Optimization of the capillary zone electrophoresis method for Huperzine A determination using experimental design and artificial neural networks

Abstract: Huperzine A, natural product from Huperzia serrata, is quite an important compound used to treat the Alzheimer''s disease as a food supplement and also proposed as a prospective and prophylactic antidote against organophosphate poisoning. In this work, simple and fast capillary electrophoresis (CE) procedure with UV detection (at 230nm) for determination of Huperzine A was developed and optimized. Capillary electrophoresis determination of Huperzine A was optimized using a combination of the experimental design (ED) and the artificial neural networks (ANN). In the first stage of optimization, the experiments were done according to the appropriate ED. Data evaluated by ANN allowed finding the optimal values of several analytical parameters (peak area, peak height, and analysis time). Optimal conditions found were 50mM acetate buffer, pH 4.6, separation voltage 10kV, hydrodynamic injection time 10s and temperature 25°C. The developed method shows good repeatability as relative standard division (R.S.D.=0.9%) and it has been applied for determination of Huperzine A in various pharmaceutical products and in biological liquids. The limit of detection (LOD) in aqueous media was 0.226ng/ml and 0.233ng/ml for determination in the serum. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]