Capillary electrochromatography of proteins and peptides with a cationic acrylic monolith

For the separation of proteins and peptides by capillary electrochromatography (CEC), columns with a monolithic stationary phase were prepared from silanized fused-silica capillaries of 50 microm I.D. by in situ copolymerization of glycidyl methacrylate, methyl methacrylate and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate in the presence of propanol and formamide as porogens. The epoxide groups at the surface of the porous monolith were reacted with N-ethylbutylamine to form fixed tertiary amino functions with ethyl- and butyl-chains. A mixture of ribonuclease A, insulin, alpha-lactalbumin and myoglobin was separated isocratically by counterdirectional CEC with hydro-organic mobile phases containing acetonitrile and sodium phosphate buffer, pH 2.5. The separation of four angiotensin type peptides by CEC was also achieved under similar conditions. The elution order of proteins was similar to that obtained in reversed-phase chromatography. Plots of the migration factors for proteins and peptides against the acetonitrile concentration exhibit opposite trends. This is most likely due to the greater chromatographic retention and lower electrophoretic migration velocity of proteins than that of peptides in the counterdirectional CEC system. From this it is concluded that the separation is governed by a dual mechanism that involves the complex interplay between selective chromatographic retention and differential electrophoretic migration.     

CEC separation of peptides using a poly(hexyl acrylate-co-1,4-butanediol diacrylate-co-[2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethyl ammonium chloride) monolithic column

A polyacrylate-based monolithic column bearing cationic functionalities and designed for capillary electrochromatography (CEC) has been prepared via photopolymerization of a mixture of hexyl acrylate, butanediol diacrylate, 2-(acryloyloxy) ethyltrimethyl ammonium chloride (monomers), azobisisobutyronitrile (photoinitiator), acetonitrile, phosphate buffer, and ethanol (porogens). The polymerization process was initiated with UV light at 360 nm. The column performance was evaluated via the separations of alkylbenzenes, substituted anilines, basic drugs, peptides, and a protein digest. The separation of complex peptide mixtures was then studied since such separations constitute a promising application of capillary electrochromatography. In particular, the effects of mobile phase composition, including ionic strength of the buffer solution and the percentage of acetonitrile on the retention factor, the column efficiency, and the resolution were determined. The separations were affected by both interaction of the peptides with the stationary phase and their own electrophoretic mobility. Excellent separations with column efficiencies of up to 160 000 plates/m were achieved for both a mixture of ten well-defined peptides and a tryptic digest of cytochrome c. The fractions of eluent containing peptides of the digest separated in the monolithic column were collected and characterized using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry.     

Growth of two-layer copolymer as the stationary phase with very high separation efficiency for separating peptides in capillary electrochromatography

Open tubular CEC (OT-CEC) column with a very high separation efficiency was prepared for peptides separation. A pretreated silica-fused capillary was reacted with 3-(methacryloxy) propyltrimethoxysilane followed by vinylbenzyl chloride and divinylbenzene to produce first thin monolithic monolayer. The second copolymer layer was formed on thin monolithic monolayer of the capillary by reversible addition-fragmentation transfer polymerization of N-phenylacrylamide and styrene. The key parameters including buffer pH value and organic modifier were systematically evaluated to provide the optimal chromatographic condition. The resultant OT-CEC columns were validated by separating a synthetic mixture of peptides and cytochrome C tryptic digest in capillary electrochromatography. The number of theoretical plates as high as 2.4 million per column was achieved for synthetic mixture peptides. In addition, the fabricated OT-CEC column also resolved more than 18 high-efficiency digestion peptides from a mixture containing tryptic digest of cytochrome C. The column to column and inter- to intraday repeatabilities of OT-CEC column through RSD% were found better than 3.0%, exhibiting satisfactory stability and repeatability of the two-layer deposited OT-CEC column. The results reveal that the open tubular capillary column modified with two-layer copolymer shows the great prospect for the separation of proteins in capillary electrochromatography.     

High-efficiency peptide analysis on monolithic multimode capillary columns: Pressure-assisted capillary electrochromatography/capillary electrophoresis coupled to UV and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry

High-efficiency peptide analysis using multimode pressure-assisted capillary electrochromatography/capillary electrophoresis (pCEC/pCE) monolithic polymeric columns and the separation of model peptide mixtures and protein digests by isocratic and gradient elution under an applied electric field with UV and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) detection is demonstrated. Capillary multipurpose columns were prepared in silanized fused-silica capillaries of 50, 75, and 100 microm inner diameters by thermally induced in situ copolymerization of methacrylic monomers in the presence of n-propanol and formamide as porogens and azobisisobutyronitrile as initiator. N-Ethylbutylamine was used to modify the chromatographic surface of the monolith from neutral to cationic. Monolithic columns were termed as multipurpose or multimode columns because they showed mixed modes of separation mechanisms under different conditions. Anion-exchange separation ability in the liquid chromatography (LC) mode can be determined by the cationic chromatographic surface of the monolith. At acidic pH and high voltage across the column, the monolithic stationary phase provided conditions for predominantly capillary electrophoretic migration of peptides. At basic pH and electric field across the column, enhanced chromatographic retention of peptides on monolithic capillary column made CEC mechanisms of migration responsible for separation. The role of pressure, ionic strength, pH, and organic content of the mobile phase on chromatographic performance was investigated. High efficiencies (exceeding 300 000 plates/m) of the monolithic columns for peptide separations are shown using volatile and nonvolatile, acidic and basic buffers. Good reproducibility and robustness of isocratic and gradient elution pressure-assisted CEC/CE separations were achieved for both UV and ESI-MS detection. Manipulation of the electric field and gradient conditions allowed high-throughput analysis of complex peptide mixtures. A simple design of sheathless electrospray emitter provided effective and robust low dead volume interfacing of monolithic multimode columns with ESI-MS. Gradient elution pressure-assisted mixed-mode separation CE/CEC-ESI-MS mass fingerprinting and data-dependent pCE/pCEC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of a bovine serum albumin (BSA) tryptic digest in less than 5 min yielding high sequence coverage (73%) demonstrated the potential of the method.     

Separation of tryptic peptides of native and glycated BSA using open‐tubular CEC with salophene–lanthanide–Zn2+ complex as stationary phase

Open‐tubular CEC (OT‐CEC) with a new stationary phase, salophene–lanthanide–Zn²⁺ complex, has been applied to the separation of tryptic peptides of native BSA and BSA glycated by glucose and ribose. Glycation of proteins (non‐enzymatic modification by sugars) significantly affects their properties and it is of great importance from a physiological point of view. Separation of tryptic peptides of glycated BSA by CZE was poor because of their strong adsorption to the bare fused silica capillary. An improved separation of tryptic peptides of both native and glycated BSA was achieved by OT‐CEC in the fused silica capillary non‐covalently coated with salophene–lanthanide–Zn²⁺ complex, which suppressed the adsorption of peptides to the capillary and via specific interactions with some (glyco)peptides enhanced selectivity of the separation. Significant differences have been found in OT‐CEC analyses of tryptic hydrolysates of native and glycated BSA. In OT‐CEC‐UV profile of tryptic peptides of native BSA, 44 peaks could be resolved, whereas a reduced number of 38 peaks were observed in the profile of tryptic peptides of glucose‐glycated BSA and only 30 peaks were found in the case of ribose‐glycated BSA. The developed OT‐CEC can be potentially used for monitoring of protein glycation.     

Peptide separation in hydrophilic interaction capillary electrochromatography

Separation of small peptides by hydrophilic interaction capillary electrochromatography (HI-CEC) has been investigated. The negative surface charge of a hydrophilic, strong-cation-exchange stationary phase (PolySULFOETHYL A) provided a substantial cathodic electroosmotic flow (EOF). The influence of acetonitrile content, ionic strength, mobile phase pH as well as applied voltage on the migration of the peptides was studied. Possible retention mechanisms of the peptides in HI-CEC were discussed. It was found that hydrophilic interaction between the solutes and the stationary phase played a major role in this system, especially when mobile phases with high acetonitrile content were used. However, an ion-exchange mechanism and electrophoretic mobility also affect the migration of the peptides in HI-CEC. Elution order and selectivity was proved to be different in HI-CEC and capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), thus revealing the potential of HI-CEC as a complementary technique to CZE for the separation of peptides. Efficiency and selectivity of HI-CEC for the separation of peptides were demonstrated by baseline separating nine peptides in 6 min.     

毛细管反相电色谱法分离行为的研究

对乙睛-水-磷酸二氢销体系毛细管反相电色谱分离行为进行了研究。采用柱上紫外检测,在75μmi.d.×30cm的毛细管ODS（3μm）填充柱上获得了小于2.0的折合培板高度。同时还研究了乙睛的比例、电解质的浓度和电场强度等因素对电渗流和往效的影响。     

Separation of small peptides by electrochromatography on silica-based reversed phases and hydrophobic anion exchange phases

Peptide separations are regarded as a promising application of capillary electrochromatography (CEC) and, at the same time, a suitable model to elucidate its mixed separation mechanism when charged analytes are involved. In this paper, studies on the separation of small peptides (2-4 amino acids) on a Spherisorb octadecyl silane (ODS) phase at acidic pH and on a strong anion exchange (SAX)/C18 mixed mode phase at weakly basic pH are reported. For the ODS phase a comparison of CEC, capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) under identical buffer/eluent conditions is presented. The predicted retention factors for CEC under the assumption of simple superposition of HPLC retention and CZE migration matched the measured results for the peptides that had small retention factors in HPLC. For both types of stationary phases, a variation of the acetonitrile content in the mobile phase led to a wide range of retention factors, including negative values when co-electroosmotic migration was dominant. Though both the ODS and the SAX/C18 phase offer unique advantages, the SCX/C18 phase at pH 9 provides more flexibility to alter separation selectivity for the selected peptides.     

Study of flow rate in pressurized gradient capillary electrochromatography using splitter and separation of peptides using an Amide stationary phase

A pressurized gradient capillary electrochromatograph using a splitter was constructed. The variation in flow rate during gradient elution was investigated and separations of peptides using an Amide stationary phase were demonstrated. The flow rate, which is one of the important factors to control chromatographic behavior, was increased during the gradient elution, and the mismatching of mobile phase between the column and the resistance tubing derived three variation patterns in the flow rate. The electrophoretic migration in electrochromatography could enhance in separation of peptides. The separated peak number of tryptic digest of bovine serum albumin was increased from 30 to 40 by the application of +5 kV.     

Separation of selected peptides by capillary electroendoosmotic chromatography using 3 microns reversed-phase bonded silica and mixed-mode phases.

The retention behaviour and selectivity of selected basic, neutral and acidic peptides have been studied by capillary electroendoosmotic chromatography (CEC) with Hypersil C8, C18, Hypersil mixed-mode, and Spherisorb C18/SCX columns, 250 (335) mm x 100 microns, packed with 3 microns particles, and eluted with mobile phases composed of acetonitrile-triethylamine-phosphoric acid (TEAP) at pH 3.0 using a Hewlett-Packard Model HP3DCE capillary electrophoresis system. The selected peptides were desmopressin (D), two analogues (A and B) of desmopressin, oxytocin (O) and carbetocin (C). The peptides eluted either before or after the electroendoosmotic flow (EOF) marker, depending on the concentration of acetonitrile used and the buffer ionic strength. The retention and selectivity of these peptides under CEC conditions were compared to their behaviour in free zone capillary electrophoresis (CZE), where the separation mode was based on the electrophoretic migration of the analytes due to their charge and Stokes radius properties. In addition, their retention behaviour in RP-HPLC was also examined. As a result, it can be concluded that the elution process of this group of synthetic peptides in CEC with a TEAP buffer at pH 3.0 is mediated by a combination of both electrophoretic migration processes and retention mechanisms involving hydrophobic as well as silanophilic interactions. This CEC method when operated with these 3 microns reversed-phase and mixed-mode sorbents with peptides is thus a hybrid of two well-known analytical methods, namely CZE and RP-HPLC. However, the retention behaviour and selectivity of the selected peptides differs significantly in the CEC mode compared to the RP-HPLC or CZE modes. Therefore this CEC method with these peptides represents an orthogonal analytical separation procedure that is complimentary to both of these alternative techniques.     

Chromatographic behaviour of peptides on a mixed-mode stationary phase with an embedded charged group by capillary electrochromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography

Retention behaviour of biological peptides was investigated on a stationary phase bearing an embedded quaternary ammonium group in a C21 alkyl chain by both high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and capillary electrochromatography (CEC). In HPLC experiments, variation of acetonitrile (ACN) content in the mobile phase showed that peptides are mainly separated by RP mechanism. The weak or negative retention factors observed as compared to C18 silica stationary phase suggested the involvement of an electrostatic repulsion phenomenon in acidic conditions. Comparison of HPLC and CEC studies indicated that (i) ion-exclusion phenomenon is more pronounced in HPLC and (ii) higher ACN percentage in mobile phase induce for some peptides an increase of retention in CEC, pointing out the existence of mechanisms of retention other than partitioning mainly involved in chromatographic process. This comparative study demonstrated the critical role of electric field on peptide retention in CEC and supports the solvatation model of hydrolytic pillow proposed by Szumski and Buszewski for CEC using mixed mode stationary phase in CEC.     

Fast separations of chiral β-blockers on a cellulose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate)-coated zirconia monolithic column by capillary electrochromatography

Cellulose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) (CDMPC) is an excellent chiral selector for enantioseparation of a wide variety of chiral compounds. The monolithic chiral columns are becoming popular in liquid chromatography and capillary electrochromatography. In this work, we present the fast separation of chiral β-blockers on a CDMPC-modified zirconia monolithic column by capillary electrochromatography (CEC). The porous zirconia monolithic capillary column was prepared by using the sol-gel technology and then zirconia surface modified with CDMPC. The enantioseparations were performed in reversed-phase (RP) eluents of a phosphate solution (pH 4.4) modified with acetonitrile or alcohol. The enantioseparations of a set of eight chiral β-blockers were achieved in less than one minute. Influences of the applied voltage, column temperature, concentration of acetonitrile and the type of alcohol as the organic modifier in the mobile phase, and sample injection time on enantioseparation were investigated. CEC separations at the applied voltage of 10 kV and 15 °C in the ACN-modified mobile phase provided the best resolutions for the analytes studied. Run-to-run and day-to-day repeatabilities of the column in the RP-CEC separation were less than 1 and 2%, respectively.     

Hypercrosslinking: new approach to porous polymer monolithic capillary columns with large surface area for the highly efficient separation of small molecules

Monolithic polymers with an unprecedented surface area of over 600 m(2)/g have been prepared from a poly(styrene-co-vinylbenzyl chloride-co-divinylbenzene) precursor monolith that was swollen in 1,2-dichloroethane and hypercrosslinked via Friedel-Crafts reaction catalyzed by ferric chloride. Both the composition of the reaction mixture used for the preparation of the precursor monolith and the conditions of the hypercrosslinking reaction have been varied using mathematical design of experiments and the optimized system validated. Hypercrosslinked monolithic capillary columns contain an array of small pores that make the column ideally suited for the high efficiency isocratic separations of small molecules such as uracil and alkylbenzenes with column efficiencies reproducibly exceeding 80,000 plates/m for retained compounds. The separation process could be accelerated while also improving peak shape through the use of higher temperatures and a ternary mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, and water. As a result, seven compounds were well separated in less than 2 min. These columns also facilitate separations of peptide mixtures such as a tryptic digest of cytochrome c using a gradient elution mode which affords a sequence coverage of 93%. A 65 cm long hypercrosslinked capillary column used in size exclusion mode with tetrahydrofuran as the mobile phase afforded almost baseline separation of toluene and five polystyrene standards.     

A polyamine coating for enhanced capillary electrophoresis-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry of proteins and peptides

A procedure for enhanced capillary electrophoresis-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (CE-ESI-MS) of proteins is presented. The use of a newly presented capillary coating, PolyE-323, provided fast separations of typically a few minutes with high efficiency, good deactivation, and no bleeding into the mass spectrometer. Capillaries coated with PolyE-323 showed high stability over a range of pH 2-10, and tolerance towards methanol and acetonitrile, two modifiers commonly used in CE-ESI-MS. Due to the speed and simplicity of the coating procedure, the polymeric surface could, if necessary, easily be regenerated. This capability is especially valuable when working with samples of complex matrix, where a capillary surface cleaning step might be desired in order to eliminate possible memory effects. The potential of PolyE-323-coated capillaries in bioanalysis using CE-ESI-MS was demonstrated by analyzing peptides and proteins up to 66 kDa using time of flight (TOF)-MS. Due to the stable, anodal electroosmotic flow generated by the coating, the use of a sheathless ESI interface was enabled, demonstrated in peptide analysis with attomole sensitivity. The fast on-line CE-ESI-TOF system using PolyE-323-coated capillaries provided efficient separation and detection of a large number of peaks in a short time, exemplified by the analysis of a tryptic digest of bovine serum albumin (BSA). The capability of the developed capillary surface coating was demonstrated by the separation of human plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).     

Comparative study of capillary electroendosmotic chromatography and electrically assisted gradient nano-liquid chromatography for the separation of peptides

Capillary electroendoendosmotic chromatography (CEC), being a hybrid of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and capillary electrophoresis, offers considerable changes to enhance column efficiency, speed of analysis and additional selectivity as compared to the parent methods. The analytes are driven by the electroendosmotic flow (EOF) and separated by surface-solute interactions as well as by differences in electromigration. In this paper on the separation of peptides on C18 reversed-phase and mixed-mode (sulphonic acid-n-alkyl) packings in CEC and electrically assisted reversed-phase gradient nano-LC are investigated. It is shown that mixed mode packings generate a higher EOF than reversed-phase packings that is scarcely dependent on the pH of the eluent. Applying a potential in gradient elution reversed-phase nano-LC of peptides shortens the analysis time as compared to separations without a potential. Electrically assisted reversed-phase gradient elution nano-LC is a powerful separation tool for analysis of tryptic digests. Peptides can be successfully resolved in acidic organic mobile phase at pH 2-3 with and without trifluoroacid as ion pairing reagent under isocratic conditions. It is demonstrated that CEC with mixed mode packing and an eluent of pH 2.3 with varying acetonitrile content can be applied to monitor impurities in a synthetic peptide.     

Voltage-assisted capillary LC of peptides using monolithic capillary columns prepared by ring-opening metathesis polymerization

We examined the use of monolithic capillary columns prepared via ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) for peptide separation in voltage-assisted capillary LC (voltage-assisted CLC). In order to demonstrate their potential for peptide separation, ROMP-derived monoliths with RP properties were prepared. The preparation procedure of monoliths was transferred from ROMP monoliths optimized for CLC. ROMP monoliths were synthesized within the confines of 200 microm id fused-silica capillaries with a length of 37 cm. After optimization of the chromatographic conditions, the separation performance was tested using a well-defined set of artificial peptides as well as two peptidic mixtures resulting from a tryptic digest of BSA as well as a collagenase digest of collagen. ROMP monoliths showed comparable performance to other monolithic separation media in voltage-assisted CLC published so far. Therefore, we conclude that by optimizing the composition of the ROMP monoliths as well as by using the controlled manner of their functionalization, ROMP monoliths bear a great potential in CLC and CEC.     

Protein tryptic digests analyzed by carrier ampholyte-based capillary electrophoresis coupled to ESI-MS

In this study, narrow pH cuts of carrier ampholytes have been used as buffers in CE for the analysis of protein tryptic digests. Their low conductivity allows very efficient separations under high electric field strength without inducing any significant Joule heating. In this study, the capabilities of narrow pH cuts of carrier ampholytes for the separation of protein tryptic digests have been assessed. Three proteins of different molecular masses have been studied: cytochrome C (horse heart), beta-lactoglobulin B (bovine) and human transferrin. Efficient, rapid and repeatable separations of the peptides resulting from the tryptic digestion have been achieved in this buffer. Moreover, the feasibility of the coupling of carrier ampholyte-based capillary electrophoresis with ESI-MS has been demonstrated through the study of the cytochrome C tryptic digest.     

Evaluation of octadecyl-bonded alumina for separations of proteins and peptides by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary A recently-developed octadecyl-bonded alumina (ODA) stationary phase was evaluated for the separation of peptides and proteins by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography. Using standard water-acetonitrile mobile phase gradients containing 0.1 % trifluoroacetic acid, the average peak capacity obtained for the separation of a mixture of ribonuclease a, cytochrome c, lysozyme and carbonic anhydrase on an ODA column are similar to that obtained on a widely used octadecylsilane (ODS) column. However, overall chromatographic resolution of the components of this mixture on ODA is inferior to that obtained on ODS. Cytochrome c peak areas were found to be 50% smaller on the ODA column than on ODS. On the other hand, both peak capacities and resolutions of octapeptide mixtures were found to be generally superior on the ODA column, and peak areas for a representative octapeptide were found to be virtually identical for both ODA and ODS columns. The differences in the results obtained on the ODA and ODS columns for these separations are attributed to the smaller pore size and unique fused-microplatelet shape of the ODA particles. Comparisons of the separations of the tryptic digest of cytochrome c on the ODS and ODA columns demonstrate that the ODA phase is potentially as useful as ODS for peptide mapping applications.     

High‐resolution peptide separations using nano‐LC at ultra‐high pressure

We report on the optimization of nano‐LC gradient separations of proteomic samples that vary in complexity. The gradient performance limits were visualized by kinetic plots depicting the gradient time needed to achieve a certain peak capacity, while using the maximum system pressure of 80 MPa. The selection of the optimal particle size/column length combination and corresponding gradient steepness was based on scouting the performance of 75 μm id capillary columns packed with 2, 3, and 5 μm fully porous silica C18 particles. At optimal gradient conditions, peak capacities up to 500 can be obtained within a 120 min gradient using 2 μm particle‐packed capillary columns. Separations of proteomic samples including a cytochrome c tryptic digest, a bovine serum albumin tryptic digest, a six protein mix digest, and an Escherichia coli digest are demonstrated while operating at the kinetic‐performance limit, i.e. using 2‐μm packed columns, adjusting the column length and scaling the gradient steepness according to sample complexity. Finally, good run‐to‐run retention time stability (RSD values below 0.18%) was demonstrated applying ultra‐high pressure conditions.     

Solid-state UV laser-induced fluorescence detection in capillary electrophoresis

Two solid-state UV lasers were applied to the laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection of various groups of compounds after separation by capillary electrophoresis. These lasers are thermoelectric-cooled, highly compact, and inexpensive. Such lasers provide few mW of quasi-continuous wave (CW) power which are sufficient and stable for LIF detection. Native fluorescence detection of tryptophan-containing proteins and peptides and related indoles was achieved at the nM level with the laser operating at 266 nm. Detection of fluorescamine-labeled amino acids and peptides was also possible at the nM level with the laser operating at 355 nm. Amino acids at a concentration as low as 10 ng/mL could be labeled with fluorescamine. Solid-state UV-LIF detection of the tryptic digest of cytochrome c after fluorescamine derivatization was demonstrated.