Field-amplified sample injection and in-capillary derivatization for sensitivity improvement of the electrophoretic determination of histamine

The feasibility of the combination of field-amplified sample injection (FASI) and in-capillary derivatization was explored for improving sensitivity of histamine in capillary electrophoresis (CE). Naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde (NDA) was used as derivatization reagent. The reagent and sample was introduced by tandem mode. The derivatization was accomplished by at-inlet mode with standing time of 1.5 min. The combination of FASI and in-capillary derivatization was successfully achieved with about 400-fold concentration sensitivity enhancement compared to pre-capillary derivatization at the same set-up. The detection limit of concentration for histamine reached 1.25 x 10(-11) M by CE and fluorescence detection with S/N = 3. Parameters affecting FASI and in-capillary derivatization process including sample matrix, buffer concentration and reagent injection amount, were investigated.     

In-capillary derivatization and laser-induced fluorescence detection for the analysis of organophosphorus pesticides by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

We developed a rapid and sensitive method using in-capillary derivatization and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection for the fully automated analysis of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs), including glufosinate, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) and glyphosate by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC). The potential of 4-fluoro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-F) as in-capillary derivatization reagent is described for the first time. The unique feature of this MEKC method is the capillary being used as a small reaction chamber. In in-capillary derivatization, the sample and reagent solutions were injected directly into the capillary by tandem mode, followed by an electrokinetic step to enhance the mixing efficiency of analytes and reagent plugs in accordance with their different electrophoretic mobilities. Standing a specified time for reaction, the derivatives were then immediately separated and determined. Careful optimization of the derivatization and separation conditions allowed the determination of glufosinate, AMPA and glyphosate with detection limits of 2.8, 3.6 and 32.2 ng/mL, respectively. These detection limits were comparable to those of 1.4, 1.9 and 23.8 ng/mL obtained from conventional pre-capillary derivatization. Furthermore, repeatability better than 0.40% for migration time and 3.4% for peak area, as well as shorter migration time, was obtained. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of spiked river water sample with satisfactory results.     

On-column derivatization and analysis of amino acids, peptides, and alkylamines by anhydrides using capillary electrophoresis

This work demonstrates the use of an in-capillary procedure for derivatization of amino acids, peptides, and alkylamines by anhydrides using capillary electrophoresis (CE). Migrating in an uncoated fused-silica capillary, plugs of substrate and anhydride are injected separately and electrophoresed. Differential transport velocities permit the separate zones to penetrate each other under an applied field, thereby facilitating reaction. In initial experiments the extent of reaction between tryptophan and acetic anhydride was examined and product amounts quantitated by CE. In separate experiments a series of amino acids and peptides were injected into the capillary and reacted with phthalic anhydride on-column to yield the phthalic derivatized species. Finally, on-column derivatization of alkylamines with phthalic anhydride was investigated and electrophoretic mobility related to molecular weight of the derivatized amines. These procedures illustrate the use of the capillary as a microreactor in the facile synthesis of derivatized molecules and ease of quantitation of reaction products under conditions of electrophoresis.     

A rapid and sensitive CE method with field-enhanced sample injection and in-capillary derivatization for selenomethionine metabolism catalyzed by flavin-containing monooxygenases

A rapid and sensitive electrophoretically mediated microanalysis method with field-enhanced sample injection (FESI) for in-capillary derivatization was developed to determine selenomethionine (SeMet) and selenomethionine selenoxide (SeOMet). Phthalic anhydride (PA) was selected as the derivatization reagent due to the fast reaction at room temperature and the stability of derivatives. The in-capillary derivatization was accomplished by electrophoretically mixing PA and sample plugs. PA reagent was introduced hydrodynamically into the capillary, whereas the sample solution was injected electrokinetically, thus allowing a selective preconcentration of the analytes by FESI. For FESI, the optimum sample solvent was 2 mM borate solution. The borate buffer was suitable for both in-capillary derivatization and separation of the derivatives. The combination of electrophoretically mediated microanalysis with FESI for in-capillary derivatization was successfully achieved with about 800-fold concentration sensitivity enhancement compared to direct CE-UV detection in the same setup. The present method is miniaturized and fully automated, which ensures the on-line derivatization, stacking, separation and detection in 10 min. Finally, the developed method was successfully applied to measure enzyme activities by analyzing the reaction mixtures of SeMet with human flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMO). The results showed that both FMO1 and FMO3, but not FMO5 could catalyze the Se-oxygenation of SeMet.     

Strategies for in-capillary derivatization of amino acids in capillary electrophoresis using 1,2-naphthoquinone-4-sulfonate as a labeling reagent.

This paper examines the potentiality of in-capillary derivatization for improving the sensitivity of the spectrophotometric detection of amino acids in capillary zone electrophoresis. 1,2-Naphthoquinone-4-sulfonate was selected as the labeling agent of amino acids. The underivatized sample and the reagent solution segments are injected by pressure into the capillary prior to applying the running voltage. The corresponding derivatization reaction occurs inside the capillary once the potential is applied, as it induces mixing of the sample with the reagent. Several introduction modes consisting of tandem or sandwich configuration have been evaluated. These techniques result in a straightforward and automated way of carrying out a derivatization. Furthermore, in-capillary procedures may become much more attractive than conventional pre-capillary derivatization in terms of sensitivity and reproducibility. The optimum operation mode found consists of a sandwich system where the sample is injected in between two reagent segments. The method was applied to the determination of amino acids in feed samples. Results show a good concordance with those given by a standard amino acid analyzer.     

In-capillary derivatization and analysis of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine by micellar electrokinetic chromatography with laser-induced fluorescence detection

This paper describes an automatic rapid approach for in-capillary derivatization of ephedrine (E) and pseudoephedrine (PE) and subsequent sensitive determination of the derivatives by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection using 4-fluoro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-F) as fluorescent reagent. The unique feature of this method is the capillary being used as a small reaction chamber, in which the sample, derivatization buffer and reagent solutions were injected directly into the capillary by tandem mode, followed by an electrokinetic step (5 kV, 15s) to enhance the mixing efficiency of analytes and reagent plugs. Standing a specified time of 1 min for reaction, the derivatives were then immediately separated and determined. Several parameters for in-capillary derivatization and subsequent MEKC separation were systematically investigated. Under these optimized conditions, a baseline separation of the two analytes was achieved within 10 min and the derivatization concentration limits of detection were found to be 4.8 ng mL(-1) for E and 1.6 ng mL(-1) for PE, respectively. The method was validated in terms of precision, linearity, accuracy and successfully applied for the determination of the two alkaloids in ephedra herb and its preparations.     

Constant pressure-assisted head-column field-amplified sample injection in combination with in-capillary derivatization for enhancing the sensitivity of capillary electrophoresis

In this work, a novel method combining constant pressure-assisted head-column field-amplified sample injection (PA-HC-FASI) with in-capillary derivatization was developed for enhancing the sensitivity of capillary electrophoresis. PA-HC-FASI uses an appropriate positive pressure to counterbalance the electroosmotic flow in the capillary column during electrokinetic injection, while taking advantage of the field amplification in the sample matrix and the water of the “head column”. Accordingly, the analytes were stacked at the stationary boundary between water and background electrolyte. After 600 s PA-HC-FASI, 4-fluoro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole as derivatization reagent was injected, followed by an electrokinetic step (5 kV, 45 s) to enhance the mixing efficiency of analytes and reagent plugs. Standing a specified time of 10 min for derivatization reaction under 35 °C, then the capillary temperature was cooled to 25 °C and the derivatives were immediately separated and determined under 25 °C. By investigating the variables of the presented approach in detail, on-line preconcentration, derivatization and separation could be automatically operated in one run and required no modification of current CE commercial instrument. Moreover, the sensitivity enhancement factor of 520 and 800 together with the detection limits of 16.32 and 6.34 pg/mL was achieved for model compounds: glufosinate and aminomethylphosphonic acid, demonstrating the high detection sensitivity of the presented method.     

In-capillary derivatization and capillary electrophoresis separation of amino acid neurotransmitters from brain microdialysis samples

A new in-capillary derivatization method with naphtalene-2,3-dicarboxyaldehyde (NDA)/CN(-) has been developed for capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection of brain microdialysate amino acids. Samples are sandwiched between two plugs of reagent mixture at the capillary inlet and subsequently separated. Highest derivatization yields are obtained by using a reagent to sample plug length ratio equal to 4, performing a first electrophoretic mixing followed by a zero potential amplification step before applying the separation voltage and using a NaCN to NDA concentration ratio equal to 1. This new single-step methodology allows the analysis of amino acid neurotransmitters in rat brain microdialysis samples.     

Trace level determination of substance P using capillary electrophoresis and laser-induced fluorescence

An analytical method was developed to determine the undecapetide substance P (SP) based on capillary electrophoresis (CE) with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection. SP was derivatized with the fluorogenic reagent 2,3-naphthalenedicarboxaldehyde (NDA) prior to injection into the CE-LIF system. The pre-column derivatization scheme combined with injection enhancement techniques extends the detectability of SP to the subnanomolar level. Limit of detection (LOD) of 100 pM was achieved without pre-concentrating the sample prior to injection. The reproducibility for six different preparations of a standard sample containing 5 nM of SP was 6.8% RSD and that of the CE migration time was 0.08% RSD. The method was used to determine SP in a saliva sample.     

Advances in Capillary Electrophoresis-Based Enzyme Assays

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) has become a flexible and accurate, high-efficiency analytical separation technique in many areas requiring only minute amounts of sample and chemicals. Thus, CE has also been recognized as a suitable technique to study enzymatic reactions including the determination of Michaelis–Menten kinetic data or the identification and characterization of inhibitors. The most often applied CE-based enzyme assay modes can be divided into two categories: (1) pre-capillary assays where incubations are performed offline followed by CE analysis of substrate(s) and/or product(s) and (2) in-capillary assays in which the enzymatic reaction and analyte separation are performed in the same capillary. In case of the in-capillary assays, the enzyme may be immobilized or in solution. The latter is also referred to as electrophoretically mediated microanalysis (EMMA), while in the case of immobilized enzyme the term immobilized enzyme reactor (IMER) is used. The present review summarizes the literature on CE-based enzyme assays published between January 2010 and April 2015. Immobilized enzyme reactors as well as microfluidic devices applied to the study of enzymatic activity will also be briefly addressed.

     

Dual injection capillary electrophoresis: foundations and applications

The state of the art of capillary electrophoresis (CE) approaches based on dual injection is here reported. Dual injection strategies have been proposed with three main objectives: (i) to provide information about reaction kinetics and/or related parameters, (ii) to perform in-capillary derivatization for improving separation and/or determination, (iii) to develop electrophoretic methods for the simultaneous analysis of anionic and cationic compounds. For the first two purposes, dual injection, which involves sample and reagent, can be realized either from the same end of the capillary (electrophoretically mediated microanalysis, EMMA) or from the two ends of the capillary (electroinjection analysis, EIA). The third objective, with dual injection of sample from the two ends of the capillary, takes advantage of moving cationic and anionic compounds with opposite directions. The foundations of each alternative, conditions necessary for working with them, restrictions, applications as well as perspectives are reviewed in order to establish the advantages, shortcomings, and convenience or no of their use in comparison to conventional CE.     

Coupling of sequential injection analysis and capillary electrophoresis - Laser-induced fluorescence via a valve interface for on-line derivatization and analysis of amino acids and peptides

The on-line coupling of sequential injection analysis (SIA) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) via an in-line injection valve is presented. The SIA system is used for automated derivatization of amino acids and peptides. Dichlorotriazinylaminofluorescein serves as the derivatization agent, thus enabling sensitive laser-induced fluorescence detection of the derivatized analytes. The SIA procedure includes the following steps: (a) introduction of reagent and sample zones in a holding coil, (b) sample and reagent mixing in a reaction coil, (c) stop-flow step for increase of the reaction time, and (d) delivery of derivatized sample into the loop of the micro-valve interface. A small portion of the analyte zone is introduced electrokinetically in the separation capillary via the valve interface and CE analysis is performed. Factors affecting the CE separation, such as pH, the borate and sodium dodecyl sulphate concentration of the background electrolyte have been optimized. The derivatization conditions have been studied to obtain a high reaction yield in a relative short time. The transfer of a part of the reaction plug into the loop of the valve interface has been optimized. Using des-Tyr(1)-[Met]-enkephalinamide as test compound, it is demonstrated that after automated derivatization, on-line electrophoretic analysis could be achieved. Glycine has been selected as the internal standard in order to correct for variations in reaction time and filling of the injection loop. For the enkephalin, good reproducibility (RSD<4.5% calculated by the ratio of the peak areas) and linearity (0.5-5 microg mL(-1), R(2)>or=0.994) are obtained with a detection limit of 30 ng mL(-1) (S/N=3).     

Capillary electrophoretic determination of thiosulfate,sulfide and sulfite using in-capillary derivatization with iodine

A new capillary electrophoresis (CE) method was developed for the rapid, simple and selective determination of thiosulfate, sulfide and sulfite species. The proposed method is based on the in-capillary derivatization of separated sulfur anions by mixing their zones with the iodine zone during the electrophoretic migration and direct UV detection of iodide formed. The optimal conditions for the separation and derivatization reaction were established by varying electrolyte pH, electrolyte counter-ion, concentration of iodine, and applied voltage. The optimized separations were carried out in 20 mmol/L Tris-chloride electrolyte (pH 8.5) using direct UV detection at 214 nm. All three sulfur species were well resolved in less than 4 min. The method gives repeatability comparable or even better than this obtained for sulfur anions using standard CE technique. The proposed CE system was applied to the monitoring of sulfur anions in spent fixing solutions during the electrolytic oxidation.     

Continuous on-line derivatization and selective separation of D-aspartic acid by a capillary electrophoresis system with a continuous sample introduction interface

A rapid and selective method is described for the separation of D-aspartic acid (D-Asp) using a continuous on-line derivatization system coupled to capillary electrophoresis (CE). D-Asp was derivatized using o-phthaldialdehyde/N-acetyl-L-cysteine (OPA/NAC). By on-line derivatization, amino acid enantiomers were automatically and reproducibly converted to the UV-absorbing diastereomer derivatives which were separated by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) in the presence of 10 mmol/L beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD). Under the investigated separation conditions, D-Asp is resolved from L-aspartic acid (L-Asp) and other amino acids in a standard mixture of amino acids. The separation could be achieved within 4 min and the sample throughput rate can reach up to 16 h(-1). The repeatability (defined as relative standard deviation, RSD) was 3.21%, 3.58% with peak area evaluation and 3.72%, 4.03% with peak height evaluation for L-Asp and D-Asp.     

Quantitative analysis of malto-oligosaccharides by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, capillary electrophoresis and anion exchange chromatography

The analysis of malto-oligosaccharides by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS), capillary electrophoresis (CE) and anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD) is described. Appropriate methods were developed which enabled the resolution of the oligosaccharides and quantification of the peak areas. It could be shown that each technique provided a different distribution profile of the maltodextrins. Using MALDI-TOF MS signals of higher molecular weight oligomers were enhanced while low molecular weight analogues were discriminated. Thus, the response factor depends on the degree of polymerization (DP) of the carbohydrates. Homologues up to DP-15 could be detected. Analysis of the maltodextrins by CE was accomplished by derivatization of the sugars with 4-aminobenzonitrile (ABN) and 8-aminonaphthalene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid, respectively. By using the latter reagent oligosaccharides up to DP-13 were detected while derivatization with ABN allowed detection up to DP-9. The molecular weight distribution obtained by both approaches were the same. HPAEC-PAD enabled the determination of oligomers up to DP-9. The distribution obtained by this technique showed somewhat lower signals of the small homologues than those found by CE while the opposite held for higher molecular weight compounds. Hydrolysis of the carbohydrates by the derivatization reaction prior to CE analysis, which increased the proportion of low molecular weight homologues, may account for these findings.     

Fluorescent detection of peptides and amino acids for capillary electrophoresis via on-line derivatization with 4-fluoro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole

An in-capillary derivatization of amino acids and peptides with 4-fluoro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-F) was developed for their subsequent capillary electrophoretic analysis with laser-induced fluorescence detection (λ _ex=488 nm). The in-capillary derivatization was achieved in zone-passing mode by introducing successive plugs of sample and NBD-F into a fused silica capillary previously equilibrated with an alkaline borate buffer. To prevent NBD-F hydrolysis and to achieve a reliable derivatization, NBD-F was prepared daily in absolute ethanol and a plug of absolute ethanol was introduced between the sample and NBD-F reagent plugs. Various parameters influencing the derivatization efficiency were investigated and the optimum conditions were as follows: background electrolyte (BGE), 20 mM borate buffer (pH 8.8); introduction time, 4 s for sample and 2 s for NBD-F; molar ratio of NBD-F/sample, above 215; temperature, 45 °C for amino acids and 35 °C for peptides; applied voltage, +15 kV. The validation of the in-capillary derivatization method under optimal conditions showed a good linearity between the heights of the derivative peaks and the concentrations of the amino acids. The intra-day relative standard deviations of the migration times and the peak heights were less than 1.3% and 4.6%, respectively. The efficient derivatization and separation of a mixture of valine, alanine, glutamic acid and aspartic acid were achieved using this technique. Peptides such as buccaline and β-protein fragment 1–42 could also be derivatized using the developed in-capillary derivatization procedure. In‑capillary derivatization and separation of amino acids with different concentrations. From the top to bottom the concentrations are 1.11×10⁻⁵ M, 5.55×10⁻⁶ M, 2.78×10⁻⁶ M, 6.95×10⁻⁷ M. for valine; 1.26×10⁻⁵ M, 6.30×10⁻⁶ M, 3.15×10⁻⁶ M, 7.88×10⁻⁷ M for alanine; 3.78×10⁻⁵ M, 1.89×10⁻⁵ M, 9.45×10⁻⁶ M, 2.36×10⁻⁶ M for glutamic acid;, 4.27×10⁻⁵ M, 2.14×10⁻⁵ M, 1.07×10⁻⁵ M, 2.68×10⁻⁶ M for aspartic acid. Experiment conditions: injection order: 4s for sample, 1s for absolute ethanol, and then 2s for 5.24×10⁻² M NBD‑F; BGE: 20 mM borate pH 8.77; Applied voltage: 15 kV.     

藏药蕨麻多糖水解单糖的毛细管区带电泳分离研究

以1-萘基-3-甲基-5-吡唑啉酮(NMP)为柱前衍生试剂,探讨了毛细管区带电泳模式下对藏药蕨麻多糖水解液中单糖的分离条件。实验采用58.5 cm×50μm i.d.毛细管(有效长度50 cm),55 mmol/L硼酸盐缓冲溶液(pH=9.46),柱温20℃,分离电压22 kV,进样10 s。该法不加任何添加剂,9种单糖可高效、快速基线分离,实现了对藏药蕨麻多糖水解液中单糖的分离和定量分析,结果令人满意。     

Quantitative analysis of malto-oligosaccharides by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, capillary electrophoresis and anion exchange chromatography

The analysis of malto-oligosaccharides by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS), capillary electrophoresis (CE) and anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD) is described. Appropriate methods were developed which enabled the resolution of the oligosaccharides and quantification of the peak areas. It could be shown that each technique provided a different distribution profile of the maltodextrins. Using MALDI-TOF MS signals of higher molecular weight oligomers were enhanced while low molecular weight analogues were discriminated. Thus, the response factor depends on the degree of polymerization (DP) of the carbohydrates. Homologues up to DP-15 could be detected. Analysis of the maltodextrins by CE was accomplished by derivatization of the sugars with 4-aminobenzonitrile (ABN) and 8-aminonaphthalene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid, respectively. By using the latter reagent oligosaccharides up to DP-13 were detected while derivatization with ABN allowed detection up to DP-9. The molecular weight distribution obtained by both approaches were the same. HPAEC-PAD enabled the determination of oligomers up to DP-9. The distribution obtained by this technique showed somewhat lower signals of the small homologues than those found by CE while the opposite held for higher molecular weight compounds. Hydrolysis of the carbohydrates by the derivatization reaction prior to CE analysis, which increased the proportion of low molecular weight homologues, may account for these findings. Receiverd: 28 August 1997 / Revised: 24 November 1997 / Accepted: 25 November 1997     

Field-amplified sample injection and in-capillary derivatization for capillary electrophoretic analysis of metal ions in local wines

In-capillary derivatization and field-amplified sample injection (FASI) coupled to capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) was evaluated for the analysis of metals (Co(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), and Fe(II)) using 2-(5-Nitro-2-Pyridylazo)-5-(N-Propyl-N-Sulfopropylamino)Phenol (Nitro-PAPS) as the derivatizing agent. For FASI, the optimum conditions were water as sample solvent, 1 s hydrodynamic injection (0.1 psi) of a water plug, 5 s of electrokinetic introduction (10 kV) of the sample. The in-capillary derivatization was successfully achieved with zone-passing strategy in order tandem injection of Nitro-PAPS reagent (0.5 psi, 7 s), a small water plug (0.1 psi, 1 s), and metal ion introduction (10 kV, 5 s). The solution of 45 mmol L^− 1 borate pH 9.7 and 1.0 × 10^− 5 mol L^− 1 Nitro-PAPS containing 20% acetonitrile was used as the running buffer. The limit of detection obtained by the proposed method was lower than those from pre-capillary derivatization about 3–28 times. The recovery of the method was comparable to pre-capillary derivatization method. In-capillary derivatization-FASI-CZE was applied to analysis of metals in wine samples. The results were compared with those obtained by CZE with pre-capillary derivatization method and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS).     

Rapid capillary electrophoretic determination of glutaraldehyde in photographic developers using a cationic polymer coating

A new capillary electrophoretic (CE) method was developed for the rapid and simple determination of glutaraldehyde in photographic developing solutions. The proposed system is based on the selective pre-capillary derivatization of glutaraldehyde with sulfite and CE determination of anionic glutaraldehyde-bisulfite adduct formed. Since the developing solutions contain large amounts of sulfite ions, the only procedure required for derivatization is a dilution of the sample with carrier electrolyte. For separations of sulfite, acetate, glutaraldehyde-bisulfite and hydroquinone sulfonate anions, capillaries coated with poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) prior to analysis were used. Separation of four anions was accomplished in less than 3 min in 5 mmol l⁻¹p-hydroxybenzoate-imidazole (p-HB) electrolyte at pH 6.0 using indirect UV detection at 254 nm. The optimal conditions for the derivatization reaction were established by varying concentration of sulfite, pH and reaction time. The recovery tests established for photographic developer samples were within the range 94.0-98.4%.