzu-tang within 50 min, whilst a buffer solution (containing 18mM sodium dodecyl sulfate, 2mM sodium cholate, 12.5mM sodium borate and 10 mM sodium dihydrogenphosphate) was used in MEKC to determine 11 componpents in I-tzu-tang within 15 min. In comparison, based on the features of offering shorter analysis time, higher column efficiency, requiring smaller amounts of samples and eluent, easier through clearing of the column and autosampling, CE is a promising and suitable method for the determination of the high polar components of Chinese herbs and Chinese medicinal preparations.