Synthesis of hydrophilic boronate affinity monolithic capillary for specific capture of glycoproteins by capillary liquid chromatography

Boronate affinity chromatography is an important tool for specific isolation of cis-diol-containing compounds such as glycoproteins, RNA and carbohydrates. Boronate functionalized monolithic capillaries have been recently developed for specific capture of cis-diol-containing small biomolecules, but the apparent hydrophobicity of the columns prevents them from specific capture of glycoproteins. In this paper, a hydrophilic boronate affinity monolithic capillary was prepared by in situ free radical polymerization, using 4-vinylphenylboronic acid (VPBA) and N, N′-methylenebisacrylamide (MBAA) as functional monomer and cross-linker, respectively. The prepared poly(VPBA-co-MBAA) monolithic capillary exhibited uniform open channel network and high density of accessible boronic acid. Due to the utilization of hydrophilic cross-linker, the prepared column was hydrophilic, allowing for specific capture of glycoproteins.     

Selective extraction and enrichment of glycoproteins based on boronate affinity SPME and determination by CIEF-WCID

In this study, a new thin-film boronic acid coating was developed for solid-phase microextraction (SPME) followed by capillary isoelectric focusing with whole-column imaging detection (CIEF-WCID). Boronate functionalized particles of phenylboronic acid (PBA) and 3-aminophenylboronic acid (3-aPBA) were utilized as boronate affinity solid phase coating on thin-film stainless steel blades for selective extraction and enrichment of glycoproteins. The process of extraction and elution could be easily controlled by adjusting pH. To test specificity, asialofetuin and lactoferrin were selected as glycoproteins test molecules, while BSA and myoglobin were used as control non-glycoproteins in this study. The boronate affinity coating was characterized. The effect of buffer, pH, extraction profiles and elution profiles were investigated. The developed method was successfully applied to extract glycoproteins from standard buffer, PBS, human plasma and 10-fold diluted human blood using two kinds of boronate affinity blades. Boronate affinity SPME could be a promising tool for selective extraction and enrichment of low-abundance glycoproteins in real biological samples.     

Preparation of the capillary-based microchips for solid phase extraction by using the monolithic frits prepared by UV-initiated polymerization.

A microfluidic solid phase extraction (SPE) array for sample enrichment was prepared by a simple method, a hot embossing technique. Five fused-silica capillaries (250 microm i.d., 380 microm o.d.) were partly embedded parallel in a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) microchip to serve as the extraction channels. Within each of the channels, a 2-mm-long monolithic porous polymer was prepared by in-situ photoinitiated polymerization. This then acted as the frit for packing of the extraction materials (octadecylsilica beads, ODS). By defining the light-exposure window on the channels, one can easily control the length and location of the polymer frits and the ODS beads can be packed at the desired location. With this method, solid phase extraction channels for microfluidic use can be easily prepared without complex fabrication of microstructures. Several SPE channels can be conveniently made in one microchip since the frits can be prepared in different channels through one polymerization; packing of the different channels can also be performed simultaneously. With the use of dilute ephedrine solutions, the sample loading capacity, linearity, and reproducibility were characterized. Coupled with the fast capillary electrophoresis separation, this microchip SPE array was applied for the detection of ephedrines in human urine.     

Separation and analysis of cis-diol-containing compounds by boronate affinity-assisted micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Cis-diol-containing compounds (CDCCs) are usually highly hydrophilic compounds and are therefore difficult to separate by conventional reversed-phase-based micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) due to poor selectivity. Here, we report a new method, called boronate affinity-assisted micellar electrokinetic chromatography (BAA-MEKC), to solve this issue. A boronic acid with a hydrophobic alkyl chain was added to the background electrolyte, which acted as a modifier to adjust the selectivity. CDCCs can covalently react with the boronic acid to form negatively charged surfactant-like complexes, which can partition into micelles formed with a cationic surfactant. Thus, CDCCs can be separated according to the differential partition constants of their boronic acid complexes between the micellar phase and the surrounding aqueous phase. To verify this method, eight nucleosides were employed as the test compounds and their separation confirmed that the combination of boronate affinity interaction with MEKC can effectively enhance the separation of CDCCs. The effects of experimental conditions on the separation were investigated. Finally, the BAA-MEKC method was applied to the separation and analysis of nucleosides extracted from human urine. BAA-MEKC exhibited better selectivity and improved separation as compared with conventional MEKC and CZE. Successful quantitative analysis of urinary nucleosides by BAA-MEKC was demonstrated.     

Determination of vanilmandelic acid in urine by coupled-column liquid chromatography combining affinity to boronate and separation by anion exchange

An automated liquid chromatographic method for assaying vanilmandelic acid in urine is described. Vanilmandelic acid and potential interfering substances, such as catechol compounds and their metabolites, have been tested for affinity to boronic acid-substituted silica at various pH values. Vanilmandelic acid and the internal standard, isovanilmandelic acid, were bound to the boronate matrix at an acidic pH, whereas for instance catecholamines were unretained and passed through the column. The alpha-hydroxycarboxylic acids were then desorbed by another mobile phase (pH 6.0) and transferred to an anion exchanger for chromatography and electrochemical detection. A relative standard deviation of 2.8% was obtained for the analysis of human urine samples containing 6.6 microM vanilmandelic acid.     

On-chip solid phase extraction and enzyme digestion using cationic PolyE-323 coatings and porous polymer monoliths coupled to electrospray mass spectrometry

We evaluate the compatibility and performance of polymer monolith solid phase extraction beds that incorporate cationic charge, with a polycationic surface coating, PolyE-323, fabricated within microfluidic glass chips. The PolyE-323 is used to reduce protein and peptide adsorption on capillary walls during electrophoresis, and to create anodal flow for electrokinetically driven nano-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. A hydrophobic butyl methacrylate-based monolithic porous polymer was copolymerized with an ionizable monomer, [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] trimethylammonium chloride to form a polymer monolith for solid phase extraction that also sustains anodal electroosmotic flow. Exposure of the PolyE-323 coating to the monolith forming mixture affected the performance of the chip by a minor amount; electrokinetic migration times increased by ～5%, and plate numbers were reduced by an average of 5% for proteins and peptides. 1-mm long on-chip monolithic solid phase extraction columns showed reproducible, linear calibration curves (R(2)=0.9978) between 0.1 and 5 nM BODIPY at fixed preconcentration times, with a capacity of 2.4 pmol or 0.92 mmol/L of monolithic column for cytochrome c. Solution phase on-bed trypsin digestion was conducted by capturing model protein samples onto the monolithic polymer bed. Complete digestion of the proteins was recorded for a 30 min stop flow digestion, with high sequence coverage (88% for cytochrome c and 56% for BSA) and minimal trypsin autodigestion product. The polycationic coating and the polymer monolith materials proved to be compatible with each other, providing a high quality solid phase extraction bed and a robust coating to reduce protein adsorption and generate anodal flow, which is advantageous for electrospray.     

Determination of tetracyclines in food samples by molecularly imprinted monolithic column coupling with high performance liquid chromatography

A novel solid phase extraction (SPE) method for determination of tetracyclines (TCs) in milk and honey samples by molecularly imprinted monolithic column was developed. Using tetracycline (TC) as the template, methacrylic acid (MAA) as the functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as the cross-linker, methanol as the solvent, cyclohexanol and dodecanol as the mixed porogenic solvents, a TC imprinted monolithic column was prepared by in situ molecular imprinting technique for the first time, and the optimal synthesis conditions and the selectivity of TC imprinted monolithic column were investigated. The interfering substances in food samples and TCs can be separated successfully on imprinted column. Molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction (MISPE) coupling with C18 column was used to determinate the TCs in milk and honey. The recoveries of this method for six tetracyclines antibiotics such as tetracycline (TC), oxytetracycline (OTC), minocycline (MINO), chlortetracycline (CTC), metacycline (MTC) and doxycycline (DTC) were investigated, and high recoveries of 73.3-90.6% from milk samples and 62.6-82.3% from honey samples were obtained. A method for determination of TCs at low concentration level in milk and honey samples was successfully developed by using the monolithic column as the precolumn for solid phase extraction of six TCs compounds.     

A strategy for screening trypsin inhibitors from traditional Chinese medicine based on a monolithic capillary immobilized enzyme reactor coupled with offline liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry

A novel strategy was successfully developed for screening trypsin inhibitors in traditional Chinese medicines based on monolithic capillary immobilized enzyme reactors combined with liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry. Organic polymer based monolithic enzyme reactors were firstly prepared by covalently bonding trypsin to a poly(glycidyl methacrylate‐co‐poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate) monolith by the ring‐opening reaction of epoxy groups. The activity and kinetic parameters of the obtained monolithic trypsin reactors were systematically evaluated using micro‐liquid chromatography. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were also used to characterize the monolithic trypsin reactors. The resulting functional and denatured monolithic trypsin reactors were applied as affinity solid‐phase extraction columns, and offline coupled with a liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry system to construct a binding affinity screening platform. Subsequently, the proposed platform was applied for screening trypsin binders in a Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi extract. Three compounds, namely scutellarin, baicalin, and wogonoside were identified, and their inhibitory activities were further confirmed via an in vitro enzymatic inhibition assay. Additionally, molecular docking was also performed to study the interactions between trypsin and these three compounds.     

Off-line hyphenation of boronate affinity monolith-based extraction with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry for efficient analysis of glycoproteins/glycopeptides

Boronate affinity materials have attracted increasing attentions as sample enrichment platforms for glycoproteomic analysis in recent years. However, most of the boronate affinity materials that have already employed for proteomic analysis are suffering from apparent disadvantages, such as alkaline pH for binding, weak affinity, and relatively poor selectivity. Benzoboroxoles are a unique class of boronic acids which have showed excellent binding properties for the recognition of cis-diol-containing compounds. Recently, a 3-carboxy-benzoboroxole-functionalized monolithic column had been reported and it had exhibited the best selectivity and affinity as well as the lowest binding pH among all reported boronate affinity monolithic columns. In this study, an off-line hyphenation of this boronate affinity monolithic column-based extraction with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) was developed and the powerfulness of this hyphenated approach in the analysis of glycoproteins and glycopeptides in complex samples was investigated. The approach was first applied to the analysis of glycopeptides in the tryptic digest of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Totally 22 glycopeptides were identified. To the best of our knowledge, this is the best performance among all the boronic acid-functionalized materials. We further employed this approach to the analysis of intact proteins in human saliva. Totally 6 intact glycoproteins were successfully identified. As comparison, when the samples were analyzed without extraction, only a few glycopeptides were identified from the tryptic digest of HRP while no glycoproteins were found from the saliva samples.     

Cation exchange/hydrophobic interaction monolithic chromatography of small molecules and proteins by nano liquid chromatography†

In this study, vinyl phenyl boronic acid modified lauryl methacrylate‐based monolithic column was successfully prepared for cation exchange/hydrophobic interaction monolithic chromatography of small molecules and proteins in nano LC. The polymeric mixture consisted of lauryl methacrylate, vinyl phenyl boronic acid as cation exchanger, ethylene dimethacrylate as cross‐linker, polyethylene glycol and methanol as binary porogenic solvent, and azobisisobutyronitrile as initiator. The resulting monolith showed good permeability and mechanical stability. Different ratios of monomer and porogens were used for optimizing the properties of the column. The monolithic column performance with respect to hydrophobic and cation exchange interactions was assessed by the separation a series of alkyl benzenes and anilines, respectively. cis‐Diol‐containing compounds such as phenols were also utilized to evaluate the retention behaviors of the vinyl phenyl boronic acid modified monolithic column. The monolithic column showed cation exchange interactions in the separation of aniline compounds. Theoretical plate number up to 52 000 plates/m was successfully achieved. The prepared monolith was further applied to the proteins with different acetonitrile content.     

Direct analysis of polyols using 3-nitrophenylboronic acid in capillary electrophoresis: thermodynamic and electrokinetic principles of molecular recognition

The design of boronic acid sensors for photometric detection of carbohydrates has relied on exploiting differences in the thermodynamic stability of complex formation for molecular recognition. Herein, we introduce a direct method for analysis of sugar alcohols using 3-nitrophenylboronic acid (NPBA) as an electrokinetic probe in capillary electrophoresis (CE). Dynamic complexation of neutral polyols by NPBA during electromigration allows for their simultaneous resolution and UV detection based on formation of an anionic ternary boronate ester complex in phosphate buffer. Unlike conventional boronic acid sensors, thermodynamic and electrokinetic processes in CE allow for improved selectivity for the resolution of sugar alcohol stereoisomers having different vicinal polyol chain lengths even in cases when binding affinity is similar due to differences in their complex mobility. Three complementary approaches were investigated to compare the thermodynamics of polyol chelation with NPBA, namely direct binding assays by CE, UV absorbance spectroscopy and an indirect pK _a depression method. Overall, CE offers a convenient platform for characterization of reversible arylboronic acid interactions in free solution while allowing for direct analysis of complex mixtures of neutral/UV-transparent polyols without complicated sample handling.     

Investigation of the interaction between serotonin‐related compounds and phenylboronate moieties in monolithic silica disk‐packed spin columns

Solid‐phase extraction technologies are widely used for sample pretreatment in bioanalysis. Monolithic silica disk‐packed spin columns modified with phenylboronate moieties have been developed for the selective extraction of cis‐diol compounds such as catecholamines. However, in our preliminary studies, serotonin was found to also be extracted in this treatment, along with catecholamines. In this study, the interaction between serotonin‐related compounds (serotonin, tryptophan, 5‐hydroxy‐tryptophan and 5‐hydroxyindoleacetic acid) and phenylboronate moieties was investigated. We found that only serotonin was extracted with phenylboronate‐modified monolithic silica, whereas tryptophan, 5‐hydroxy‐tryptophan and 5‐hydroxyindoleacetic acid were not. Hydrophobic interactions rather than ionic interactions were the primary factor for the adsorption of serotonin to phenylboronate. Finally, the selective pretreatment procedure for catecholamines was improved: thus, the method could be applied for the pretreatment of bio‐samples.     

Simultaneous determination of levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin in human urine by ionic‐liquid‐based,dual‐template molecularly imprinted coated graphene oxide monolithic solid‐phase extraction

A novel method was developed to simultaneously determine the ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin levels in human urine using an ionic‐liquid‐based, dual‐molecularly imprinted polymer‐coated graphene oxide solid‐phase extraction monolithic column coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography. The molecularly imprinted monolithic column was prepared using ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin as templates, 1‐vinyl‐3‐ethylimidazolium bromide as the functional monomer, and graphene oxide as the core material. The resulting imprinted monoliths were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and fourier transform‐infrared spectroscopy. The efficiency and capacity of the ionic‐liquid‐based imprinted monolithic column were investigated by varying the synthesis conditions (ciprofloxacin/levofloxacin ratio and template/functional monomer/cross‐linker ratio). The solid‐phase extraction process was optimized by changing the washing and eluting conditions. The results suggested that the proposed ionic‐liquid‐based molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction monolithic‐high‐performance liquid chromatography method could separate ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin efficiently and simultaneously from human urine. The mean recoveries of ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin ranged from 89.2 to 93.8 and 86.7 to 94.6%, respectively. The intra‐ and interday relative standard deviation ranged from 0.9 to 3.2 and 0.8 to 2.9%, respectively. Under the optimized conditions, the recoveries of ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin were more than 93.8%.     

Development and validation of polymerized high internal phase emulsion monoliths coupled with HPLC and fluorescence detection for the determination of trace tetracycline antibiotics in environmental water samples

A polymerized high internal phase emulsion monolith was used as a novel sorbent for solid‐phase extraction coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection for the determination of oxytetracycline, tetracycline, doxycycline, and chlorotetracycline in environmental water samples. The polymerized high internal phase emulsion monolithic column was prepared by the in situ polymerization of the continuous phase of a high internal phase emulsion containing glycidyl methacrylate, styrene, and divinylbenzene in pipette tips, and then functionalized with iminodiacetic acid. The resulting monolith exhibited highly interconnected porosity and large surface areas, making it an excellent candidate as an solid‐phase extraction sorbent for the enrichment of trace tetracycline antibiotics. Several factors affecting the extraction performance of polymerized high internal phase emulsion monoliths, including the pH of sample solution, the eluting solvents, the sample loading flow rate and volume, were investigated, respectively. Under the optimized conditions, the mean recoveries of oxytetracycline, tetracycline, doxycycline, and chlorotetracycline spiked in pond and farm wastewater samples ranged from 78.1 to 119.3% with relative standard deviation less than 15%. The detection limits (S/N = 3) of the proposed method were in the range of 51–137 pg/mL. This study demonstrated that the monolithic polymerized high internal phase emulsion would be promising solid‐phase extraction sorbents in the extraction and proconcentration of trace analytes from complex samples.     

Development of an online solid‐phase extraction with liquid chromatography method based on polymer monoliths for the determination of dopamine

Porous polymer monoliths have been used to develop an online solid‐phase extraction with liquid chromatography method for determination of dopamine in urine as well as for a continuous monitoring of dopamine in flowing system. A polymerization mixture containing 4‐vinylphenylboronic acid monomer has been used to prepare a trapping column based on specific ring formation reaction with dopamine cis‐diol functionality. Additionally, a monolithic stationary phase with zwitterion functionality has been used to prepare capillary column for the separation of dopamine. Experimental conditions including molarity, pH, and flow rate of the loading buffer together with a valve switching time have been optimized to provide the highest recovery for dopamine. Experimental setup has been used to determine dopamine in a urine. By using both calibration curve and standard addition method, the dopamine level was determined to be 1.19 and 1.28 mg/L, respectively. Further, we have used experimental design to optimize coupling of two extraction monolithic loops to separation capillary column with monolithic phase for a comprehensive monitoring of dopamine. After multivariate analysis, sample loading flow‐rate and a flow‐rate of flushing buffer were selected as the most significant variables. Optimized experimental setup was applied to continuously monitor dopamine degradation.     

Interference of ascorbic acid in the sensitive detection of dopamine by a nonoxidative sensing approach

The electrochemistry of a poly(anilineboronic acid)/carbon nanotube composite was studied in the presence of dopamine and ascorbic acid. To understand the binding affinity of dopamine and ascorbic acid to the boronic acid functional groups in the composite, the association constants between the diol groups in dopamine and ascorbic acid and the boronic acid were experimentally determined using a fluorescence-based binding assay. The results demonstrate that ascorbic acid could severely interfere with the detection of dopamine in nonoxidative boronic acid-binding approaches: Ascorbic acid was able to electrocatalytically reduce the fully oxidized polyaniline backbone during the electrochemical oxidation process; similarly to dopamine, ascorbic acid was also able to bind to the boronic acid groups through its planar diol group even though the binding affinity is much lower. The examination of the dopamine transduction mechanism and ascorbic acid interference mechanism in this nonoxidative approach will benefit the design of future boronic acid-based sensors.     

Purification of Astaxanthin from Laminaria japonica by Ionic Liquid-based Monolithic Cartridge

An effective and accurate method was developed for the extraction of astaxanthin from Laminaria japonica with subsequent separation by ionic liquid-based monolithic cartridge. The optimized extraction conditions including extraction solvent(ethanol), extraction time(90 min) and ultrasonic power(75 W) were obtained by systematical investigation. Chromatographic analysis was performed on a C₁₈ column with ultraviolet(UV) detection at 476 nm, and a solution consisting of methanol/acetonitrile/H₂O/dichloromethane(83:6:6:5, volume ratio) was used as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.7 mL/min. After ionic liquid-based monolithic solid phase extraction, 17.82 μg/g astaxanthin was obtained from Laminaria japonica. This ionic liquid-based monolithic cartridge exhibits high affinity and selectivity for astaxanthin, and it can be potentially used as the stationary phase of high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC).     

Parameters Governing the Formation of Photopolymerized Silica Sol–Gel Monoliths in PDMS Microfluidic Chips

Although polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic chips provide an alternative to more expensive microfabricated glass chips, formation of monolithic stationary phases in PDMS is not a trivial task. Photopolymerized silica sol–gel monoliths were fabricated in PDMS-based microfluidic devices using 3-trimethoxysilylpropylmethacrylate and glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane. The monolith formation was optimized by identifying a suitable porogen, controlling monomer concentration, functional additives, salts, porogen, wall attachment methods, and rinsing procedures. The resulting monoliths were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, image analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and separation performance. Monoliths functionalized with boronic acid ligands were used for the separation of cis-diol containing compounds both in batch mode and in the microfluidic chip.

     

Coupling on-chip solid-phase extraction to electrospray mass spectrometry through an integrated electrospray tip

We report the integration of solid-phase extraction (SPE) with mass spectrometry (MS) through an on-chip electrospray tip for sample precleaning and preconcentration. An in situ polymerized alkylacrylate-based monolithic column was used as the stationary phase for the on-chip SPE. Each microchip consists of two sets of microchannels and their respective integrated electrospray tips, with a common gold electrode. After the microchip was fabricated from cycloolefin polymer by hot embossing, thermal bonding, and annealing steps, a mixture of monomers and porogenic solvents was pumped into the microchannels and certain areas of the main microchannels were exposed to UV irradiation through a mask. The resulting porous monolithic beds that were polymerized from different compositions of the mixture were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The microchip containing the monolithic column was then interfaced to an ion trap (IT) mass spectrometer by modifying a commercially available interfacing system. Makeup solution from the side channel was infused concurrently with the solution flowing into the main channel, and the mixture of these two solutions was sprayed into the MS orifice. Both the adsorption and elution of a pharmaceutical test compound, imipramine, to and from the on-chip SPE columns were monitored by MS. The potential application of this device for sample cleanup was demonstrated by pretreatment of urine samples spiked with imipramine.     

A High‐Affinity Fluorescent Sensor for Catecholamine: Application to Monitoring Norepinephrine Exocytosis

A fluorescent sensor for catecholamines, NS510, is presented. The sensor is based on a quinolone fluorophore incorporating a boronic acid recognition element that gives it high affinity for catecholamines and a turn‐on response to norepinephrine. The sensor results in punctate staining of norepinephrine‐enriched chromaffin cells visualized using confocal microscopy indicating that it stains the norepinephrine in secretory vesicles. Amperometry in conjunction with total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy demonstrates that the sensor can be used to observe destaining of individual chromaffin granules upon exocytosis. NS510 is the highest affinity fluorescent norepinephrine sensor currently available and can be used for measuring catecholamines in live‐cell assays.