Use of high-performance size-exclusion chromatography for the separation of poliovirus and subviral particles

The size-dependent separation of viral and subviral particles in the range 10(5)-10(7) daltons was undertaken by high-performance liquid chromatography. A combination of Ultrahydrogel 2000 and 1000 size-exclusion columns, equilibrated and developed with Tris buffer (pH 7.4), was used to fractionate extracts of cells infected with radiolabelled poliovirus. Poliovirions (30 nm) and subviral particles (20 nm) were separated according to size with full retention to their biological activities. Procapsids (same size as virions, but devoid of RNA) could not be separated from virions. Sample recoveries as determined with radiolabelled material constantly exceeded 70%. The method was successfully applied to the separation of viral and subviral particles from complex mixtures.     

Two-dimensional separation system of coupling capillary liquid chromatography to capillary electrophoresis for analysis of Escherichia coli metabolites

A two-dimensional (2-D) separation system of coupling chromatography to electrophoresis was developed for profiling Escherichia coli metabolites. Capillary liquid chromatography (LC) with a monolithic silica-octadecyl silica column (500 x 0.2 mm ID) was used as the first dimension, from which the effluent fractions were further analyzed by capillary electrophoresis (CE) acting as the second dimension. Field-enhanced stacking was selectively employed as a concentration strategy to interface the two dimensions, which proved to be beneficial for the detection of metabolites. An artificial sample containing 118 standards, some of which lack chromophores or have weak UV absorbance, was used to optimize the 2-D separation system. Under the optimum conditions, 63 components in the artificial sample having absorbance at 254 nm could be well resolved and detected. The utility of the system was demonstrated by comprehensive analysis of E. coli metabolites. Comparing with the previous 2-D separation system we published in Anal. Chem. 2004, 76, 1419-1428, using a longer monolithic column in the first dimension improved the separation efficiency and offered the possibility of increasing the injection volume without compromising the separation efficiency. In the second dimension, field-enhanced stacking was used to improve the concentration sensitivity of the metabolites, and more metabolites in E. coli cell extract were detected and identified using the developed 2-D separation system. In addition, preliminary investigation for future CE-mass spectrometry coupling was also made in the study by using volatile buffers in the capillary LC and CE techniques.     

On-line identification of trans-resveratrol in red wine using a sweeping technique combined with capillary electrophoresis/77 K fluorescence spectroscopy

The feasibility of combining the techniques of on-line concentration and capillary electrophoresis/low-temperature fluorescence spectroscopy (CE/LTFS) for the detection and identification of trans-resveratrol in red wine at 77 K is demonstrated for the first time. This technique, involving sweeping-micellar electrokinetic chromatography (sweeping-MEKC), was used for the initial on-line concentration and separation, after which a cryogenic molecular fluorescence experiment was performed at 77 K. In comparison with normal-MEKC mode, a approximately 1500-fold improvement in detection sensitivity could be obtained when the sweeping-MEKC was applied. The proposed method permits not only the separation and detection of trans-resveratrol from red wine extracts but also ensures that the on-line spectrum is readily distinguishable and can be unambiguously assigned at 77 K.     

Determination of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) by application of online 77 K fluorescence spectroscopy and a sweeping technique in micellar electrokinetic chromatography

The principal advantage of the use of Shopl'skii effect (low temperature spectrum) is that spectral sharpening occurs both in absorption and emission. However, thus far using the technique of capillary electrophoresis/low temperature fluorescence spectroscopy (CE/LTFS) either at 77 or 4.2 K remains difficult to obtain an on-line spectrum, if the analyte is present at low concentration. This paper examines the feasibility of combining the techniques of online concentration and CE/LTFS to identify LSD and related compounds in urine at 77 K. To improve sensitivity, sweeping-micellar electrokinetic chromatography (sweeping-MEKC) and cation-selective exhaustive injection-sweep-micellar electrokinetic chromatography (CSEI-sweep-MEKC) were used for on-line concentration which resulted in detection limits of approximately 20 approximately 60 ppt, respectively.     

Separation and first structure elucidation of Cremophor EL-components by hyphenated capillary electrophoresis and delayed extraction-matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry

The polyethoxylated heterogeneous components of the so far poorly characterized nonionic emulsifier Cremophor EL (polyoxyl 35 castor oil) (CrEL) were fractionated by cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (CD-MEKC). Due to the low UV absorbance of most of the CrEL-components an indirect UV detection was used with phenobarbital-sodium as background absorber. For a precise assignment of the resulting peaks to the corresponding components capillary electrophoresis (CE) had to be combined with delayed extraction-matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry (DE-MALDI-TOF-MS) as detection system. For this purpose, the fractionating robot Probot was employed which enables both the on-line fractionation of the CE eluate on a MALDI target during the electrophoretic separation and the simultaneous dosage of the MALDI matrix solution. The applied CrEL amount was optimized by varying the CE injection parameters time, pressure and concentration of the sample in order to obtain homologue peak series of sufficient intensity without decreasing the separation efficiency. Evaluation of the mass spectra was performed by comparing the residue masses of the homologue peak series with the calculated residue masses of potential CrEL-components. However, the high number of polyethoxylated components leads to overlapping of homologue peak series with isobaric residue masses. These isobaric interferences were detected by a high mass accuracy of the measurements (obtained by internal calibration with polyethylene glycol (PEG) 1000 and by means of the residue mass plot, the newly developed evaluation method. The combination of these techniques allowed the first detailed structure analysis of the CrEL-components showing glycerol polyoxyethylene (POE) monoricinoleate and POE monoricinoleate to be the two main components of the emulsifier. Furthermore, the coupling of CE with DE-MALDI-TOF-MS is generally applicable to the fractionation and identification of polymers.     

Characterization of rhinovirus subviral A particles via capillary electrophoresis, electron microscopy and gas-phase electrophoretic mobility molecular analysis: Part I

During infection, enteroviruses, such as human rhinoviruses (HRVs), convert from the native, infective form with a sedimentation coefficient of 150S to empty subviral particles sedimenting at 80S (B particles). B particles lack viral capsid protein 4 (VP4) and the single-stranded RNA genome. On the way to this end stage, a metastable intermediate particle is observed in the cell early after infection. This subviral A particle still contains the RNA but lacks VP4 and sediments at 135S. Native (150S) HRV serotype 2 (HRV2) as well as its empty (80S) capsid have been well characterized by capillary electrophoresis. In the present paper, we demonstrate separation of at least two forms of subviral A particles on the midway between native virions and empty 80S capsids by CE. For one of these intermediates, we established a reproducible way for its preparation and characterized this particle in terms of its electrophoretic mobility and its appearance in transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Furthermore, the conversion of this intermediate to 80S particles was investigated. Gas-phase electrophoretic mobility molecular analysis (GEMMA) yielded additional insights into sample composition. More data on particle characterization including its protein composition and RNA content (for unambiguous identification of the detected intermediate as subviral A particle) will be presented in the second part of the publication.     

Rapid determination of cyclamate in foods by solid-phase extraction and capillary electrophoresis

A method for the determination of cyclamate in food was developed using solid-phase extraction (SPE) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) with indirect ultraviolet (UV) detection. A 5-10 g sample in 0.1 mol/L hydrochloric acid was homogenized and made up to a volume of 50 mL with 0.1 mol/L hydrochloric acid. After the sample was centrifuged, 25 mL of supernatant was loaded into an Oasis HLB SPE cartridge. The cartridge was washed with 2 mL of demineralized water followed by 2 mL of 50% aqueous methanol, and cyclamate was eluted with 4.5 mL of 50% aqueous methanol. The eluate was added to a solution of sodium propionate (internal standard) for CE analysis. The cyclamate in the eluate was electrophoresed on a fused-silica capillary using 1 mmol/L hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide and 10 mmol/L potassium sorbate as a running buffer. Detection and reference wavelengths of cyclamate determined with a UV detector were 300 and 254 nm, respectively. The calibration curves for cyclamate showed good linearity in the range of 2-1000 microg/mL and the limits of detection in beverage, fruit in syrup, jam, pickles and confectionary are sample dependent and ranged from 5-10 microg/g. The recovery of cyclamate added at a level of 200 microg/g to various kinds of foods was 93.3-108.3% and the relative standard deviation was less than 4.9% (n=3). A number of commercial samples were analyzed using the proposed method. Cyclamate was detected in one waume, two pickles, and two sunflower seeds. The quantitative values determined with CE correlated to those from high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) (the detected values of cyclamate in a sunflower seed measured by CE and HPLC were 3.40 g/kg and 3.51 g/kg, respectively). This analytical method for cyclamate using CE is especially suitable for use in the field.     

Capillary electrophoresis of affinity complexes between subviral 80S particles of human rhinovirus and monoclonal antibody 2G2

Human rhinoviruses (HRVs), the main etiologic agents of the common cold, transform into subviral B- or 80S particles (they sediment at 80S upon sucrose density gradient centrifugation) during infection and, in vitro, upon exposure to a temperature between 50 and 56 degrees C. With respect to the native virion they lack the genomic RNA and the viral capsid protein VP4. 80S particles are unstable and easily disintegrate into their components, VP1, VP2, and VP3 in buffers containing SDS. However, this detergent was found to be a necessary constituent of the BGE for the analysis of these viruses and their complexes with receptors and antibodies by CE. We here demonstrate that dodecylpoly(ethyleneglycol ether) (D-PEG) a nonionic detergent, is suitable for analysis of subviral particles as it preserves their integrity, in contrast to SDS. Electrophoresis of the 80S particles in borate buffer (pH 8.3, 100 mM) containing 10 mM D-PEG resulted in a well-defined electrophoretic peak. The identity of the peak was confirmed, among other means, by complexation with mAb 2G2, which recognizes a structural epitope exclusively present on subviral particles but not on native virus. Upon incubation of the 80S particles with mAb 2G2 the peak disappeared, but a new peak, attributed to the antibody complex emerged. The separation system allowed following the time course of the transformation of intact HRV serotype 2 into 80S particles upon incubation at temperatures between 40 and 65 degrees C. We also demonstrate that subviral particles derived from HRV2 labeled with the fluorescence dyes FITC or Cy3.5 were stable in the separation system containing D-PEG. Dye-modified particles were still recognized by mAb 2G2, suggesting that the exposed lysines that are derivatized by the reagent do not form part of the epitope of the antibody.     

Capillary Electrophoresis Coupled On-Line with Nitrogen-Selective Thermionic Detection Using an Eluent-Jet Interface

The on-line coupling of capillary electrophoresis (CE) with a thermionic detector (TID) originally developed for gas chromatography (GC) is reported for the first time. An eluent-jet interface previously used to combine micro-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry can now be used to couple CE and TID. Preliminary results demonstrate the possibility of performing direct nitrogen-selective detection, even for less volatile compounds. Detection limits of 4–12 pg N/s were obtained for the four tested compounds piperidine, dimethylformamide, tetra-n-butylammonium hydroxide, and nicotinic acid. Optimization of both the TID and the eluent-jet interface can be performed independently; optimum TID parameters agree rather closely with the detector specifications under GC conditions. The nitrogen-selective TID proved to be linear over more than three orders of magnitude with acceptable repeatability. The on-line coupling of CE and TID may well become an interesting approach for the rapid and direct analysis of ionic and high-molecular-mass N-containing compounds.     

Determination of Triton X-100 in influenza vaccine by high-performance liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis

Triton X-100 is applied to influenza vaccines at different stages of the manufacturing process to prevent aggregation and precipitation of biomolecules. Furthermore it is used to disintegrate the virus particles in split vaccine and to guarantee the homogeneity during production and utilisation. The final concentration of Triton X-100 has to be determined because the concentration changes in manufacturing process. The determination of the total amount of Triton X-100 as well as the separation of its ethylene oxide oligomers was possible with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE). In HPLC a change of the column and eluent was necessary, in CE different electrolytes were used for the various separation effects. The HPLC method for the analysis of total Triton was preferred for the quantification of Triton X-100 in influenza vaccine because of better linearity, reproducibility and detection sensitivity compared to CE. In the end products an average concentration of 0.117 mg/mL was found. Received: 19 December 1996 / Revised: 27 February 1997 / Accepted: 6 March 1997     

Routine determination of major anions in atmospheric aerosols by capillary electrophoresis

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) with indirect UV detection utilizing a pyromellitate-based electrolyte was used for the routine analysis of major anions in atmospheric aerosols collected on filters with high-volume (Hi-Vol) samplers. The long-term reliability of the CE system was checked over an 8-month period during which over 2900 samples were analyzed. In addition, approximately 1100 samples were analyzed in parallel by ion chromatography (IC). It has been shown that acceptable analytical performance can be routinely obtained. The agreement between the CE and IC results is good, generally better than 20% at concentrations larger than 1 mg l⁻¹.     

Evaluation of Liquid Chromatography and Capillary Electrophoresis for the Elucidation of the Artificial Colorants Brilliant Blue and Azorubine in Red Wines

Summary Liquid chromatography (LC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) have been compared for the analysis of the dyes brilliant blue and azorubine in red wines. A liquid-liquid extraction procedure followed by an ion-pair LC method was developed to separate the dyes from the wine polyphenols allowing reliable UV-spectral identification of the target dyes with limits of detection of 10 and 20 ppb for azorubine and brilliant blue, respectively. Because adulteration of wine with dyes is usually in the ppm level, CE proved to be a good alternative for the LC method. CE could be applied after a simple sample clean-up step by SPE eliminating interference from the bulk of the polyphenols. Although LC proved to be more sensitive compared to CE, the latter is more effective in reducing interferences from other wine components and showed the typical advantages of CE such as low solvent consumption and speed of analysis.     

Separation of non-UV-absorbing synthetic polyelectrolytes by CE with contactless conductivity detection

A specific method for the separation and detection of non-UV-absorbing polyelectrolytes has been developed. The analysis of such polyelectrolytes by liquid chromatography is nearly impossible due to strong ionic interactions and charge density effects. CE makes use of these charge density effects and thus enables for proper separation. A capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detector has been applied for the detection in CE. A low molar mass poly(acrylic acid) sodium salt standard (PAA1.3k) was separated in free solution CE and detected with the contactless conductivity detector. Different amphoteric electrolytes have been tested for their applicability as BGE for the separation of polyelectrolytes with conductivity detection. It has been shown that the best detection results are obtained with an arginine-sorbate buffer.     

爆炸残留物的毛细管电泳检测

1引言爆炸是恐怖袭击的常用手段。对痕量爆炸残留物进行高效检测,从而准确判断炸药的成分和种类,能够为侦破案件提供重要的线索和证据[1,2]。近年来,毛细管电泳技术初步显示了其在爆炸物检验方面的巨大潜力[3～6]。本实验基于毛细管电泳间接紫外吸收检测[7,8]和胶束电动色谱[9],建立了痕量爆炸残余物的系统分析检验方法,通过对爆炸瞬间产生的痕量     

Determination of ciprofloxacin and its impurities by capillary zone electrophoresis

Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) has been elaborated for separation, identification and determination of ciprofloxacin and its impurities. The separation, phosphate buffer pH 6.0 was supplemented with 0.075 M pentane-1-sulfonic acid sodium salt. The elaborated method was validated. The selectivity, linearity, limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ), precision, and accuracy of capillary zone electrophoresis were evaluated. The results obtained by CZE were also compared with those obtained by liquid chromatography. Regarding the validation results the CE method fulfils the current European Pharmacopoeia (Eur. Ph.) requirements. The evaluated CE method could be applicable to the analysis of different medicinal products containing ciprofloxacin.     

High-throughput capillary electrophoresis analysis of biopharmaceuticals utilizing sequential injections

The complexity of biotherapeutic products implies an ever-increasing list of product quality attributes that need to be monitored and characterized. In addition, the growing interest in implementing process analytical technology in biopharmaceutical production has further increased the testing burden, together with the need for rapid testing that can facilitate real-time or near-real-time decision-making. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) has made a place in biopharmaceutical analysis but is regarded as a low-throughput method, with the instrument dead time constituting more than 80% of the total time of analysis. In this study, the dead time of CE was utilized to analyse 3 mAb samples in a single-CE run. This approach resulted in an up to 77% reduction in the total analysis time and increased the productivity by up to 300%, compared to traditional single CE-ultraviolet runs, without compromising resolution or relative peak areas. Additionally, good method reproducibility was observed. The compatibility of the method has been demonstrated with protein A eluate and cation exchange chromatography fractions. We, thus, propose that sequential injections can be applied for fast and robust CE analysis of biopharmaceuticals.     

Quantitative analysis of pharmaceutically active peptides using on-capillary analyte preconcentration transient isotachophoresis

An on-capillary adsorptive phase in combination with capillary electrophoresis (CE), frequently referred to as preconcentration CE, for quantitative analysis of low peptide concentrations was developed. The capillary containing the on-line analyte preconcentrator can be constructed within 5 min from commercially available extraction disks. These disks contain poly(styrenedivinylbenzene) adsorbent particles incorporated in a matrix of inert Teflon, creating a mechanically stable sorbent. Therefore, no frits are needed in the capillary to hold the stationary phase in place. Several parameters, such as the required minimal elution volume, required elution strength, sample application speed or ionic strength, and the capacity were investigated and special interest was given to the quantitative properties of the method. Instead of nL injections, volumes up to a least 25 microL are possible, yielding improvements in detection limits of 3-4 orders of magnitude. The observed limit of detection for both model peptides was 20 pg, corresponding to a 20 microL injection of a 1 ng/mL solution of both model peptides. Using low-wavelength UV detection, reproducibility and linearity in the low nanogram range were satisfactory. No influence of matrix salt concentrations was observed, extending the use of CE to all kinds of samples.     

Simultaneous analysis of lead, mercury and selenium species by capillary electrophoresis with combined ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid complexation and field-amplified stacking injection.

In this study, speciation analysis was carried out for multispecies of lead, mercury and selenium by capillary electrophoresis (CE) with combined complexation and field-amplified stacking injection (FASI). Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) was added to the sample mixture to form UV-absorbing complexes with the analytes, thus enabling direct UV detection. It was also used in the running electrolyte to improve resolution. Under optimal conditions, ten analytes were baseline-separated within 20 min. The influence of operational conditions (pH, EDTA concentration, sodium dodecyl sulfate concentration) on the electrophoretic behavior of the species was studied. The analyte-related parameters were calculated based on the migration equation. Enhancement of detection, up to 1700-fold, was achieved for the charged complexes with FASI, and sub-ng/mL detection limits were obtained. The performance of this method was compared with high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography and other CE procedures.     

On-line immunoaffinity sample pre-treatment for column liquid chromatography: evaluation of desorption techniques and operating conditions using an anti-estrogen immuno-precolumn as a model system.

An immunoaffinity precolumn (immuno-precolumn) containing an immobilized antibody directed against estrogen steroids, was used as a model system for the evaluation of different desorbing techniques, suitable for on-line coupling to column liquid chromatography (LC). Desorption of estrogen analytes from the immuno-precolumn proved to be impossible with the buffers and chaotropic solutions frequently used in affinity desorption. Micellar solutions are effective in obstructing the antibody-antigen reaction, but their use as desorbing solutions was not found to be practical because of the large interferences introduced into the chromatograms. Desorption with aqueous solutions at elevated temperature, created by microwave action or conventional heating, although effective is not practical in this instance, because the agarose used in this study as the stationary phase for the immuno-precolumn is prone to heat decomposition. The most effective and practical approach is desorption with a methanol-water mixture (95 + 5 v/v). On-line dilution of the eluate allows the concentration of the desorbed analytes using a reversed-phase LC system with subsequent separation and ultraviolet detection. The performance of the system with spiked urine and plasma samples, which were introduced directly into the system, was evaluated and the results were compared with immunoselective desorption.     

Analysis of polar hydrophilic aromatic sulfonates in waste water treatment plants by CE/MS and LC/MS

The present work describes the development and optimization of a capillary (zone) electrophoresis/mass spectrometric (CE/MS) analysis method for polar hydrophilic aromatic sulfonates (ASs). The compounds were detected by negative ion electrospray ionization (NIESI) and selected ion monitoring (SIM). In comparison with CE/UV, for CE/MS a lower-concentration volatile ammonium acetate buffer (5 mM) without organic modifier and a higher separation voltage were better suited for separation. Sensitivity of CE/MS was slightly better than for CF/UV, with the limit of detection (LOD) ranging between 0.1 and 0.4 mg l(-1). For verification of the CE/MS results, ASs were also analysed by ion-pair liquid chromatography/diode array UV detection coupled in series with electrospray mass spectrometry (IPC/DAD/ESI-MS). Real water samples of different waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) in Catalonia (NE Spain) were extracted by solid-phase extraction (SPE) with LiChrolut EN and analysed with CE/MS and LC/MS. ASs were found in influent and effluent water samples of the WWTPs in the microg l(-1) concentration range. LC/MS offered a higher separation efficiency and sensitivity than CE/MS. Therefore with LC/MS more compounds could be identified in the WWTPs. The persistency of the ASs was distinct: some compounds were well degraded during the water treatment process, while others were quite persistent.