Determination of thiols by capillary micellar electrokinetic chromatography with laser induced fluorescence detection using 1,3,5,7‐tetramethyl‐8‐phenyl‐(4‐iodoacetamido) difluoroboradiaza‐s‐indacene as labeling reagent

A sensitive and effective micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with laser‐induced fluorescence detection approach was described for the determination of low molecular‐mass thiols using 1,3,5,7‐tetramethyl‐8‐phenyl‐(4‐iodoacetamido) difluoroboradiaza‐s‐indacene as the labeling reagent. After precolumn derivatization, baseline separation of six thiol compounds including cysteine, glutathione, N‐acetylcysteine, homocysteine, 6‐mercaptopurine, and penicillamine were achieved within 18 min. The optimal running buffer was composed of mixtures involving 25 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate, 25% (v/v) acetonitrile and 15 mM sodium phosphate buffer, pH 7.5. The detection limits (S/N = 3) were found as low as 40 pM under argon ion laser‐induced fluorescence detector (λ_ex/λ_em = 488/520 nm), which were much better than the reported approaches. The accuracy and specificity of this assay for real samples were assured by a standard addition method. The proposed method has been applied to the analysis of thiols both in human plasma and plum flower samples with recoveries of 92.0–109.4%.     

Rapid and sensitive determination of free thiols by capillary zone electrophoresis with near‐infrared laser‐induced fluorescence detection using a new BODIPY‐based probe as labeling reagent

A CZE with near‐infrared (NIR) LIF detection method has been developed for the analysis of six low molecular weight thiols including glutathione, homocysteine, cysteine, γ‐glutamylcysteine, cysteinylglycine, and N‐acetylcysteine. For this purpose, a new NIR fluorescent probe, 1,7‐dimethyl‐3,5‐distyryl‐8‐phenyl‐(4'‐iodoacetamido)difluoroboradiaza‐s‐indacene was utilized as the labeling reagent, whose excitation wavelength matches the commercially available NIR laser line of 635 nm. The optimum procedure included a derivatization step of the free thiols at 45°C for 25 min and CZE analysis conducted within 14 min in the running buffer containing 16 mmol/L pH 7.0 sodium citrate and 60% v/v ACN. The LODs (S/N = 3) ranged from 0.11 nmol/L for N‐acetylcysteine to 0.31 nmol/L for γ‐glutamylcysteine, which are better than or comparable to those reported with other derivatization‐based CE‐LIF methods. As the first trial of NIR CE‐LIF method for thiol determination, the practical application of the proposed method has been validated by detecting thiols in cucumber and tomato samples with recoveries of 96.5–104.3%.     

A CE‐LIF method based on long wavelength fluorescence labeling for the analysis of thiols in human urine

A rapid and robust CE method using a long wavelength fluorescent reagent 1,7‐dimethyl‐3,5‐distyryl‐8‐phenyl‐(2‐maleimide)difluoroboradiaza‐s‐indacene as the labeling reagent has been developed for the simultaneous determination of thiols, including glutathione, cysteine, homocysteine, N‐acetylcysteine, cysteinylglycine, and penicillamine. The derivatization reaction was carried out in 14 mmol/L pH 8.5 borate buffer at 30°C for 6 min and the labeled thiols derivatives were separated with the running buffer containing 30 mmol/L pH 7.4 phosphate, 30% v/v acetonitrile and 8 mmol/L SDS within 12 min. Detection limits ranged from 0.4 to 2.4 nmol/L. To demonstrate the capability of this method, it was applied to the analysis of thiols in human urine with recoveries of 92.4–105.6%. The derivatization reaction was much faster at milder conditions, and the analysis was rapider. Moreover, with excitation wavelength at long wavelength region, background interference from samples was reduced effectively. The present method seems to be a potential choice for quantifying thiols in human urine.     

Highly sensitive fluorescence detection with Hg-lamp and photon counter in microchip capillary electrophoresis

A microchip capillary electrophoresis system with highly sensitive fluorescence detection is reported. The system was successfully constructed using an inverted fluorescence microscope, a highly sensitive photon counter, a photomultiplier tube (PMT) and a capillary electrophoresis microchip. This system can be applied to the fluorescence detection with various wavelengths (300-600 nm). Different fluorescence reagents require different excitation wavelengths. The wavelengths of UV light (300-385 nm), blue light (450-480 nm) and green light (530-550 nm) are employed to excite Titan yellow, fluorescence-5-isothiocyanate (FITC) and Rhodamine 6G, respectively. The detection limit (S/N = 3) of FITC is 7 × 10⁻¹⁰ M, which is 2-3 orders of magnitude lower than that obtained with the lamp-based fluorescence and PMT detection system and approaches the data gained by the laser-induced fluorescence detection. The linear relationship is excellent within the range of concentration 1.3 × 10⁻⁹ to 6.5 × 10⁻⁸ M FITC. It offers a new method to widen the application of the lamp-based fluorescence detection.     

Determination of thiol compounds by HPLC and fluorescence detection with 1,3,5,7‐tetramethyl‐8‐bromomethyl‐difluoroboradiaza‐s‐indacene

Altered levels of thiols in biological fluids are considered to be an important indicator for several diseases. In this article, 1,3,5,7‐tetramethyl‐8‐bromomethyl‐difluoroboradiaza‐s‐indacene is proposed as a fluorescent derivatization reagent for the determination of thiols including glutathione, cysteine, N‐acetylcysteine, and homocysteine by HPLC. Under the optimized derivatization and separation conditions, a baseline separation of all the four derivatives has been achieved using isocratic elution on an RP C₈ column within 26 min. With fluorescence detection at 505 and 525 nm for the excitation and emission, respectively, the LODs (S/N = 3) are from 0.2 nM (glutathione) to 0.8 nM (cysteine). The feasibility of this method in real samples has been evaluated by the determination of thiols in human plasma from the healthy persons and hypertensive patients with recoveries of 92–105.3%.     

Determination of trace biogenic amines with 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-(N-hydroxysuccinimidyl butyric ester)-difluoroboradiaza-s-indacene derivatization using high-performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method based on chemical derivatization with fluorescence detection has been developed for analyzing biogenic amines in food and environmental samples. A BODIPY-based fluorescent reagent, 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-(N-hydroxysuccinimidyl butyric ester)-difluoroboradiaza-s-indacene (TMBB-Su), was employed for the derivatization of these biogenic amines at 20 °C for 20 min in pH 7.20 borate buffer after careful investigation of the derivatization conditions including reagent concentration, buffer solution, reaction temperature and reaction time. Separation of biogenic amines with gradient elution was conducted on a C8 column with methanol-tetrahydrofuran-water as mobile phase. The detection limits were obtained in the range from 0.1 to 0.2 nM (signal-to-noise=3). This procedure has been validated using practical samples. The study results demonstrated a potential of employing high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-(N-hydroxysuccinimidyl butyric ester)-difluoroboradiaza-s-indacene labeling as a tool for quantitative analysis of biogenic amines involved in various matrices.     

Determination of neurotransmitters in PC 12 cells by microchip electrophoresis with fluorescence detection

A sensitive fluorescence detection system with an Hg-lamp as the excitation source and a photon counter as the detector for microchip CE (MCE) has been developed. O-Phthaldialdehyde (OPA, lambda(ex) = 340 nm) was employed to label the catecholamine neurotransmitters such as dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), and amino acid neurotransmitters including alanine (Ala), taurine (Tau), glycine (Gly), glutamic acid (Glu), and aspartic acid (Asp). The separation of seven derivatized neurotransmitters was successfully performed in MCE and the detection limits (S/N = 3) for DA, NE, Ala, Tau, Gly, Glu, and Asp were 0.85, 0.49, 0.23, 0.15, 0.13, 0.18, and 0.29 fmol, respectively. The system was then successfully applied for separation and determination of neurotransmitters in rat pheochromocytoma (PC 12) cells, and the average amounts of analyte per cell from a cell population were 2.5 fmol for DA, 3.3 fmol for Ala, 8.2 fmol for Tau, 4.0 fmol for Gly, and 1.9 fmol for Glu, respectively. By single-cell injection mode, electrophoresis separation and quantitative measurement of Glu in individual PC 12 cells was obtained. The average value of Glu per cell from single PC 12 cells analysis was found to be 3.5 +/- 3.1 fmol.     

Quantitative analysis of thiols in consumer products on a microfluidic CE chip with fluorescence detection

A microchip CE-based method for the quantification of the thiols mercaptoethanoic acid (MAA) and 2-mercaptopropionic acid (2-MPA) in depilatory cream and cold wave lotions was developed. The thiols were first derivatized with the fluorogenic reagent ammonium-7-fluorobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole-4-sulfonate (SBD-F). The derivatives were separated within only 20 s by microchip CE and detected by their fluorescence. Conventional CE with diode array detection and LC with fluorescence detection were used for validation. The internal standard 3-mercaptopropionic acid (3-MPA) provided RSDs of multiple injections of only 4% or less for the MCE approach. LOD is 2 microM, LOQ 6 microM, and the linear range comprises nearly three decades of concentration starting at the LOQ.     

Determination of phytohormones in plant samples based on the precolumn fluorescent derivatization with 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-aminozide-difluoroboradiaza-s-indacene by HPLC for routine use

Six phytohormones including indole butyric acid (IBA), naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), 2,4-dichloro-phenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), abscisic acid (ABA), and salicylic acid (SA) in crude plant extractions have been quantitated by means of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection based on the precolumn derivatization using 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-aminozide-difluoroboradiaza-s-indacene (BODIPY-aminozide), a fluorescent reagent synthesized in our lab recently. The optimization of derivatization conditions was carefully studied by an L(25) (5(6)) orthogonal array design (OAD) with five factors at five levels that are important influence parameters in the improvement of derivatization efficiency. The separation conditions were also studied in detail. Under the optimal conditions, the detection limits (S/N=3) of the six phytohormones were found from 0.12 to 0.75 nM. The proposed method was the first investigation of aminozide for the analysis of phytohormones and has been successfully applied to the determination of phytohormones in plant samples such as cucumber and tomato with recoveries of 94-105%.     

Fast quantitative determination of diuretic drugs in tablets and human urine by microchip electrophoresis with native fluorescence detection

Microchip electrophoresis (MCE) with native fluorescence detection has been applied for the fast quantitative analysis of pharmaceutical formulations. For this purpose, methods for fast separation and sensitive detection of the unlabeled diuretic drugs, amiloride, triamterene, bendroflumethiazide (BFMTZ), and bumetanide were developed. An epifluorescence setup was used enabling the coupling of different lasers into a commercial fluorescence microscope. The detection sensitivity of different excitation light sources was compared utilizing either a HeCd laser (lambda(exc) = 325 nm), a frequency quadrupled Nd:YAG laser (lambda(exc) = 266 nm), or a mercury lamp (lambda(exc) = 330-380 nm). At optimal conditions using the HeCd laser, the drugs were separated within 15 s with LODs less than 1 mug/mL for the four compounds. A linear relationship between concentration and peak area was obtained in the concentration range of 0.05-20 microg/mL with a mean correlation coefficient of around 0.996 for all analytes. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of the respective drugs in commercial formulations and in human urine without interference from other constituents. These data show that MCE has a great potential for reliable drug analysis.     

Fabrication of SU-8 based microchip electrophoresis with integrated electrochemical detection for neurotransmitters

A new SU-8 based microchip capillary electrophoresis (MCE) device has been developed for the first time with integrated electrochemical detection. Embedded electrophoretic microchannels have been fabricated with a multilayer technology based on bonding and releasing steps of stacked SU-8 films. This technology has allowed the monolithic integration in the device of the electrochemical detection system based on platinum electrodes. The fabrication of the chips presented in this work is totally compatible with reel-to-reel techniques, which guarantee a low cost and high reliability production. The influence of relevant experimental variables, such as the separation voltage and detection potential, has been studied on the SU-8 microchip with an attractive analytical performance. Thus, the effective electrical isolation of the end-channel amperometric detector has been also demonstrated. The good performance of the SU-8 device has been proven for separation and detection of the neurotransmitters, dopamine (DA) and epinephrine (EP). High efficiency (30,000-80,000 N/m), excellent precision, good detection limit (450 nM) and resolution (0.90-1.30) has been achieved on the SU-8 microchip. These SU-8 devices have shown a better performance than commercial Topas (thermoplastic olefin polymer of amorphous structure) microchips. The low cost and versatile SU-8 microchip with integrated platinum film electrochemical detector holds great promise for high-volume production of disposable microfluidic analytical devices.     

Ultrafast analysis of oligosaccharides on microchip with light-emitting diode confocal fluorescence detection

We have developed a new method for the high-speed separation and high-sensitivity detection of complex oligosaccharides based on microchip electrophoresis (nu-CE) with light-emitting diode (LED) confocal fluorescence detection. Oligosaccharides labeled with 8-aminopyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonate (APTS) were found to strongly adsorb to the surface of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) microchips. Accordingly, three classes of major dynamic coating additives were systematically investigated, and cellulose derivatives were found to specifically suppress such adsorption and allow high-performance separation on PMMA chips. Additive concentration, buffer pH and applied field strength were found to be key factors in the high-performance separation& of APTS-labeled oligosaccharides on PMMA chips. Under optimal conditions, 15 oligosaccharides in dextrin hydrolysate can be separated within 45 s with an electrophoretic separation efficiency of over 400 000 theoretical plates per meter. The relative standard deviation (RSD) values of migration times of fourteen oligosaccharides were less than 0.50% between six different channels, and the detection limit for APTS-labeled glucose was about 1.98 x 10(-8) mol/L or 8.61 amol with a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of 3. The high speed, high efficiency and high sensitivity of this micro-CE-based method indicate that it can be widely applied to analysis of complex oligosaccharides.     

Simultaneous analysis of plasma thiols by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection using a new probe, 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-phenyl-(4-iodoacetamido)difluoroboradiaza-s-indacene

The design, synthesis and properties of a new derivatizing reagent, 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-phenyl-(4-iodoacetamido)difluoroboradiaza-s-indacene (TMPAB-I), for thiol groups are presented. Using the derivatization of TMPAB-I with thiols, a new high-performance liquid chromatographic method for measuring low-molecular-weight thiol-containing compounds, including coenzyme A (CoA), glutathione, N-acetylcysteine, cysteine, homocysteine (HCys) and 6-mercaptopurine has been developed. The reaction of TMPAB-I with thiols is specific, fast and stable for both TMPAB-I and the derivatives. A baseline separation of all the six derivatives is achieved by isocratic elution on reversed-phase column within 20 min with detection wavelengths of 500 and 510 nm for the excitation and emission, respectively, and the limits of detection (signal-to-noise ratio = 3) are from 1.8 fmol (CoA) to 14.0 fmol (HCys), respectively, per 20 μL injection. The utility of the proposed method has been validated by measuring thiol-containing compounds in human plasma samples from healthy persons and patients with hypertension, with recoveries of 94.2–106.8%.     

Use of capillary electrophoresis with chemiluminescence detection for sensitive determination of homocysteine

A sensitive capillary electrophoresis (CE) method with chemiluminescence (CL) detection was developed for the determination of homocysteine (HCys) in human plasma. In this work, N‐(4‐aminobutyl)‐N‐ethylisoluminol was used as tagging reagent to label the analyte for achieving high assay sensitivity. N‐(4‐Aminobutyl)‐N‐ethylisoluminol‐tagged HCys after CE separation reacted with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of horseradish peroxidase, producing CL emission. Experimental conditions for labeling analyte, CE separation, and CL detection were studied. The CL intensity was proportional to the concentration of HCys in the range of 2.5×10^?8 to 5.0×10^?6 M. Detection limit (S/N=3) was 7.6×10^?9 M. Human plasma samples from healthy donors were analyzed by the presented method. HCys levels were found to be in the range of 9.50–15.3 μM.     

Determination of phenol in landfill leachate by using microchip capillary electrophoresis with end-channel amperometric detection

Phenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) were baseline separated by using a homemade microchip CE with an end-channel amperometric detector where a 50 microm Pt microdisk working electrode (WE) and a Pt cathode were integrated onto the microchip itself. Separation parameters such as injection time and voltage, pH of the buffer, online pretreatment condition for WE, reproducibility, and detection potential were investigated. Under the selected separation conditions, the linear ranges for phenol, 2,4-DCP, and 2,4,6-TCP were 2-200, 4-400, and 4-400 microM, respectively. The LODs were 0.4, 0.5, and 0.7 microM for phenol, 2,4-DCP, and 2,4,6-TCP, respectively (S/N = 3). The standard addition method was successfully applied to the analysis of landfill leachate samples and the concentration of phenol in the landfill leachate samples was measured to be 0.32 and 0.21 mM, respectively. The recoveries were in the range of 85-103% and corresponding RSDs were less than 5.5%.     

Poly (acrylic acid) microchannel modification for the enhanced resolution of catecholamines microchip electrophoresis with electrochemical detection

A new modification of glass electrophoresis microchips based on poly (acrylic) acid immobilization has been performed. It is based on the reaction of PAA with an amine functionalized surface, obtained through the bifunctional reagent 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane. Parameters affecting all the three steps involved: surface activation, silanization and polymer immobilization were optimized employing soda-lime glass plates. Characterization by SEM and XPS was carried out. Application of the modified microchips to the separation of a model system: dopamine (D), epinephrine (E) and norepinephrine (NE), that on the other hand are of high clinical relevance was performed employing amperometric detection. Modification is necessary for obtaining partial resolution of all the three analytes in a microchip with an effective separation length of 30 mm. Situation changes from no resolution (Rs) at all (only one peak was achieved for the mixture) to a partial resolution (Rs D–NE and Rs NE–E are 0.25 and 0.24 respectively). Microchips with 60 mm of separation channel were also modified, implying this procedure a resolution enhancement (Rs of 0.49 and 0.28 for D–NE and NE–E respectively), even when methanol is employed as organic modifier (Rs values of 0.70 (D–NE) and 0.66 (NE–E) for a 3% MeOH).     

A simple and sensitive CE method for the simultaneous determination of catecholamines in urine with in-column optical fiber light-emitting diode-induced fluorescence detection

A simple and sensitive method has been developed for simultaneous analysis of three catecholamines: dopamine (DA), epinephrine (EP) and norepinephrine (NE) in urine by capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupled with in-column fiber-optic light-emitting diode-induced fluorescence detection (ICFO-LED-IFD). Fluorescein isothiocyanate was used as the fluorescence tagged reagent for derivatization of DA, EP and NE. The CE conditions for separation of these catecholamines were systematically investigated. It was found that catecholamines could be more effectively separated by adding β-cyclodextin (β-CD) and acetonitrile (ACN) to a background electrolyte (BGE) of sodium borate. The migration times are 10.61, 10.83 and 11.14 min for DA, EP and NE, respectively and the catecholamines are completely separated within 11.5 min under the optimal condition of a BGE containing 10% v/v ACN, 20 mM β-CD and 20 mM sodium borate (pH 9.5), and an applied voltage of 13 kV. The relative standard deviations of migration time and peak area for these catecholamines are less than 0.16 and 2.0%, respectively. The limit of quantifications (LOQs) for DA, EP and NE are 3.5, 1.0 and 3.1 nM whereas the limit of detections (LODs) for DA, EP and NE are 1.0, 0.3 and 0.9 nM, respectively. Our proposed CE method provides low LOQ and LOD values. This CE-ICFO-LED-IFD methodology has been successfully applied to analyze catecholamines in human urine samples with good accuracy and satisfactory recovery.     

Capillary electrophoresis‐based approaches for the study of affinity interactions combined with various sensitive and nontraditional detection techniques

Nearly all processes in living organisms are controlled and regulated by the synergy of many biomolecule interactions involving proteins, peptides, nucleic acids, nucleotides, saccharides, and small molecular weight ligands. There is growing interest in understanding them, not only for the purposes of interactomics as an essential part of system biology, but also in their further elucidation in disease pathology, diagnostics, and treatment. The necessity of detailed investigation of these interactions leads to the requirement of laboratory methods characterized by high efficiency and sensitivity. As a result, many instrumental approaches differing in their fundamental principles have been developed, including those based on capillary electrophoresis. Although capillary electrophoresis offers numerous advantages for such studies, it still has one serious limitation, its poor concentration sensitivity with the most commonly used detection method–ultraviolet‐visible spectrometry. However, coupling capillary electrophoresis with a more sensitive detector fulfils the above‐mentioned requirement. In this review, capillary electrophoresis combined with fluorescence, mass spectrometry, and several nontraditional detection techniques in affinity interaction studies are summarized and discussed, together with the possibility of conducting these measurements in microchip format.     

A new route for simple and rapid determination of hydrogen peroxide in RAW264.7 macrophages by microchip electrophoresis

A new method using MCE with LIF detection was developed for the determination of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Bis(p‐methylbenzenesulfonyl)dichlorofluorescein, a new fluorogenic reagent synthesized by our laboratory was employed as a labeling reagent, the derivatization reaction was performed in 0.10 M HEPES buffer (pH 7.4) for 30 min at 37°C. The detection of H₂O₂ was accomplished in 55 s, using a 40 mM HEPES buffer, 20% mannitol, pH 7.4, on a glass microchip. The RSDs of migration time and peak area were 1.8 and 3.7%, respectively. Method validation showed the linear response ranging from 0.50 to 50 μM with an LOD (S/N=3) of 0.20 μM (19.1 amol). The proposed method was applied to determine H₂O₂ in phorbol myristate acetate‐stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages, the concentration of H₂O₂ was found to be 1.86±0.05 μM; recoveries for macrophage samples were from 96.7 to 97.8%, within‐days and between‐days accuracies were 4.5% (n=5) and 6.8% (n=5), respectively.     

In-channel indirect amperometric detection of nonelectroactive anions for electrophoresis on a poly(dimethylsiloxane) microchip

In the present paper, we describe a microfluidics-based sensing system for nonelectroactive anions under negative separation electric field by mounting a single carbon fiber disk working electrode (WE) in the end part of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) microchannel. In contrast to work in a positive separation electric field described in our previous paper (Anal. Chem. 2004, 76, 6902-6907), here the electrochemical reduction reaction at the WE is not coupled with the separation high-voltage (HV) system, whereas the electrochemical oxidation reaction at the WE is coupled with the separation HV system. The electroactive indicator is the carbon fiber WE itself but not dissolved oxygen. This provides a convenient and sensitive means for the determination of nonelectroactive anions by amperometry. The influences of separation voltage, detection potential, and the distance between the WE and the separation channel outlet on the response of the detector have been investigated. The present detection mode is successfully used to electrochemically detect F-, Cl-, SO4(2-), CH3COO-, H2PO4-. Based on the preliminary results, a detection limit of 2 microM and a dynamic range up to three orders of magnitude for Cl- could be achieved.