Rapid enantioseparation of 1-aminoindan by microchip electrophoresis with linear-imaging UV detection.

Chiral separations of 1-aminoindan (AI) by cyclodextrin electrokinetic chromatography (CDEKC) were investigated on microfluidic quartz chips. By using a microchip electrophoresis (MCE) instrument equipped with a linear-imaging UV detector, the separation process of the enantiomeric compounds was observed. When sulfated beta-cyclodextrin was employed as a chiral selector, the baseline separation of AI could be achieved within 1 min with a high repeatability. The relative standard deviation of the migration time was less than 6%. The fastest separation was achieved in 14 s, utilizing a separation length of only 6.1 mm. These results show that the MCE analysis employing a linear imaging UV detector has a significant potential for fast chiral analysis.     

Design and performance of a microchip electrophoresis instrument with sensitive variable-wavelength fluorescence detection

A modular instrument for high-speed microchip electrophoresis (MCE) equipped with a sensitive variable-wavelength fluorescence detection system was developed and evaluated. The experimental setup consists mainly of a lamp-based epifluorescence microscope for variable-wavelength fluorescence detection and imaging and a programmable four-channel bipolar high-voltage source capable of delivering up to +/- 10 kV per channel. The optical unit was equipped with a high-sensitivity photomultiplier tube and an adjustable aperture. The system was applied to MCE separations of flurescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labelled amines utilizing blue light (450-480 nm) for excitation as well as for the separation of rhodamines utilizing excitation light in the green spectral region (531-560 nm). At optimized conditions baseline separation of four FITC-labelled amines could be obtained in less than 50 s at a detection limit of 460 ppt (1 nM) with a signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1. Three rhodamines could be baseline-separated in less than 6 s at a detection limit of 240 ppt (500 pM). The relative standard deviations of absolute migration times determined in repetitive MCE separations of FITC-labelled amines were below 2.5% (n= 25). By the application of cyclodextrin-modified electrolytes, chiral separation of FITC-labelled amines could be performed in seconds demonstrating the potential of microchip electrophoresis for chiral high-throughput screening.     

Subsecond chiral separations on a microchip

Fast chiral separation of DNS-amino acids could be realized using microchip electrophoresis with fluorescence detection. For this purpose, highly sulfated cyclodextrins (HS-gamma-CD) were used as chiral selectors enabling high selectivity. Even subsecond separation of DNS-tryptophan, DNS-norleucine, DNS-phenylalanine, DNS-methionine, and DNS-aspartic acid could be achieved. Baseline separation could be accomplished within 720 ms, which is the fastest separation of enantiomers reported to date. A more complex mixture consisting of three chiral DNS-amino acids could be separated within 3.3 s utilizing a separation length of only 7 mm and an electrical field strength of 2012 V/cm.     

Chip electrophoresis of active banana ingredients with label-free detection utilizing deep UV native fluorescence and mass spectrometry

In the present work, we report on a rapid and straightforward approach for the determination of biologically active compounds in bananas applying microchip electrophoresis (MCE). For this purpose, we applied label-free detection utilizing deep UV fluorescence detection with excitation at 266 nm. Using this approach, we could identify dopamine and serotonin, their precursors tryptophan and tyrosine and also the isoquinoline alkaloid salsolinol in less than 1 min. In bananas, after 10 days of ripening, we additionally found the compound levodopa which is a metabolite of the tyrosine pathway. Quantitative analysis of extracts by external calibration revealed concentrations of serotonin, tryptophan, and tyrosine from 2.7 to 7.6 μg/mL with relative standard deviations of less than 3.5%. The corresponding calibration plots showed good linearity with correlation coefficients higher than 0.985. For reliable peak assignment, the compounds were also analyzed by coupling chip electrophoresis with mass spectrometry. This paper demonstrates exemplarily the applicability of MCE with native fluorescence detection for rapid analysis of natural compounds in fruits and reveals the potential of chip-based separation systems for the analysis of complex mixtures.     

On-chip chiral separation based on bovine serum albumin-conjugated carbon nanotubes as stationary phase in a microchannel

A novel method of chiral separation based on protein-stationary phase immobilized in a poly(methyl methacrylate) microfluidic chip was developed. BSA conjugated with the shortened carboxylic single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) was employed as the chiral selector. Successful separation of tryptophan enantiomers was achieved in less than 70 s with a resolution factor of 1.35 utilizing a separation length of 32 mm. This is the first example of chiral separation based on SWNTs-BSA conjugates as stationary phase immobilized in microchip channel. The stability of the stationary phase in the channel was examined by microchip electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection. Factors that influenced the chiral separation resolution were examined. Under the optimized conditions, the proposed modified chip revealed adequate repeatability concerning run-to-run. These results show that the use of SWNTs-BSA conjugates within microfluidic channels hold great promise for a variety of analytical schemes.     

Rapid analysis of atorvastatin calcium using capillary electrophoresis and microchip electrophoresis

In this work, a capillary electrophoretic method for the rapid quantitation of atorvastatin (AT) in a lipitor tablet was investigated and developed. Method development included studies of the effect of applied potential, buffer concentration, buffer pH, and hydrodynamic injection time on the electrophoretic separation. The method was validated with regard to linearity, precision, specificity, LOD, and LOQ. The optimum electrophoretic separation conditions were 25 mM sodium acetate buffer at pH 6, with a separation voltage of 25 kV using a 50 microm capillary of 33 cm total length. Sodium diclofenac was used as an internal standard. Analysis of AT in a commercial lipitor tablet by electrophoresis gave quite high efficiency, coupled with an analysis time of less than 1.2 min in comparison to LC. Once the separation was optimized on capillary, it was further miniaturized to a microchip platform, with linear imaging UV detection using microchip electrophoresis (MCE). Linear imaging UV detection allowed for real-time monitoring of the analyte movement on chip, so that the optimum separation time could be easily determined. This microchip electrophoretic method was compared to the CE method with regard to speed, efficiency, precision, and LOD. This work represents the most rapid and first reported analysis of AT using MCE.     

Signal denoising and baseline correction by discrete wavelet transform for microchip capillary electrophoresis

Signal denoising and baseline correction using discrete wavelet transform (DWT) are described for microchip capillary electrophoresis (MCE). DWT was performed on an electropherogram describing a separation of nine tetramethylrohodamine-5-isothiocyanate labeled amino acids, following MCE with laser-induced fluorescence detection, using Daubechies 5 wavelet at a decomposition level of 6. The denoising efficiency was compared with, and proved to be superior to, other commonly used denoising techniques such as Fourier transform, Savitzky-Golay smoothing and moving average, in terms of noise removal and peak preservation by directly visual inspection. Novel strategies for baseline correction were proposed, with a special interest in baseline drift that frequently occurred in chromatographic and electrophoretic separations.     

A highly efficient and versatile microchip capillary electrophoresis method for DNA separation using gold nanoparticle as a tag

A highly efficient and versatile method for DNA separation using Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) as a tag based on microchip capillary electrophoresis (MCE) was developed. The thiol-modified DNA-binding Au NPs were utilized as a tag. Target DNA was sandwiched between Au NPs and probe DNA labeled with horseradish peroxidase (HRP). In electrophoresis separation, the difference in electrophoretic mobility between free probe and probe-target complex was magnified by Au NPs, which enabled the resulting mixture to be separated with high efficiency by microchip capillary electrophoresis. Horseradish peroxidase was used as a catalytic label to achieve sensitive electrochemical DNA detection via fast catalytic reactions. With this protocol, 27-mer DNA fragments with different sequences were separated with high speed and high resolution. The proposed method was critical to achieve improved DNA separations in hybridization analyses.     

Quantitative determination of amino acids in functional foods by microchip electrophoresis

Microchip electrophoresis (MCE), a first-generation micrototal analysis system, has emerged during the miniaturization phase of food analysis. Based on the micellar electrokinetic chromatography mode, a simple and fast MCE method with light emitting diode-induced fluorescence detection was developed for quantitative analysis of amino acids in three different kinds of functional foods, viz. sports beverages, jelly-form beverages, and tablet-form functional foods. In contrast to the glass microchip, we improved the separation of amino acids on a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) chip by addition of cationic starch derivatives. 4-fluoro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole, which has a short labeling time for amino acids, was used as the fluorescently labeled dye. This MCE method takes less than 10 min of total analysis time including sample preparation and analysis of amino acids in functional foods on a PMMA chip. The results show that this approach has the potential to be a fast and simple method for amino acid analysis in functional foods.     

Rapid separation of antimicrobial metabolites by microchip electrophoresis with UV linear imaging detection

This research examines microchip electrophoresis with linear imaging UV detection for the analysis of antimicrobial metabolites, monoacetylphloroglucinol (MAPG) and 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (2,4-DAPG) from Pseudomonas fluorescens F113. Initial results show the separation of MAPG, 2,4-DAPG and resorcinol in less than 20 s. This was achieved using a quartz microchip with a separation channel length of 25 mm. In order to quantitate the amount of MAPG and 2,4-DAPG in a microbial cultured supernatant sample, on-chip sample introduction in a methanol/buffer matrix was investigated. Sample introduction/injection parameters were optimized to improve sensitivity and thus decrease the limit of detection (LOD). The amount of antimicrobial metabolites present was quantitated with a separation time of 15 s. A previously developed capillary electrophoretic method was compared to the microchip method in relation to speed, efficiency, precision, linear range and limit of detection. This investigation shows the fastest separation so far of these antimicrobial metabolites with high efficiency.     

Chiral separation of NBD-amino acids by ligand-exchange micro-channel electrophoresis.

The chiral separation of amino acid derivatives by ligand-exchange electrophoresis in a microchannel chip was performed for the first time. A Cu(II) complex with L-prolinamide was used as a chiral selector. The migration behaviors of eleven NBD-DL-amino acids were investigated by ligand-exchange capillary electrophoresis (LE-CE). The enantiomer of five NBD-amino acids (Ser, Thr, Val, Phe and His) could be separated by LE-CE using a 20 mM ammonium acetate buffer (pH 9.0) containing 10 mM copper acetate, 20 mM L-prolinamide and 1 mM SDS. NBD-His was eluted in the order D-form and L-form, while the elution order of another enantiomers was L-form and D-form. Under this condition, the enantioseparation of these five NBD-amino acids by ligand-exchange microchip electrophoresis (LE-ME) was investigated using a glass microchip. The enantioseparation of NBD-Ser, -Thr and -His could be successfully accomplished by LE-ME. LE-ME was superior to LE-CE in terms of the short migration time and a good enantiomeric separation.     

A multichannel electrophoresis microchip platform for rapid chiral selector screening

This study presents a four-channel electrophoresis chip platform, featuring double-cross hydrostatic sample injection, for rapid chiral selector screening. This platform needs only five electrodes to drive microchip electrophoresis in four separate channels for screening four chiral selectors at a time. To demonstrate the performance of this screening platform, eight neutral CDs and their derivatives as chiral selectors were screened towards two FITC-labeled chiral compounds. The screening could be accomplished in less than 2 min. Dimethyl-beta-CD and hydroxypropyl-alpha-CD was demonstrated to be the appropriate selectors for FITC-norfenefrine and FITC-baclofen, respectively. The established platform is easy to operate and suitable for rapid screening process, which is expected to be a potential platform for high-throughput screening of chiral selectors.     

Two-photon excited fluorescence detection at 420 nm for label-free detection of small aromatics and proteins in microchip electrophoresis

Two photon excited (TPE) fluorescence detection was applied to native fluorescence detection of aromatics in microchip electrophoresis (MCE). This technique was evaluated as an alternative to common one photon excitation in the deep UV spectral range. TPE enables fluorescence detection of unlabeled aromatic compounds, even in non-deep UV-transparent microfluidic chips. In this study, we demonstrate the proof of concept of native TPE fluorescence detection of small aromatics in commercial microfluidic glass chips. Label-free TPE fluorescence detection of native proteins and small aromatics in MCE was achieved within the micromolar concentration range, utilising 420 nm excitation light.     

Rapid separation of microorganisms by quartz microchip capillary electrophoresis.

We developed and optimized a system coupling microchip capillary electrophoresis (MCE) and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection for the analysis of microorganisms. The MCE-LIF system successfully separated pure cultures of lactic acid bacteria and Saccharomyces cerevisiae within 200 s. The results indicate that the MCE system can be conveniently used for the rapid and highly sensitive detection of microorganisms. Thus, MCE can provide a cheap and simple method for the on-line detection of microbial contamination.     

Microchip electrophoresis for chiral separations

Microchip electrophoresis (MCE) is a promising new technique for the separation of enantiomers. This recently introduced technique enables chiral separations to be performed in seconds on tiny micromachined devices. This review is intended to give a brief introduction into the principles of chiral separations with MCE with regard to methodology and instrumentation. Different approaches to realize chiral separations in microfluidic devices are described and discussed. This review gives an overview of original work done in this field with emphasis on approaches to improve detection and resolution in chiral MCE.     

Property of ionic liquid in electrophoresis and its application in chiral separation on microchips

The aqueous solution of a kind of room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs), 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium-tetrafluoroborate (1E-3MI-TFB), demonstrated its exclusive electroosmotic property in microchip electrophoresis. It was applied as the working electrolyte for chiral separation in glass microchip electrophoresis. Compared with boric acid buffer, 1E-3MI-TFB aqueous solution exhibited a broader separation window for enantiomers of dipeptides. Then the influences of chiral selector, pH and concentration on efficiency of chiral separation were discussed in detail. The unique mechanism of the generation of EOF was explored in a glass microchannel using 1E-3MI-TFB aqueous solution as working electrolyte. A possible status of 1E-3MI cation in water was suggested at the first time, which facilitated the explanation of EOF and its characteristics in glass microchannel. Additionally, microchip electrophoresis using 1E-3MI-TFB aqueous solution was successfully applied to the chiral separation of complex enantiomers of dipeptides. RTILs aqueous solution, as the electrolyte for the separation of complicated optical isomers, could lead to a revolution in the analytical methods of chiral or conformational analysis for biomolecules.     

Analytical applications of a carbon nanotubes composite modified with copper microparticles as detector in flow systems

A simple microchip electrophoresis-laser-induced fluorescence device was constructed and used for separation and determination of catecholamines. On the fabricated glass chip, an extra optical fiber insertion channel, which was perpendicular and extremely close to the separation channel, was directly integrated by nothing operations more than design features on the photomask. The utilization of optical fiber to transmit the excitation light and the integration fiber channel make the fluorescence detection system simple and disposable. For electrophoresis, optimization of separation conditions was investigated for reaching high separation efficiency and sensitivity. A separation efficiency as high as 10⁶ theoretical plate numbers could be obtained for the analytes.     

Enantioseparation of dihydrofurocoumarin derivatives by various separation modes of capillary electrophoresis

Chiral dihydrofurocoumarin compounds are currently the focus of industrial and pharmacological research. These derivatives have been shown to possess many physiological properties that could be medically beneficial. This work proposes four different chiral separation methods using capillary electrophoresis and micellar capillary electrophoresis (MCE). Several different cyclodextrin chiral selectors were examined to evaluate their effectiveness in the enantioseparation of dihydrofurocoumarins. In addition, the effects of the chiral selector concentration, the presence of an organic modifier, run buffer pH, and in two cases, the ratio between the chiral selector and an additional charged pseudophase were investigated. Overall, the best separations for this class of chiral compounds were achieved using sulfated beta-cyclodextrins at low pH in the reversed polarity mode.     

Dynamic modification of poly(methyl methacrylate) chips using poly(vinyl alcohol) for glycosaminoglycan disaccharide isomer separation

We describe a microchip electrophoresis (MCE) method for the assay of unsaturated disaccharides of chondroitin sulfates, dermatan sulfates, and hyaluronic acid (HA). Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) could be irreversibly adsorbed onto poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) substrates and this approach was applicable for dynamic coating. The characteristics of the PMMA surface with PVA coating were evaluated in terms of the wettability, EOF, and adsorption of 2-aminoacridone (AMAC)-labeled disaccharide. The water contact angle decreased from 73 degrees on a pristine PMMA surface to 37.5 degrees on a PVA-coated surface, indicating that the PVA coating increased hydrophilicity. EOF was reduced approximately twofold and was relatively stable. Scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy images showed that adsorption of AMAC-labeled disaccharides was dramatically suppressed. Using the PVA coating, baseline separation of two pairs of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) disaccharide isomers, DeltaDi-diS(B)/DeltaDi-diS(D) and DeltaDi-0S/DeltaDi-HA, was achieved in Tris-borate buffer within 130 s by MCE.     

Impact of reservoir potentials on the analyte behavior in microchip electrophoresis: computer simulation and experimental validation for DNA fragments

Fundamental understanding of the impact of reservoir potentials on the analyte behavior on the microfluidic chips is an important issue in microchip electrophoresis (MCE) for suitable injection and separation of analytes, since the applied potentials may significantly affect the shape of sample plug, sample leakage from the injection channel to the separation channel, injected sample amount, and separation efficiency. This study addressed this issue for the case of a conventional cross-geometry microchip with four reservoirs using computer simulations, the results of which were verified by the analysis of DNA fragments. For the microchip with a definite structure and migration distance, the injected sample amount was shown to be the vital parameter for improving the limit of detection and resolution. During injection, the shape of the sample plug could be adjusted by varying the reservoir potentials. It was demonstrated that a "magnified injection" (applying high voltage on the three reservoirs to the sample reservoir) is useful to enhance the detection sensitivity depending on the analyte composition, although such injection was previously avoided because of introducing too large amounts of the analyte in comparison with two established modes, floating and pinched injection. Optimal magnified injection was proved to improve the sensitivity for about 4 times over that of pinched injection for the analysis of DNA step ladders using microchip gel electrophoresis (MCGE). Sample leakage of DNA fragments could be suppressed by applying a high positive voltage on injection channel during separation, but the voltage degraded the injected amount and resolution.