Capillary electrophoretic bioanalysis of therapeutically active peptides with UV and mass spectrometric detection after on-capillary preconcentration.

An earlier developed capillary electrophoresis (CE) system with an on-capillary adsorptive phase is investigated for its suitability to quantitate low concentrations of angiotensin II and gonadorelin in plasma. An off-line solid-phase extraction is used for sample preparation. The on-line preconcentration CE system allows multiple capillary volumes of sample solution to be injected, increasing the concentration sensitivity of CE with 3-4 orders of magnitude. Furthermore, possible influence of matrix salts can be ruled out by employing a rinsing step after sample application. Using short-wavelength UV detection, reproducibility and linearity in the low nanomolar range were satisfactory. The capillary could be efficiently regenerated using a programmed between-run rinsing procedure, allowing 20-30 large injections of sample extracts. Coating of the capillary improved the robustness of the method. Mass spectrometric detection via a previously reported sheathless interface increased the selectivity and sensitivity substantially. Recommendations are provided for the sample preparation process, the most critical part of the system. Further purification of the sample is required to allow the loading of larger sample volumes and to optimize the system's robustness.     

Determination of Catecholamines by Capillary Electrophoresis and Reversed-Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

A method is proposed for the electrophoretic determination of adrenaline, noradrenaline, and dopamine with mass-spectrometric or UV detection. A procedure is proposed for the sample preparation of biological fluids with the use of solid-phase extraction on alumina. A comparative assessment of the determination of catecholamines by capillary electrophoresis and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography was performed.     

Determination of vasoactive intestinal peptide in rat brain by high-performance capillary electrophoresis.

A high-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) method for determining vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in rat brain was developed. Cerebral cortex was first extracted by solid-phase extraction and purified by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The VIP-rich fraction was further analysed by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and micellar electrokinetic chromatography using a commercial HPCE instrument with UV detection. The identity of the peak of endogenous VIP was confirmed by performing multiple CZE analyses at different pH values. This HPCE method allows VIP to be detected and measured with good molecular specificity and could represent a reference method to validate data obtained by radioimmunoassay.     

Indirect fluorometric detection of tryptic digests separated by capillary zone electrophoresis

This work demonstrates the analytical utility of indirect fluorescence detection with capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) for the analysis of trace quantities of macromolecular mixtures. Detection is based upon charge displacement and is not based upon any absorption or emission property of the analyte. No derivatization step is required. Indirect fluorescence is therefore a general detector for electrophoresis. Subfemtomolar quantities of tryptic digest mixtures are separated within three minutes, and reproducible peaks are obtained from the mixtures. Mass limits of detection are 3000 times lower than those of commercial high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) UV absorbance detectors and 180 times lower than those of UV absorbance detectors in CZE systems. This separation and detection system should be well suited to analysis of trace quantities of mixtures of peptides.     

Chromatographic and electrophoretic methods for determining polyphenol compounds

The main physicochemical methods for identifying and quantifying polyphenol compounds in various plant and food objects (tea, wine) and human biological fluids (urine, plasma, blood serum, saliva) were reviewed, such as chromatography (high-performance liquid chromatography and thin-layer chromatography) and electrophoresis (capillary zone electrophoresis and micellar electrokinetic chromatography). Different procedures for sample preparation were discussed, including liquid, solid-phase, supercritical fluid extraction, and high-pressure liquid extraction.     

Determination of imazalil by on-line coupled capillary isotachophoresis with capillary zone electrophoresis

A simple, rapid and reproducible capillary isotachophoretic on-line coupled with capillary zone electrophoresis (CITP-CZE) method for the determination of IMz in food packaging extracts and its residues in apples is described. A good separation of the IMZ from other sample constituents was achieved within 15 minutes without any sample clean up. Method characteristics (linearity, accuracy, intra-assay and detection limit) were determined. Less amount of time involved, sufficient sensitivity and low running cost are the important attributes of CITP-CZE method.     

Separation and detection of angiotensin peptides by Cu(II) complexation and capillary electrophoresis with UV and electrochemical detection

The use of capillary electrophoresis (CE) with on-capillary Cu(II) complexation for the determination of angiotensin and its metabolites is described. The resulting copper-peptide complexes can be detected using either UV or electrochemical (EC) detection. Optimal reaction and separation conditions for the angiotensin peptides were first determined using CE with UV detection. With UV detection, the limit of detection (signal-to noise ratio S/N = 3) for native angiotensin II was 18 microM, while the limit of detection (LOD) obtained for the copper-angiotensin II complex is 2 microM. CE with EC detection was then evaluated, yielding significantly lower LODs--2 microM for native angiotensin II and 200 nM for the copper-angiotensin II complex. The addition of copper to the run buffer improved the separation and sensitivity for both CE-UV and CE-EC detection. The method was demonstrated by monitoring the conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II in plasma via angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and subsequent inhibition of ACE by captopril.     

High-performance liquid chromatography for the separation of angiotensin and its metabolites in human plasma and sweat

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with gradient elution for the separation of angiotensin peptides is described. The highly reproducible method allows the base-line separation of angiotensin peptides with UV detection at 225 nm. This chromatographic methodology in combination with radioimmunoassay (RIA) is used for the characterization of angiotensin peptides in human plasma and sweat.     

Capillary electrophoresis in the analysis of pharmaceuticals in environmental water: A critical review

Determination of residual pharmaceutical compounds in environmental water is gaining increasing interests. The task represents a substantial challenge to analysts because analytes present in quite complicated matrices and at very low concentrations. Despite the inherent low sensitivity associated with capillary electrophoresis (CE), it has been used successfully to determine different types of pharmaceutical compounds at very low levels that rival those reported by more commonly used methods for that purpose such as high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Attempts to use CE for the determination of drugs in environmental water samples started nearly in the late 1990s; since then, different modes of CE including capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and micellar electrokinetic chromatography together with different detection techniques (UV, fluorescence, MS) have been investigated and shown to be of adequate performance. A key to the success of CE for such low-level determination was the sample concentration steps that have been used including solid-phase extraction and more advanced approaches such as in-line sample concentration, large volume sample stacking, and others. The different reports that have been reported for this application in particular have been reviewed since late 1990s with emphasis on the attained limits of detections and sample treatment. The particularities of the separation conditions in each case have been discussed with some elaboration.     

Derivatization, extraction and concentration of amino acids and peptides by using organic/aqueous phases in capillary electrophoresis with fluorescence detection

We report a novel method that facilitates sample pretreatment and detection in amino acid analysis by coupling solvent extraction with capillary electrophoresis. Amino acids and peptides were fluorescently labeled, concentrated into an organic solvent, and then separated by capillary zone electrophoresis with fluorescence detection. To achieve this, acetophenone was first employed to dissolve the derivatizing reagent, fluorescamine. The products, which possessed both hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties, could be extracted and concentrated into the organic phase by suppressing the deprotonation of carboxyl groups, thus enhancing the hydrophobicity of the resulting molecules through pH modification in the aqueous solution. Furthermore, by fine-tuning the pH value, individual amino acids and short peptide molecules could be separated selectively from the sample bulk. This convenient, chemically controllable concentration technique may be useful in sample concentration and purification of biologically related samples such as amino acids and short peptides.     

Determination of camptothecin and 10-hydroxycamptothecin in human plasma using polymer monolithic in-tube solid phase microextraction combined with high-performance liquid chromatography

A biocompatible in-tube solid-phase microextraction (SPME) device was used for the direct and on-line extraction of camptothecin and 10-hydroxycamptothecin in human plasma. Biocompatibility was achieved through the use of a poly(methacrylic acid-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) monolithic capillary column for extraction. Coupled to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection, this on-line in-tube SPME method was successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of camptothecin and 10-hydroxycamptothecin in human plasma. The calculated detection limits for camptothecin and 10-hydroxycamptothecin were found to be 2.62 and 1.79 ng/mL, respectively. The method was linear over the range of 10–1000 ng/mL. Excellent method reproducibility was achieved, yielding RSDs of 2.49 and 1.59%, respectively. The detection limit (S/N=3) of camptothecin was found to reach 0.1 ng/mL using fluorescence detection. The proposed method was shown to cope robustly with the extraction and analysis of camptothecin and 10-hydroxycamptothecin in plasma samples.     

Simultaneous determination of angiotensins II and 1-7 by capillary zone electrophoresis in plasma and urine from hypertensive rats

We describe the procedure developed for the simultaneous detection and quantification of angiotensin II and angiotensin-(1-7), by capillary zone electrophoresis with UV detection by photodiode-array, at a wavelength of 200 nm, in the plasma and urine from hypertensive rats. Optimal separation was achieved with a 100 mM boric acid + 3 mM tartaric acid + 10 fM gold (III) chloride electrolyte solution at pH 9.80. The applied voltage was 30 kV and the capillary temperature was kept constant at 20 °C. The method was over the concentration range of 0.01-500 pmol/mL. All determination coefficients were higher or equal to 0.9985. Limits of detection and quantification for angiotensin II were 0.0110 pmol/mL (S/N = 3) and 0.0195 pmol/mL (S/N = 5), respectively. While for angiotensin-(1-7), the limits were 0.0112 pmol/mL (S/N = 3) and 0.0193 pmol/mL (S/N = 5), respectively. The present method offers a time-saving way to simultaneous determination of angiotensin II and angiotensin-(1-7), since it can be completed in 10 min, compared to other methodologies reported in the literature for capillary electrophoresis and liquid chromatography, which require more than 1 h for analysis of complex matrices, such as plasma and urine. The procedure is illustrated by experiments that quantify simultaneously angiotensin II and angiotensin-(1-7) in plasma and urine from hypertensive and normotensive rats, with and without antihypertensive treatment. The levels of angiotensin II and angiotensin-(1-7) detected in the experimental model, resulted in a recovery of 99.00-106.01% and a reproducibility of less than 10%. The proposed analytical method is a use full tool for the simultaneous detection of angiotensin II and angiotensin-(1-7) implicated in vascular remodeling in pathologies such as hypertension.     

Anthracycline analysis by capillary electrophoresis. Application to the analysis of daunorubicine in Kaposi sarcoma tumor.

Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection is now a well-known sensitive and selective detection mode for capillary electrophoresis (CE) analysis. It has been shown to be 100- to 100,000-times more sensitive than UV detection and little work has been done using LIF in conjunction with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The need for greater resolution and higher sensitivity for the analysis of anthracyclines (fluorescent chemotherapic drugs), prompted us to compare CE-LIF and HPLC-LIF, for the detection of these substances. CE-LIF sensitivity based on quantity of anthracycline injected is 50-times greater than that obtained with HPLC-LIF, because of the injected sample volume. Analysis of daunorubicin in Kaposy sarcoma tumors and in plasma are presented. The decrease of the concentration of daunorubicin in the tumor and in the plasma following time show the same behavior, indicating identical concentrations of the anthracycline in both samples.     

Comparative study of aqueous and non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis in the separation of halogenated phenolic and bisphenolic compounds in water samples

Capillary zone electrophoresis methods, based on either aqueous and non-aqueous solutions as running buffers and UV spectrophotometric detection, have been developed and optimized for the separation of several halogenated phenolic and bisphenolic compounds, suspected or proved to exhibit hormonal disrupting effects. Both aqueous capillary electrophoresis (CE) and non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) methods were suitable for the analysis of compounds under study. The separation of the analytes from other 25 potentially interfering phenolic derivatives was achieved with NACE method. Large-volume sample stacking using the electroosmotic flow pump (LVSEP) was assayed as on-column preconcentration technique for sensitivity enhancement. LVSEP-CE and LVSEP-NACE improved peak heights by 5-26 and 16-330 folds, respectively. To evaluate their applicability, the capillary electrophoresis methods developed were applied to the analysis of water samples, using solid-phase extraction as sample pre-treatment process.     

Capillary zone electrophoresis for the analysis of peptides synthesized by recombinant DNA technology

Capillary zone electrophoresis is applied to investigate the recombinant insulin-like growth factor and recombinant hirudin. During the production of these peptides in S. cerevisiae, byproducts with small variations in the structure of the polypeptide chain are obtained. The different peptides are separated in a fused silica capillary and detected on-column by ultraviolet absorption or fluorescence. Separation times are 10–40 min. The excellent separation efficiencies obtained indicate that capillary zone electrophoresis is complementary to liquid chromatography in the analysis of these peptides.     

Trace analysis of zotepine and its active metabolite in plasma by capillary electrophoresis with solid phase extraction and head-column field-amplified sample stacking

A sensitive high-performance capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with head-column field-amplified sample stacking (FASS) in binary system has been developed for the simultaneous determination of zotepine and its active metabolite, norzotepine, in human plasma. The separation of zotepine and norzotepine was performed using a background electrolyte consisting of 50% ethylene glycol-borate buffer (20mM, pH 8.0) solution with 20% methanol as the running buffer and on-column detection at 200 nm. Under the optimal FASS-CZE condition, good separation with high efficiency and short analysis time is achieved. Several parameters affecting the separation and sensitivity of the drug were studied, including sample matrix, pH and concentrations of the borate buffer, ethylene glycol and methanol. Using clozapine as an internal standard, the linear ranges of the method for the determination of zotepine and norzotepine in human plasma were over 3-100 ng/mL; the detection limits of zotepine and norzotepine in plasma were 2 and 1 ng/mL, respectively. A sample pretreatment by means of solid-phase extraction (SPE) with subsequent quantitation by FASS-CZE was used. The application of the proposed method for determination of zotepine and norzotepine in plasma collected after oral administration of 125 mg zotepine in one schizophrenic patient was demonstrated.     

Velocity-difference induced focusing of xanthine and purine metabolites by capillary electrophoresis using a dynamic pH junction

Summary Velocity-difference induced focusing (V-DIF) of analytes by a dynamic pH junction represents a simple yet effective on-line preconcentration method to improve concentration sensitivity in capillary electrophoresis (CE). Differences in buffer type, pH and conductivity between sample and background electrolyte (BGE) segments of the capillary are properties used to optimize purine focusing within a multi-section electrolyte system. This method permits the injection of large volumes of sample (up to 450 nL or about 18% of capillary length), resulting in over a 50-fold improvement in sensitivity with baseline resolution. The limit of detection (S/N=3) for xanthine is determined to less than 4.0×10⁻⁸ M under optimum conditions when using UV detection. Analysis of micromolar amounts of xanthine in pooled urine is also demonstrated without sample pretreatment. A dual mechanism involving dynamic pH and isotachophoretic modes is proposed to enhance analyte focusing performance when employing buffer pH junctions based on different types of electrolyte co-ions.     

Transient isotachophoresis in on-line solid phase extraction capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight-mass spectrometry for peptide analysis in human plasma

In this study, we evaluated the combination of transient isotachophoresis with on-line solid-phase extraction capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SPE-tITP-CE-TOF-MS) to improve sensitivity of peptide analysis, using several opioid peptides as model compounds. First, standard solutions were analyzed in order to establish the tITP-CE methodology using UV and TOF-MS detection. The volume and composition of the leading and terminating electrolytes (i.e. LE and TE) for an efficient tITP were investigated to obtain optimum detection sensitivity and electrophoretic separation. In the best cases, LODs in tITP-CE-TOF-MS were tenfold better than those obtained in CE-TOF-MS (i.e. 5 versus 50?ng/mL). Afterwards, the tITP-CE-TOF-MS methodology was adapted to perform SPE-tITP-CE-TOF-MS. Repeatability, linearity and LODs were investigated and compared to the values obtained by SPE-CE-TOF-MS. Furthermore, human plasma samples fortified with the opioid peptides were analyzed in order to show the potential of SPE-tITP-CE-TOF-MS for peptide analysis in biological fluids. The LODs attained in standard solutions and plasma samples for some of the studied peptides (i.e. 0.01 and 0.1?ng/mL, respectively) were tenfold better than those obtained in SPE-CE-TOF-MS, proving the enhanced sensitivity that could be achieved when both on-line preconcentration approaches were combined together.     

Bioanalysis of the neuropeptide des-enkephalin-gamma-endorphin by high-performance liquid chromatography with on-line sample pretreatment using gel permeation and solid-phase isolation.

A bioanalytical method is described that allows the determination of a number of beta-endorphin-related peptides. The method is based on the application of fluorescence detection after high-performance liquid chromatography followed by post-column derivatization with o-phthaldialdehyde. Concentrations exceeding 10-25 ng/ml could be determined by using conventional fluorescence detection, whereas lower concentrations demand the use of laser-induced fluorescence detection. The sample pretreatment includes the use of on-line gel permeation, on-line solid-phase isolation and heart cutting of a peak from reversed-phase gradient elution. The sample pretreatment procedure does not discriminate between the dodecapeptide des-enkaphalin-gamma-endorphin (DE gamma E) and its metabolites in order to obtain similar recoveries for all components. The final chromatographic phase system is based on ion-pair formation, which permits the separation of DE gamma E from its metabolites and degradation products. The optimized procedure allows the determination of these peptides in plasma at concentration levels down to about 1 ng/ml, demanding a sample volume of 1 ml.