On-line concentration by field-enhanced sample injection with reverse migrating micelles in micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography for the analysis of flavonoids in Epimedium brevicornum Maxim

A simple and sensitive micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) method was developed for the separation and determination of six flavonoids in Epimedium brevicornum Maxim. Field-enhanced sample injection with reverse migrating micelles (FESI-RMM) was used for on-line concentration of the flavonoids. An electrolyte containing 20 mM H3PO4, 100 mM SDS, 20% acetonitrile and 2% 2-propanol (pH 2.0) was chosen as the electrophoretic buffer. By optimizing the stacking conditions, about 40–360-fold improvement in the detection sensitivity was obtained for the flavonoids.