Abstract
A cyclodextrin‐modified micellar electrokinetic chromatographic (CD‐MEKC) method for the determination of the most important potential impurities of methotrexate (MTX): 2,4‐diamino‐6‐(hydroxymethyl)pteridine, aminopterine hydrate, 4‐[N‐(2‐amino‐4‐hydroxy‐6‐pteridinylmethyl)‐N‐methylamino] benzoic acid, 4‐[N‐(2,4‐diamino‐6‐pteridinylmethyl)‐N‐methylamino] benzoic acid, and the distomer D‐MTX is presented. The MEKC separation of these compounds was optimized by applying a step‐by‐step approach. The addition of β‐CD to a conventional MEKC system, based on sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as surfactant, showed to be essential for the enantioresolution of racemic MTX as well as for the separation of the achiral impurities. To achieve high‐resolution factor between the peaks adjacent to the main component (L‐MTX), as required in the analysis of related impurities, the separation conditions were stressed; in particular, the addition of methanol to the CD‐MEKC system resulted in a very effective choice. Under the optimized final conditions (100 mM SDS and 45 mM β‐CD in a mixture of 50 mM borate buffer, pH 9.30‐methanol (75:25 v/v)), the method was validated showing a general adequate accuracy (93–106% recovery) in the determination of L‐MTX related substances at the impurity level of 0.12% w/w with a relative standard deviation (RSD)% lower than 8% (n = 4). The method was successfully applied to the analysis of pharmaceuticals (tablets and injections) which showed to contain the distomer D‐MTX as major impurity and aminopterine hydrate as a further related substance in the commercial tablets.