Cationic poly(amidoamine) dendrimers as additives for capillary electroseparation and detection of proteins

We examine the influence of cationic poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers on capillary electroseparation–UV analysis of proteins. PAMAMs adsorbing to the capillary surface suppressed the wall‐adsorption of proteins; meanwhile, PAMAMs added to the buffer exhibited selectivity toward proteins. Presence of 3×10^?4 g/mL PAMAM generation one (G 1.0) in 30 mM phosphate, at pH 2.6, rendered significant enhancement in separation efficiency; the merged peaks of myoglobin and trypsin inhibitor were separated. Moreover, the protein–dendrimer interactions changed the inherent UV absorbance profiles of proteins. UV–Vis study showed that the absorbance of cytochrome C and transferrin increased at the detection wavelength of 214 nm; their detection sensitivity enhanced by 2.44 and 2.01‐folds, respectively, with addition of 5×10^?4 g/mL PAMAM G 1.0.