Amperometric detection of acetylcholine and choline in a liquid chromatographic system with an immobilized enzyme reactor

Acetylcholinesterase and choline oxidase were co-immobilized by reaction with glutaraldehyde onto alkylamino-bonded silica, which was incorporated as the enzyme reactor in an h.p.l.c. system for the determination of acetylcholine and choline. The hydrogen peroxide produced enzymatically in the enzyme reactor, after the separation of acetylcholine and choline by the reverse-phase column, was monitored amperometrically. The detection limits were 1.2 pmol for choline and 1.8 pmol for acetylcholine.     

Biocentri-voltammetric biosensor for acetylcholine and choline

We report on the determination of choline and acetylcholine via biocentrivoltammetry. This method combines centrifugation and voltammetry and is based on a carbon paste electrode modified with acetylcholinesterase and choline oxidase. The electrode was placed at the bottom of a biocentrivoltammetric cell. Acetylcholine and choline are accumulated on the enzyme electrode via centrifugative forces, upon which a direct voltammetric scan is applied. Reaction time, pH values, quantities of enzyme and centrifugation parameters were optimized. A linear response is obtained in the 0.07 to 10?μM concentration range of acetylcholine, and a limit of detection as low as 0.5?μM. The linear range is between 0.1 and 500?μM for choline. The method was applied to the determination of acetylcholine and choline in spiked serum samples.

Analysis of acetylcholine and choline in microdialysis samples by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometric (LC/ESI-MS/MS) method was developed for the analysis of acetylcholine and choline in microdialysis samples. A Ringer's solution that contains high (150 mM) concentrations of inorganic salts was used to extract acetylcholine and choline from a rat or mouse brain. The separation of acetylcholine, choline, an internal standard acetyl-beta-methylcholine, endogenous compounds and inorganic cations was achieved with hydrophilic interaction chromatography using a diol column. The eluent consisted of 20 mM ammonium formate (pH 3.3) and acetonitrile (20:80) which is favourable for the ESI process. Limits of detection (signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio = 3) of 0.02 nM (0.2 fmol) for acetylcholine and 1 nM (10 fmol) for choline were observed using standards diluted in Ringer's solution. A good linearity was obtained from the limit of quantitation: 0.1 nM (S/N ratio = 10) to 50 nM (r = 0.999) for acetylcholine and within the concentration range of 100-3500 nM (r = 0.998) for choline. The between-day repeatability of the method was good; RSD was 3.1% at 1 nM level of acetylcholine and 3.5% at 1000 nM level of choline. The recoveries for addition of 1 or 2.5 nM acetylcholine and 0.2 or 1 microM choline in microdialysis balancing samples were between 93 and 101% indicating that no suppressing endogenous compounds were co-eluting with acetylcholine or choline. The developed method was applied to the analysis of microdialysis balancing samples collected from rat and mouse brains.     

Amperometric determination of choline and acetylcholine with enzymes immobilized in a photocross-linkable polymer

Choline and acetylcholine sensors were prepared by using choline oxidase and acetylcholinesterase, entrapped in photocross- linkable poly(vinyl alcohol) bearing styrylpyridinium (PVA-SbQ). The measurements were based on the detection of hydrogen peroxide liberated by an enzyme reaction (choline oxidase) or two sequential enzyme reactions (acetylcholine esterase and choline oxidase). The determination range for choline was 2.5-2-150 αmol 1^-1 and for acetylcholine 20-2-750 αmol 1^-1. The response times were 2-2-4 min. The immobilized enzyme membranes stored in a dry state were very stable and no loss of activity was observed after storage for 60 days.     

Determination of acetylcholine and choline in the femtomole range by means of HPLC,a post-column enzyme reactor,and electrochemical detection

Summary The measurement of choline and acetylcholine by means of HPLC, a post-column enzyme reactor, and electrochemical detection has been simplified and optimised. The use of a cation exchanger and enzyme reactor fitted in a cartridge holder appeared to result in reproducible, sensitive, and selective measurement of endogenous choline and acetylcholine with a lower detection limit of 50 fmole.     

Simple method for the simultaneous determination of acetylcholine, choline, noradrenaline, dopamine and serotonin in brain tissue by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

A simple method for the simultaneous determination of acetylcholine, choline, noradrenaline, dopamine and serotonin in brain tissue was developed by using high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. These compounds are analysed in a single chromatographic run within 30 min with a simple sample clean-up procedure. The detection system consists of two electrochemical detector cells aligned in series: a glassy-carbon electrode for catecholamines and serotonin, and a platinum electrode for acetylcholine and choline. For the detection of the latter compounds, they were converted enzymatically into hydrogen peroxide through a column reactor with immobilized acetylcholinesterase and choline oxidase. A column of boronic acid gel was placed just ahead of the immobilized enzyme column to remove catecholamines, which caused interfering responses on the platinum electrode. Two equivalent analytical columns and a column switching were employed to speed up the serotonin assay. Simultaneous determination of these major neurotransmitters in rat brain regions was successfully carried out with the system described.     

Amperometric acetylcholine and choline sensors with immobilized enzymes

Acetylcholine and choline sensors are prepared by immbilizing enzymes on nylon net attached to a hydrogen peroxide snsor. Choline oxidase is used for the choline sensor; acetylcholinesterase choline oxidase are used for acetylcholine. The platinum/silver electrode pair is polarized at +0.6 V. The assembly is protected with an acetate cellulose membrane to enhance selectivity. The ranges measured are 1–10 μmol l^?1 in 0.1–1 ml of sample. The response times are 1–2 min.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of cicletanide, a new diuretic, in plasma, red blood cells, urine and saliva

A sensitive, selective and easy to use high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of cicletanide, a new diuretic, in plasma, red blood cells, urine and saliva is described. After extraction of cicletanide together with an internal standard with diethyl ether, or diethyl ether-n-hexane (20:80) for urine, the sample extracts are chromatographed with water-methanol-acetic acid (50:50:0.3) as eluent on to a Nucleosil C18 column. Both compounds are detected by their ultraviolet absorption at 280 nm. The calibration graph was linear between 0.2 and 20 micrograms/ml for plasma and between 0.2 and 5 micrograms/ml for the other biological fluids. The sensitivity limit was 20 ng/ml for plasma, red blood cells and saliva and 30 ng/ml for urine. The coefficients of variation of the between-day assays did not exceed 4.6% in plasma, 8.3% in red blood cells, 7.8% in urine and 4.2% in saliva for the lowest concentrations studied. The application of the method to a pharmacokinetic study of cicletanide after a single oral therapeutic dose in humans is reported.     

Gas chromatographic assay for the new antitumor agent pyrazine-2-diazohydroxide (diazohydroxide) and its stability in buffer, blood and plasma

Diazohydroxide is a new antitumor agent being considered for clinical trial. A sensitive and specific assay for diazohydroxide in physiological media, plasma and blood has been developed based on conversion of diazohydroxide to 2-chloropyrazine in the presence of strong hydrochloric acid. The 2-chloropyrazine is extracted into the ethyl acetate and separated by capillary gas chromatography with nitrogen-phosphorus detection. Using 0.2 ml plasma the assay was linear up to 100 micrograms/ml diazohydroxide and had a lower limit of detectability for diazohydroxide of 50 ng/ml. The coefficient of variation of the assay at 1 micrograms/ml was 6.7%. Breakdown of diazohydroxide was rapid under mild acid conditions but slower under alkaline conditions,. The half-life of diazohydroxide in 0.1 M sodium phosphate buffer, pH 6.0, at room temperature was 5 min and at pH 8.0, 480 min. Breakdown of diazohydroxide in plasma was biphasic. In fresh mouse plasma diazohydroxide had a terminal half-life at 37 degrees C of 72 min while in fresh human plasma the terminal half-life was 23 min and in fresh blood 21 min. Diazohydroxide accumulated in red blood cells at 37 degrees C to a concentration 68% above the concentration in plasma. Diazohydroxide was 49% bound to human plasma proteins at room temperature.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of cyanide in human red blood cells by pre-column fluorescence derivatization.

A method for the determination of cyanide in human red cells has been developed. Cyanide was extracted from red cells by adding water and methanol, and then derivatized with 2,3-naphthalene-dialdehyde and taurine to give a fluorescent product, which was determined by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The recovery of cyanide from red cells was ca. 83%, and the limit of detection was 100 pmol/ml. The mean concentrations of red cell cyanide from ten smokers and from ten non-smokers were 705 and 466 pmol/ml, respectively. The method was also applicable to whole blood.     

Detection of ferricyanide as a probe for the effect of hematocrit in whole blood biosensors.

Measurement of the concentration of an analyte in whole blood can be influenced by a range of factors; the red cell content or hematocrit (Hct) of the sample, the distribution and rate of movement of analyte between red cells and plasma, the amount of protein in solution, the viscosity of the sample and fouling of the sensor. The effect of the red cells is the major factor that must be taken into account. Using the analyte molality rather than the analyte molarity, the theoretical response for a range of analytes which are found in plasma and in the red cells can be calculated. For an analyte which is found in plasma alone, the effect of hematocrit is significant, with a bias of -1% per %Hct; if the analyte can freely and rapidly diffuse between the red cells and plasma, this bias is reduced to zero. Using ferrocyanide as a model analyte, the effects of fouling and reduced sample viscosity were measured to be -0.2% per %Hct, giving an overall bias of -1.2% per %Hct, a level of bias which is not clinically acceptable. This bias can be negated by measuring the hematocrit separately and incorporating it into the measurement algorithm. Such a correction is essential for the correct measurement of the concentration of an analyte in whole blood.     

Glassy carbon pre-column for direct determination of acetylcholine and choline in biological samples using liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection.

The determination of acetylcholine and choline has been quite successfully accomplished using liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection following the original reports of Potter et al. [J. Neurochem., 41 (1984) 188]. A post-column reactor containing acetylcholinesterase and choline oxidase allows conversion of the desired species into hydrogen peroxide, an electrochemically active substance. However, the direct injection of tissue homogenates and other biological samples into such a system exhibits quite large solvent fronts and unidentified peaks. Using a pre-column packed with glassy carbon particles, we were able to dramatically decrease the size of the solvent front for such injections and tentatively identify the unknown peaks to be caused, at least in part, by common catecholamines. The glassy carbon pre-column, in addition to increasing the selectivity of the results, allowed the required chromatographic time per sample to be decreased from 20 to 10 min.     

Chemical transduction with fluorescent lipid membranes using selective interactions of acetylcholine receptor with agonist/antagonist and acetylcholine with substrate

Alterations in the physical structure of vesicles and monolayers of phospholipids and soybean lecithin were monitored by measurement on the average fluorescence intensity changes from N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)dipalmitoyl-L-a-phosphatidyl ethanolamine (NBD-PE) located in the lipid matrices. This probe was intimately dispersed at a concentration of 1-2 mol-% in lipid membranes and had an emission sensitive to local environmental structure. Alterations in the structure of soybean lecithin vesicles were induced by the selective interaction of acetylcholine receptor with the agonist carbamylcholine and the antagonist alpha-bungarotoxin. Structural changes in vesicles with a 7:3 mole ratio of dipalmitoylphosphatidyl choline to dipalmitoylphosphatidic acid were observed for selective interactions between acetylcholinesterase and acetylcholine. Enhancement of fluorescence emission from the lipid membranes provided transduction of the selective binding events of the receptor and enzyme. A maximum sensitivity of about a 30% enhancement per micromole of carbamylcholine and a detection limit for the toxin of 10 nM were observed for the receptor. Fluorescence microscopy was used to establish that protein could be incorporated in monolayer lipid membranes and to provide information about potential mechanisms of fluorescence enhancement. These studies show that lipid membranes containing NBD-PE can be used as generic transducers of protein-ligand interactions.     

Sensitive biosensor for choline and acetylcholine involving fast immobilization of a bienzyme system on a disposable membrane

A biosensor was prepared for the determination of choline or acetylcholine by co-immobilizing choline oxidase and cholinesterase on a chemically preactivated membrane ready for use. This rapid procedure allows the coupling to be performed in a few minutes. The determination is based on the electrochemical detection of enzymatically generated hydrogen peroxide. This sensor has a detection limit of 5 × 10^?8 M. The response was obtained in 2 min and was linear up to 2 × 10^?5 M.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of hippuric acid in human blood plasma

A method has been developed for the isocratic high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of hippuric acid in human blood plasma. After the addition of an internal standard (3-methoxysalicylic acid), plasma samples (1 ml) were made alkaline and extracted stepwise with methylene chloride and ethyl acetate. The detection limit was 50 pmol of hippuric acid per ml of plasma. The concentrations of hippuric acid in plasma from house painters (n = 8), with long-term exposure to solvent vapours from alkyd paints, were in the range 1-21 nmol/mol (median 11 nmol/ml). These values were statistically significantly higher than those for controls (n = 9): 2-8 nmol/ml (median 3 nmol/ml).     

Electrochemical studies on tetrathiafulvalene-tetracyanoquinodimethane modified acetylcholine/choline sensor

A sensor for acetylcholine/choline is described using a tetrathiafulvalene-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TTF-TCNQ) electrode modified with acetylcholine esterase (AChE) and choline oxidase (ChO) enzymes. DC cyclic voltammetry and impedance measurements of the enzyme-modified TTF-TCNQ electrode that indicate the regeneration of choline oxidase at the electrode surface are reported. Effective electrochemical rate constants for the present enzyme electrode are calculated using the expressions derived by Albery et al. (1), which show the enzyme kinetics as the rate-limiting step. The values of the effective electrochemical rate constants are close to those reported by Hale and Wightman (2). The application of the sensor is described for the determination of fluorode ion and nicotine based on the reversible inhibition of AChE activity. The range of detection of fluoride ion and nicotine is found to be 5×10^-6 to 5×10^-4M.     

An acetylcholine receptor-based biosensor for the detection of cholinergic agents

A practical, acetylcholine receptor-based prototype biosensor is reported. The biosensor utilizes a polymeric film containing the receptor and appropriate stabilizers to coat an interdigitated electrode transducer. Upon binding of specific cholinergic ligands to the immobilized receptor, changes occur in the electrical field of the electrodes proportional to the amount of cholinergic agent present. The biosensor can detect micro- to nano-gram quantities of cholinergic ligands per ml within 1–5 s. The biosensor can be recycled with acetylcholine and is stable for at least 72 h during use and over 6 months in storage at normal temperatures. The cholinergic biosensor represents the first instance of a biosensor based on a physiologically active receptor for the detection of a class of chemical compounds.     

Homogeneous chemiluminescent assays for free choline in human plasma and whole blood

Choline was oxidized in the presence of choline oxidase and the hydrogen peroxide generated was detected using a chemiluminescent acridinium-9-carboxamide. The dose response for choline (0-150 μM) was established in buffer and was validated for the quantification of choline in human plasma and whole blood. This homogeneous assay was performed in a 96-well microplate format and required minimal sample volume (4 μL) and short analysis time (<5 s per well). The new assay(s) correlated well (R > 0.98, plasma; R > 0.97, whole blood) with LC-MS/MS.     

Fully automated high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of whole blood and plasma samples using on-line dialysis as sample preparation. Determination of oxytetracycline in bovine and salmon whole blood and plasma.

A fully automated technique for high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of whole blood and plasma is described. Samples are automatically injected into a dialyser where proteins and blood cells are removed. The dialysates are concentrated on a small column prior to analysis. This technique is used for the determination of oxytetracycline in whole blood and plasma. After dialysis oxytetracycline and the internal standard, tetracycline, are retained on a polystyrene enrichment column and subsequently separated on a polystyrene analytical column by ion-pair chromatography. Using ultraviolet detection 50 ng/ml can be detected. Validation showed good within-day and between-day accuracy and precision. Different oxytetracycline concentrations were found in plasma and whole blood. This difference varied between the species.     

Gas chromatographic assay for the new antitumor agent sulfamic acid diester (NSC 329680) and its stability in buffer, blood and plasma

A sensitive gas chromatographic assay with electron-capture detection has been developed for sulfamic acid diester (sulfamic acid 1,7-heptanediyl ester, NSC 329680) based on its conversion to 1,7-diiodoheptane in the presence of excess sodium iodide. The assay is linear up to 1 microgram/ml sulfamic acid diester and has a lower limit of detection of 25 ng/ml from 0.5 ml plasma. The coefficient of variation of the assay is 6.4% at 1 microgram/ml and 8.0% at 100 ng/ml. Sulfamic acid diester is relatively stable in 0.9% sodium chloride and 0.1 M sodium phosphate buffers, pH 7.0-9.0, with half-lives greater than 38 h. The major breakdown product of sulfamic acid diester is sulfamic acid 1,7-heptane-monoyl ester. When added to whole blood sulfamic acid diester shows concentration-dependent breakdown. At 50 and 100 micrograms/ml sulfamic acid diester, the half-time in whole blood is 6.9 h and 65% of the drug is sequestered by the blood cells. At 10 micrograms/ml sulfamic acid diester in blood, there is no detectable breakdown of the drug over 24 h and all of the drug is sequestered by the blood cells. Protein binding of sulfamic acid diester in human plasma is 82% at 10 micrograms/ml and 68% at 100 micrograms/ml.