Liquid-liquid extraction of pharmaceuticals by aqueous two-phase systems

Aqueous two-phase systems are generally composed of a water solution of two structurally distinct hydrophilic polymers or of one polymer and certain salts. From analytical to commercial scale, aqueous two-phase systems have their application in the purification, characterization and study of biomaterials. In this review, we present some applications of aqueous two-phase systems in the separation and study of various pharmaceuticals, incluing recombinant proteins, antibodies and antigens, antibiotics, amino acids and oligopeptides, lactic acid, enzymes etc. Some new developments of the aqueous two-phase systems are reviewed and the prospects of this excellent technology are discussed...