**Acknowledgements**

*Current Topics in Chirality - From Chemistry to Biology*

Chiralcel OD as chiral stationary phases [93].

profiling of a commercial alkaloid sample [95].

230 nm. This developed method was used for determining the pharmacokinetics of THP enantiomers in rats and dogs after oral administration [87]. Another report of isoquinoline alkaloid group is sanguinarine derivatives. Chiral determination of Benzophenanthridine alkaloids from methanol extracts of Hylomecon species was conducted by Chiralcel OD (4.6 x 250 mm) column with mixture of isopropanolhexane-diethylamine (20/80/0.1, v/v/v) as a mobile phase [88]. The stereochemistry of L-isocorypalmine and the D/L ratio of tetrahydropalmatine, stylopine, and corydaline were established unambiguously by using a chiral Chiralcel OD (4.6 x 250 mm) column; 50% ethanol as mobile phase; wavelength 230 nm [89]. Cularinoids are a group of isoquinoline alkaloids consisting of about 60 members. The HPLC enantiomeric separation of the racemic cularinoid alkaloids N-p-

methoxy-1,α-dihydroaristoyagonine and 4′,5'demethoxy-1,α-dihydroaristoyagonine was accomplished using five chiral stationary phases (CSPs), the good enantioselectivity and resolution factor obtained with a polysaccharide-derived CSP (Chiralpak

Indole derivatives are widely used in chiral synthesis, chemical asymmetric catalysis, biological and medicinal chemistry. Recently, the enantiomeric separation of several chiral plant growth regulators and related compounds, such as 3-(3-indolyl)-butyric acid, abscisic acid and structurally related molecules including a variety of substituted tryptophan compounds was reported. Chiral stationary phases such as coated and immobilized were suitable for the separation of indole derivatives; however, the coated CSP possesses a higher resolving power than the immobilized one [91]. Tangutorine, a biogenetically interesting indole alkaloid, was found in the leaves of Nitraria tangutorum in 1999. It was separated from its synthetic enantiomer by chiral stationary phases two polysaccharide-derived CSP (Chiralcel OD and Chiralpak AD) and a network polymer incorporating a bifunctional C2-symmetric chiral selector (Kromasil CHI-DMB) [92]. The HPLC enantiomeric separation of racemic indole alkaloids tacamonine, 17α-hydroxytacamonine, deethyleburnamonine, and vindeburnol was accomplished using Chiralpak AD and

The enantiomers of homocamptothecin (hCPT) derivatives which constitute a promising series of potent anticancer agents targeting DNA topoisomerase I were separated by using the combination of two silica-based normal phase column including Chiralcel OD-H (celluloses tris-3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamateand) Chiralcel OJ (celluloses tris-methylbenzoate) or Chiralpak AD (amyloses tris-3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) and Chiralpak AS (amyloses tris-(S)-1-phenylethylcar-bamate) [94]. A method for the simultaneous determination of eight Cinchona alkaloids (quinine, quinidine, cinchonine, cinchonidine, and their corresponding dihydro analogs) using a novel strong cation-exchange-type chiral stationary phase (cSCX) column in HPLC has been developed and exemplarily applied to impurity

Most of alkaloids are chiral compounds and are clinically administered as the racemic mixture, although its enantiomers have been shown to exert different pharmacological activity. The complication of sample matrices and low concentration of chiral alkaloids are major challenges for analytical processes. To improve the performance of analytical procedure, we provide the current state of the art in sample preparation focusing on extraction and purification to remove interferences and enrich analyte concentrations. HPLC using CSPs has demonstrated to be extremely useful, accurate, versatile, its mode is generally the most straightforward

**56**

**6. Conclusion**

AD) [90].

The authors would like to express their hearty gratitude to Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy. We also thank all of our colleagues for their excellent assistance.
