Determination of carbamazepine: a comparison of the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) method and the immunoassay method in a clinical trial

We conducted a clinical trial to analyze human serum containing carbamazepine by using the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) method with a glassy carbon electrode, and compared it with the fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA). Thirty patients, who visited our hospital to have their serum carbamazepine level checked, were enrolled. Ten mL of venous blood was collected from each patient and analyzed by DPV and FPIA methods. The correlation between the carbamazepine concentrations determined by DPV and FPIA was good, with an RSQ of 0.998. The similarity of the results indicates that these two methods can be used interchangeably. The DPV method using a glassy carbon electrode may be a potential alternative method to determine the carbamazepine level in human serum.     

Determination of theophylline in serum by high performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical-ionization (APCI HPLC/MS)

 A method for the determination of theophylline (TH), without derivatization, in serum by isotope dilution mass spectrometry using labelled [1, 3-¹⁵N₂-2-¹³C]theophylline (LTH) as internal standard is described. After deproteinization, the analyte is directly injected into a high performance liquid chromatography – mass spectrometer operating with atmospheric-pressure chemical-ionization (APCI HPLC/MS). The concentrations of TH in sera measured by APCI HPLC/MS are compared with results from gas chromatography – isotope dilution mass spectrometry (GC-ID/MS), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA). The accuracy, precision and recovery of the APCI HPLC/MS and GC-ID/MS methods are discussed. The coefficient of variation (CV) determined from duplicate samples was less than 2%. The detection limit was 10 ng/ml at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1. Received: 17 January 1996/Revised: 26 March 1996/Accepted: 5 April 1996     

Stopped-flow fluorescence polarization immunoassay

A general survey of the analytical application of kinetic methodology in fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) is presented. Stopped-flow mixing technique (SF) allows the initial rate of the immunochemical reaction between the tracer and the antibody to be obtained, which is used as the analytical parameter instead of the equilibrium signal used in conventional FPIA. The instrumentation required is described and the features of the analytical methods proposed are compared with those obtained by conventional FPIA. The usefulness of SF-FPIA for routine screening in clinical, environmental and food analysis is discussed.     

Comparison of Differential Pulse Voltammetry (DPV)—a new method of carbamazepine analysis—with Fluorescence Polarization Immunoassay (FPIA)

Carbamazepine is a widely used anti-epileptic drug with narrow therapeutic range. Many methods have been developed for monitoring the serum drug level. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), an electrochemical method advantaged by simple, inexpensive, and relatively short analysis time, has recently been developed for carbamazepine detection. We used a newly developed DPV method with glassy carbon as a working electrode to determine the carbamazepine level. The performance of DPV is compared with the widely used fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) technique in precision, accuracy, linearity and detection limit. The precision, linearity and accuracy of the DPV and FPIA techniques were comparable at most clinical used levels. The detection limit was 1 μg/mL for the DPV technique and 0.5 μg/mL for the FPIA technique. The performance of the DPV technique was within the FDA guidelines for bioanalytical methods, which ensures the clinical applicability of the DPV technique. The DPV technique may have the potential to be a good alternative for carbamazepine analysis.     

Studies on Enzyme Kinetics by Microchip and Related Techniques

Both conventional and microchip-based capillary electrophoresis(CE) technologies have been used for the analysis of enzymes. Practical procedures of using CE to determine the Km and Vmax values of an enzyme have been developed. By studying the inhibition to the enzyme, it is possible to select a suitable drug candidate. When compared with the conventional CE method, single lane microchip-based method can improve the speed for the assay three times. By using multiple lane-based microchip, the speed can be further increased.     

Fluorescence polarization immunoassays and related methods for simple, high-throughput screening of small molecules

Fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) is a homogeneous (without separation) competitive immunoassay method based on the increase in fluorescence polarization (FP) of fluorescent-labeled small antigens when bound by specific antibody. The minimum detectable quantity of FPIAs with fluorescein label (about 0.1 ng analyte) is comparable with chromatography and ELISA methods, although this may be limited by sample matrix interference. Because of its simplicity and speed, FPIA is readily automated and therefore suitable for high-throughput screening (HTS) in a variety of application areas. Systems that involve binding of ligands to receptor proteins are also susceptible to analysis by analogous FP methods employing fluorescent-labeled ligand and HTS applications have been developed, notably for use in candidate drug screening.     

Determination of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in human specimens by capillary zone electrophoresis and micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Therapeutic drug monitoring of anti-inflammatory drugs is necessary for the identification of the agents that cause toxic events and for the decision on the treatment for intoxication. Recently, capillary electrophoresis (CE) has been developed for the simple and rapid analyses of a variety of chemical agents. Micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) can separate acidic, neutral and basic anti-inflammatory drugs in serum. Furthermore, serum samples are directly applied to the CE system without any pretreatments, and some anti-inflammatory drugs can be separated from serum albumin in the MEKC analysis. On the other hand, capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) enables us to determine a few microg/mL levels of acidic anti-inflammatory drugs with simple running buffer and stacking technique. A rapid and simultaneous determination of several analgesic anti-inflammatory agents, including ibuprofen, acetaminophen, indomethacin, and salicylic acid in human serum has been developed by using CZE. Therefore, the CZE and MEKC analysis may become a potentially useful alternative to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) for therapeutic drug monitoring, particularly in serum of patients suffering from intoxication by overdosage of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents.     

Competitive Chemiluminescent Immunoassay for the Sensitive Point-of-Care Determination of Metoprolol

A competitive chemiluminescence immunoassay which can be used for point-of-care testing and blood screening of metoprolol is reported. Four haptens for metoprolol were synthesized. An octanedioic acid-modified hapten was conjugated with bovine serum albumin to serve as the immunogen and the haptens were conjugated with ovalbumin for the coating antigen. Polyclonal antibodies for metoprolol were produced and the detection conditions were optimized. A competitive chemiluminescence immunoassay was established based on the produced antibody with potential for bedside therapeutic monitoring of metoprolol. The limit of detection in phosphate-buffered saline was 2?ng?mL^?1. Satisfactory recovery values from 89.3 to 107.6% in plasma were achieved. The results provided by the reported method were consistent with values obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography for pharmacokinetic studies. The immunoassay has potential to be developed as a test kit offering a simple and cost-effective approach for on-site monitoring of metoprolol.     

毛细管电泳微芯片在临床尿蛋白检测中的应用研究

用微芯片毛细管电泳法对临床患者尿蛋白进行了分离, 初步探讨了用于判断肾损伤的应用前景. 以pH 10.3, 75 mmol•L^－1的硼酸盐缓冲液作为芯片电泳缓冲体系, 利用蛋白质的紫外吸收特性, 在210 nm波段检测吸光度并进行信号收集和分析. 研究两种添加剂对提高尿蛋白分离效率的影响, 分析了肾病综合症、妊娠高血压症、风湿性心脏病和多发性骨髓瘤等患者尿样本, 并与美国Helena电泳系统分析结果对比, 得到了较一致的结果.     

Prospects for the commercialization of chemiluminescence-based point-of-care and on-site testing devices

Chemiluminescent reactions have found application in a number of commercial point-of-care and on-site testing devices. Notable examples include allergy tests (e.g., MASTpette, OPTIGEN® systems), flu tests (e.g., ZstatFlu®-II), cartridge-based immunoassay systems (FastPack® IP System, PATHFAST®), forensic tests for bloodstains, portable analyzers for biochip array assays (Evidence MultiStat), water quality tests (Eclox), air pollutants (e.g., oxides of nitrogen), and handheld devices for detecting explosives (e.g., E3500 Chemilux®). Many other point-of-care or on-site testing devices with a chemiluminescent end point have been devised on the basis of a variety of formats (e.g., cuvette, cassette, dipstick, test strip, microchip), but most have not progressed beyond a proof-of-principle or prototype stage.     

Quantitative analysis by microchip capillary electrophoresis: current limitations and problem-solving strategies

Obstacles and possible solutions for the application of microchip capillary electrophoresis in quantitative analysis are described and critically discussed. Differences between the phenomena occurring during conventional capillary electrophoresis and microchip-based capillary electrophoresis are pointed out, with particular focus on electrolysis, bubble formation, clogging, surface interactions, injection and aspects related to the power supply. Current drawbacks are specified and improvements for successful quantitative microchip capillary electrophoresis are suggested.     

Development of a rapid, specific fluorescence polarization immunoassay for the herbicide chlorsulfuron

A strategy for design of a derivative of chlorsulfuron, which mimics half of the herbicide molecule, was proposed. The 1-[(2-chloro)phenylsulfonyl]monoamidosuccinic acid was synthesized as a derivative of chlorsulfuron for conjugation to carrier proteins. Rabbits were immunized and the resulting polyclonal antibodies were assessed by the fluorescence polarization technique. The antibodies were highly specific to chlorsulfuron. Cross-reactivity to the structurally similar sulfonylurea and urea herbicides chlorbromuron, amidosulfuron, chlortoluron, isoproturon, diuron and linuron was less than 0.1%. A rapid fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) for chlorsulfuron detection in water samples was developed and optimized. The detection limit of chlorsulfuron in 50 μl of sample was 10 ng ml⁻¹. Total time for the measurement of 10 samples is 7 min. The proposed FPIA is suitable for rapid testing for pesticide contamination where the highest sensitivity is not critical or in combination with pre-concentration techniques.     

Amperometric homogeneous competitive immunoassay in a perfluorocarbon emulsion oxygen therapeutic (PEOT)

The effect of a perfluorocarbon emulsion oxygen therapeutic (PEOT) on the detection of the drugs theophylline and phenytoin was explored using a commercial enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique (EMIT®). The EMIT technique is based on the enzymatic production of NADH, which is typically detected in serum samples spectrophotometrically. Here, amperometry using the rotating disk electrode on a single drop of solution is demonstrated to detect theophylline and phenytoin in the presence of PEOT. In the study, 2,6-dichloroindophenol (DCIP) added to the immunoassay mixture is reduced by the NADH to DCIPH₂. Oxidation of DCIPH₂ is monitored electrochemically at +200 mV using a glassy carbon rotating disk electrode. Slopes of amperograms are proportional to the concentration of drug in the immunoassay sample. This technique yields excellent quantitative data in the therapeutic range for both drugs in 2–20 % PEOT.     

Integration of cell phone imaging with microchip ELISA to detect ovarian cancer HE4 biomarker in urine at the point-of-care

Ovarian cancer is asymptomatic in the early stages and most patients present with advanced levels of disease. The lack of cost-effective methods that can achieve frequent, simple and non-invasive testing hinders early detection and causes high mortality in ovarian cancer patients. Here, we report a simple and inexpensive microchip ELISA-based detection module that employs a portable detection system, i.e., a cell phone/charge-coupled device (CCD) to quantify an ovarian cancer biomarker, HE4, in urine. Integration of a mobile application with a cell phone enabled immediate processing of microchip ELISA results, which eliminated the need for a bulky, expensive spectrophotometer. The HE4 level detected by a cell phone or a lensless CCD system was significantly elevated in urine samples from cancer patients (n = 19) than healthy controls (n = 20) (p < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses showed that the microchip ELISA coupled with a cell phone running an automated analysis mobile application had a sensitivity of 89.5% at a specificity of 90%. Under the same specificity, the microchip ELISA coupled with a CCD had a sensitivity of 84.2%. In conclusion, integration of microchip ELISA with cell phone/CCD-based colorimetric measurement technology can be used to detect HE4 biomarker at the point-of-care (POC), paving the way to create bedside technologies for diagnostics and treatment monitoring.     

Determination of netilmicin in serum by thin-layer densitometry and fluorescence polarization immunoassay

Summary A newly developed thin-layer chromatographic method (TLC) for the quantitative determination of netilmicin in serum is described and compared with fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA). The TLC procedure involves solid-phase extraction of the aminoglycoside from serum and chromatography on reversed-phase thin layer. Post-chromatographic derivatization is carried out using 2,2-diphenyl-1-oxa-3-oxonia-2-boratanaphthalene (DOOB) as fluorescence reagent. The calibration curve for netilmicin in serum is linear in the range 1.0–5.0 g/ml and the detection limit is about 0.2 g/ml (correlation coefficient r=0.9963, mean coefficient of variation V_XO=±5.3 %). A total of 25 serum samples from patients treated with netilmicin was measured by TLC and the results were compared with those of FPIA (Abbott TDx). There is no statistically significant difference between the two procedures (y=–0.35+1.094·x, Passing/Bablok). Thus the TLC-procedure is an alternative for the determination of netilmicin in serum, that possesses the necessary sensitivity of other comparable methods.Dedicated to Professor Dr. Wilhelm Fresenius on the occasion of his 80th birthday.     

Microchip-based capillary electrophoresis for determination of lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes

This article describes a novel microchip-based capillary electrophoresis and oncolumn enzymatic reaction analysis protocol for lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) isoenzymes with a home-made xenon lamp-induced fluorescence detection system. A microchip integrated with a temperature-control unit is designed and fabricated for low-temperature electrophoretic separation of LDH isoenzymes, optimal enzyme reaction temperature control, and product detection. A four-step operation and temperature control are employed for the determination of LDH activity by on-chip monitoring of the amount of incubation product of NADH during the fixed incubation period and at a fixed temperature. Experiments on the determination of LDH standard sample and serum LDH isoenzymes from a healthy adult donor are carried out. The results are comparable with those obtained by conventional CE. Shorter analysis times and a more stable and lower background baseline can be achieved. The efficient separation of different LDH forms indicates the potential of microfluidic devices for isoenzyme assay.     

A simple, rapid and high-throughput fluorescence polarization immunoassay for simultaneous detection of organophosphorus pesticides in vegetable and environmental water samples

A simple, rapid and high-throughput fluorescent polarization immunoassay (FPIA) for simultaneous determination of organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) using a broad-specificity monoclonal antibody was developed. The effects of tracer structure, tracer concentration, antibody dilution, methanol content and matrix effect on FPIA performance were studied. The FPIA can detect 5 OPs simultaneously with a limit of detection below 10 ng mL(-1). The time required for the equilibrium of antibody-antigen interaction was less than 10 min. The recovery from spiked vegetable and environmental samples ranged from 71.3% to 126.8%, with the coefficient of variations ranging from 3.5% to 14.5%. The developed FPIA was applied to samples, followed by confirmation with high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) analysis. The developed FPIA demonstrated good accuracy and reproducibility, and is suitable for rapid and high-throughput screening for OP contamination with high-efficiency and low cost.     

Quantification of theophylline in human plasma by reversed-phase ion-interaction high-performance liquid chromatography and comparison with the TDx fluorescence polarization immunoassay procedure.

A new method for the determination of theophylline (1,3-dimethyl-1H-purine-2,6-dione) in human plasma is described, free from interference by theobromine (3,7-dimethyl-1H-purine-2,6-dione) and caffeine (1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6-dione). The method makes use of ion-interaction reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (octylamine-orthophosphate being the interaction reagent and a C18 reversed-phase column the stationary phase) with spectrophotometric detection at 274 nm. The quantitative results obtained in the analysis of samples of plasma from patients undergoing treatment with theophylline were compared with those obtained for the same samples with the TDx fluorescence polarization immunoassay procedure (using the Abbot Therapeutic Drug Monitoring system), which is generally employed in hospitals and clinical laboratories. Statistical F-test and t-test for multiple samples were applied to the data obtained by the two methods. The results showed no significant difference between the two methods at the 95% confidence level.     

On-line electrophoretic sample clean-up for sensitive and reproducible μCE immunoassay

We report a novel on-line electrophoretic sample clean-up approach for highly sensitive and reproducible microchip electrophoretic (μCE) immunoassay of low-abundance proteins in human serum. The method takes advantage of the differential effect of field-amplified sample stacking on molecules with different electrophoretic mobility. Large interfering proteins are removed from the loading channel by simple voltage control, resulting in selective concentration and injection of smaller target analytes to the separation channel. As a proof of concept, an antibody-free injection mode was developed for direct μCE immunoassay of human insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in serum samples without any additional purification steps. Clear and sharp peaks were obtained for IGF-I with low background and excellent reproducibility. Besides, the assay sensitivity was further increased by addition of ethanol to the sample buffer at a concentration of 50% right before performing the μCE detection. The lower limit of detection of IGF-I achieved 0.68 ng mL(-1), with an overall signal enhancement factor of 2750. The established on-line electrophoretic sample clean-up approach may find wide applications in the development of other microchip-based high-throughput analytical platforms for clinical and biological use.     

Monoclonal Antibody-Based Fluorescence Polarization Immunoassay for Furazolidone in Feed

A rapid, specific, and sensitive fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) method was developed to detect residues of furazolidone, a forbidden drug in feed. An immuno-hapten was designed for monoclonal antibody preparation. Furthermore, seven novel tracers were synthesized and the “heterology tracer” could improve the sensitivity of FPIA significantly. An optimized FPIA method was established with a cross-reactivity of less than 0.1%, IC₅₀ of 5.5 ng/mL. The limits of detection (LOD) calculated from feed samples were 0.5–0.9 ng/mL. Recoveries of fortified samples at levels of 5, 20, and 50 ng/mL ranged from 79.0% to 85.0%. The coefficients of variation were less than 12%.