Immunoaffinity capillary electrophoretic analysis of cyclosporin in tears.

An immunoaffinity capillary electrophoresis technique has been developed for the analysis of cyclosporin A in human tear fluid following topical application of the drug. The technique combines the selectivity of immunoaffinity separation with the high-resolution of capillary electrophoresis by immobilizing monoclonal antibody fragments directly onto the internal surface of the capillary. This technique was used to measure cyclosporin levels in tears obtained from corneal transplant patients during normal and drug toxicity episodes in the course of their treatment. Comparison of this technique with HPLC detection of cyclosporin in tears showed a good correlation, with the immunoaffinity CE technique having the advantage of being able to simultaneously detect toxic metabolites of cyclosporin in the same sample.