Liquid Chromatographic and Capillary Electromigration Techniques for the Analysis of Azole Antifungals

Abstract

Since the introduction of azoles as antifungals in 1979, they gradually gained a spotlight in both medicinal and industrial fields. Other than being the leading antifungal medicinal drug agents, azoles have also been a major pesticide in agricultural industry. Because of that, numerous amounts of scientific studies have been conducted on azoles using different analytical techniques. Consequently, the requirement to have an in-depth interpretation on the techniques that can successfully be employed has risen. Addressing that, this study reviews analytical research on azole antifungals using liquid chromatography (LC) and capillary electromigration techniques (CE). Sub-techniques within these groups are also considered. Studies performed with CE are reviewed from the year 2015, whereas LC works are reviewed from the year 2020 due to the large number of studies performed by this technique. Emphasis is also placed on chiral separations as these are particularly relevant for azoles as most of them are chiral, and their different enantiomers can exert very different effects on humans and the environment.