Capillary electrophoresis application in the analysis of the anti-cancer drugs impurities

Due to the low therapeutic index of anti-cancer drugs, they should be closely monitored for evidence of potential contamination that may be of high toxicity and not to have the desired therapeutic effect. Therefore, analytical methods to detect drugs related substances at low concentrations are necessary. Capillary electrophoresis allows for fast and clear separation of drug derivatives. A multitude of submethods make selection of suitable environment for various types of chemicals possible. Publications concerning separation of drugs such as cisplatin, carboplatin, lobaplatin, methotrexate, tamoxifen, paclitaxel from their derivatives, which are their potential contaminations, show that capillary electrophoresis provides the appropriate tools to analyze the impurities of these anti-cancer drugs and is able to partially displace such technique as thin layer chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography, which still play a major role in this field.