Simultaneous enantioseparation of cis-diltiazem hydrochloride and its metabolite cis-desacetyldiltiazem using high-performance liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis.

Two alternative methods were developed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) for a simultaneous enantioselective determination of Ca(2+) blocking chiral drug cis-diltiazem hydrochloride (DLT) and its degradation product and metabolite cis-desacetyldiltiazem (Desac-DLT). The methods were compared from the viewpoint of analytical performance. The identification of HPLC peaks were performed using off-line electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. In addition, CE method was evaluated for quantitative determination of minor enantiomeric impurities in pharmacologically active (+)-cis-DLT.