Determination of lipoic acid in biological samples with acetonitrile-salt stacking method in CE

An acetonitrile-salt stacking method was established for the assay of lipoic acid (LA) in biological samples. Samples were deproteinized with acetonitrile at a final concentration of 60 % (v/v) and then injected hydrodynamically at 3.45 × 10³ Pa for 180.0 s. The optimum background electrolyte was found to be 90.0 mmol L^-1 pH 9.1 borate buffer. LA could be detected within 35 min at +7.0 kV with satisfactory repeatability (relative standard deviations, RSDs, of migration times and peak areas were both below 10 % for intraday and interday; n = 6/9) and a relatively low limit of detection of ca. 0.5 μmol L^-1.