Analysis of amino acids in cell culture supernatant using capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection

CE-C⁴D methods for the analysis of amino acids (AAs) are presented. Combining the results from two methods with acetic acid and cyclodextrin-based BGEs, 20 proteinogenic AAs could be analyzed using CE. CE-C⁴D was also, for the first time, applied to analyze free AAs in samples of mammalian cell culture supernatant. After dilution as only sample preparation, combining the results of the two CE methods allowed monitoring the concentration changes of 17 AAs in samples taken during the cultivation of CHO cells.     

Separation of enantiomers in capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection

Contactless conductivity detection is successfully demonstrated for the enantiomeric separation of basic drugs and amino acids in capillary electrophoresis (CE). Derivatization of the compounds or the addition of a visualization agent as for indirect optical detection schemes were not needed. Non-charged chiral selectors were employed, hydroxypropylated cyclodextrin (CD) for the more lipophilic basic drugs and 18-crown-6-tetracarboxylic acid (18C6H4) for the amino acids. Acidic buffer solutions based on lactic or citric acid were used. The detection limits were determined as 0.3 microM for pseudoephedrine as an example of a basic drug and were in the range from 2.5 to 20 microM for the amino acids.     

Determination of five priority haloacetic acids by capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection and solid phase extraction preconcentration

A sensitive capillary electrophoretic separation method with contactless conductivity detection (C4D) for analysis of five priority haloacetic acids (HAA5) is presented. The analytes were baseline separated in an electrolyte composed of 20 mM 2-(N-Morpholino) ethanesulfonic acid (MES), 20 mM L-histidine (HIS), and 30 μM cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) at pH 6.0 in less than 4 min. A simplified solid-phase extraction (SPE) preconcentration procedure on highly cross-linked polystyrene-divinylbenzene (PS-DVB) type sorbent was developed and optimized with respect to short preconcentration time. HAA5 from a 25-mL sample aliquot of tap and swimming pool water could be preconcentrated in less than 5 min using an in-house made SPE column with recoveries ranging from 23 to 98%. Combining the SPE preconcentration procedure with capillary electrophoretic analysis, the attained limits of detection were between 6.1 and 12.2 μg/L with total analysis time of less than 10 min.     

Separation of phenolic acids by capillary electrophoresis with indirect contactless conductometric detection

A new method for the electrophoretic separation of nine phenolic acids (derivatives of benzoic and cinnamic acids) with contactless conductometric detection is presented. Based on theoretical calculations, in which the mobility of the electrolyte co- and counterions and mobility of analytes are taken into consideration, the electrolyte composition and detection mode was selected. This approach was found to be especially valuable for optimization of the electrolyte composition for the separation of analytes having medium mobility. Indirect conductometric detection mode was superior to the direct mode as predicted theoretically. The best performance was achieved with 150 mM 2-amino-2-methylpropanol electrolyte at pH 11.6. The separation was carried out in a counter-electroosmotic mode and completed in less than 6 min. The LODs achieved were about 2.3-3.3 microM and could be further improved to 0.12-0.17 microM by using a sample stacking procedure. The method compares well to the UV-Vis detection.     

Separation of twenty underivatized essential amino acids by capillary zone electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection

Twenty underivatized essential amino acids were separated using capillary zone electrophoresis and consequently detected with contactless conductivity detection (CCD). A simple acidic background electrolyte (BGE) containing 2.3 M acetic acid and 0.1% w/w hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) allowed the electrophoretic separation and sensitive detection of all 20 essential amino acids in their underivatized cationic form. The addition of HEC to the BGE suppressed both, electroosmotic flow and analyte adsorption on the capillary surface resulting in an excellent migration time reproducibility and a very good analyte peak symmetry. Additionally, the HEC addition significantly reduced the noise and long-term fluctuations of the CCD baseline. The optimized electrophoretic separation method together with the CCD was proved to be a powerful technique for determination of amino acid profiles in various natural samples, like beer, yeast, urine, saliva, and herb extracts.     

Evaluation of the detection of biomolecules in capillary electrophoresis by contactless conductivity measurement

The sensitivity of contactless conductivity detection to amino acids, peptides and proteins in CE was studied for BGE solutions of different pH values. The LOD and analytical characteristics were compared for acidic and basic conditions and better results were in most cases found for buffers of low pH values. Linear dynamic ranges varied between two orders of magnitude for amino acids and peptides and three orders of magnitude for larger proteins. The concentration detection limits were found to be between 1.2 and 7.5 microM for the amino acids tested and for the larger molecules they varied between 2.6 microM for leucine enkephalin and 0.2 microM for HSA when using a buffer at pH 2.1.     

Determination of different classes of amines with capillary zone electrophoresis and contactless conductivity detection

The use of contactless conductivity detection for the determination of different organic amines in CE was successfully demonstrated. Aliphatic non UV-absorbing species could be determined along absorbing compounds by measuring the conductivity of their protonated forms. The species tested included short-chained aliphatic primary, secondary and tertiary amines, branched aliphatic amines, diamines, hydroxyl-substituted amines as well as species incorporating aromatic and non-aromatic cyclic moieties. Highest sensitivity was obtained with BGE solutions containing solely acetic acid. A concentration of 0.5 M at a pH value of 2.5 was used. Detection limits were in the order of 1 microM. Complete separation of cis- and trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane could be achieved by adding 18-crown-6 as modifier to the electrolyte solution.     

Enantioseparation of tartaric acid by ligand‐exchange capillary electrophoresis using contactless conductivity detection

A method for the determination of tartaric acid enantiomers using CE with contactless conductivity detection has been developed. Cu(II) as a central metal ion together with l ‐hydroxyproline were used as a chiral selector, the BGE was composed of 7 mM CuCl_2, 14 mM trans‐4‐hydroxy‐l ‐proline, and 100 mM ε‐aminocaproic acid; the pH was adjusted to 5 by hydrochloric acid. Separation with a resolution of 1.9 was achieved in 9 min in a polyacrylamide‐coated capillary to suppress the EOF. Various counterions of the BGE were studied, and migration order reversal was achieved when switching from ε‐aminocaproic acid to l ‐histidine. With detection limits of about 20 μM, the method was applied to the analysis of wine and grape samples; only l ‐tartaric acid was found.     

Determination of creatine and phosphocreatine in muscle biopsy samples by capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection

A capillary electrophoresis method with contactless conductivity detection was evaluated as a new approach for quantification of creatine and phosphocreatine in human quadriceps femoris biopsy samples. The running buffers employed consisted of 1 M acetic acid at a pH of 2.3 for the determination of creatine and 50 mM 3-(N-morpholino)propanesulfonic acid/30 mM histidine at a pH of 6.4 for the determination of phosphocreatine in the centrifuged muscle extracts. The limits of detection for creatine and phosphocreatine were found to be 2.5 and 1.0 μM, respectively. Creatine and phosphocreatine were determined in six human muscle biopsy samples and the results were found comparable to those of a standard enzymatic assay. The procedures developed for creatine and phosphocreatine also allow the determination of creatinine as well as adenosine diphosphate and adenosine triphosphate.     

Carbon nanotube-enhanced separation of DNA fragments by a portable capillary electrophoresis system with contactless conductivity detection

It was demonstrated that separation of DNA fragments by a CE-contactless conductivity detection system (CE-CCD) could be enhanced with multiple-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNs) as buffer additive. For HaeIII digest of PhiX174 DNA, optimized MWCN concentration was obtained when the MWCN was above its threshold concentration, at which MWCN could form a network in the buffer as pseudostationary phase to provide additional interaction sites. In the case of larger DNA, MWCN near or below its threshold concentration was enough to provide great improvement of the resolution, which was shown by the separation of the 2-Log DNA ladder. Furthermore, the buffer containing MWCN could provide a more stable baseline in the CE-CCD system, owing to less fluctuation of its conductivity. Compared with CE-UV, CE-CCD with MWCN could provide lower LODs as well as better resolution.     

Fingerprinting postblast explosive residues by portable capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection

A portable capillary electrophoretic system with contactless conductivity detection was used for fingerprint analysis of postblast explosive residues from commercial organic and improvised inorganic explosives on various surfaces (sand, concrete, metal witness plates). Simple extraction methods were developed for each of the surfaces for subsequent simultaneous capillary electrophoretic analysis of anions and cations. Dual‐opposite end injection principle was used for fast (<4 min) separation of 10 common anions and cations from postblast residues using an optimized separation electrolyte composed of 20 mM MES, 20 mM l ‐histidine, 30 μM CTAB and 2 mM 18‐crown‐6. The concentrations of all ions obtained from the electropherograms were subjected to principal component analysis to classify the tested explosives on all tested surfaces, resulting in distinct cluster formations that could be used to verify (each) type of the explosive.     

Electromembrane extraction of amino acids from body fluids followed by capillary electrophoresis with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection

Electromembrane extraction (EME) proved to be a simple and rapid pretreatment method for analysis of amino acids and related compounds in body fluid samples. Body fluids were acidified to the final concentration of 2.5 M acetic acid and served as donor solutions. Amino acids, present as cations in the donor solutions, migrated through a supported liquid membrane (SLM) composed of 1-ethyl-2-nitrobenzene/bis-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphonic acid (85:15 (v/v)) into the lumen of a porous polypropylene hollow fiber (HF) on application of electric field. The HF was filled with 2.5 M acetic acid serving as the acceptor solution. Matrix components in body fluids were efficiently retained on the SLM and did not interfere with subsequent analysis. Capillary electrophoresis with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection was used for determination of 17 underivatized amino acids in background electrolyte solution consisting of 2.5 M acetic acid. Parameters of EME, such as composition of SLM, pH and composition of donor and acceptor solution, agitation speed, extraction voltage, and extraction time were studied in detail. At optimized conditions, repeatability of migration times and peak areas of 17 amino acids was better than 0.3% and 13%, respectively, calibration curves were linear in a range of two orders of magnitude (r(2)=0.9968-0.9993) and limits of detection ranged from 0.15 to 10 μM. Endogenous concentrations of 12 amino acids were determined in EME treated human serum, plasma, and whole blood. The method was also suitable for simple and rapid pretreatment and determination of elevated concentrations of selected amino acids, which are markers of severe inborn metabolic disorders.     

Determination of artificial sweeteners by capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection optimized by hydrodynamic pumping

The common sweeteners aspartame, cyclamate, saccharin and acesulfame K were determined by capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection. In order to obtain the best compromise between separation efficiency and analysis time hydrodynamic pumping was imposed during the electrophoresis run employing a sequential injection manifold based on a syringe pump. Band broadening was avoided by using capillaries of a narrow 10 μm internal diameter. The analyses were carried out in an aqueous running buffer consisting of 150 mM 2-(cyclohexylamino)ethanesulfonic acid and 400 mM tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane at pH 9.1 in order to render all analytes in the fully deprotonated anionic form. The use of surface modification to eliminate or reverse the electroosmotic flow was not necessary due to the superimposed bulk flow. The use of hydrodynamic pumping allowed easy optimization, either for fast separations (80 s) or low detection limits (6.5 μmol L⁻¹, 5.0 μmol L⁻¹, 4.0 μmol L⁻¹ and 3.8 μmol L⁻¹ for aspartame, cyclamate, saccharin and acesulfame K respectively, at a separation time of 190 s). The conditions for fast separations not only led to higher limits of detection but also to a narrower dynamic range. However, the settings can be changed readily between separations if needed. The four compounds were determined successfully in food samples.     

Rapid determination of partition coefficients of pharmaceuticals by phase distribution and microchip capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection

A simple microchip CE method integrated with contactless conductivity detection was developed for the direct determination of partition coefficients of selected pharmaceuticals after phase distribution equilibrium. The equilibrium of distribution between two phases for four pharmaceuticals was performed using a 1‐octanol/water system and 1‐octanol/buffer system. During the concentration determination, several major factors affecting detection were investigated in detail for each pharmaceutical to optimize the detection sensitivity. In the optimal conditions, sufficient electrophoretic separation and sensitive detection for each target analyte can be achieved within 40 s. The two systems showed a pH‐dependent partition behavior. Moreover, the measured values showed excellent agreement with those obtained by the traditional shake‐flask method with HPLC–UV detection and literature reports, respectively. The developed method can be successfully applied to measure partition coefficient values of pharmaceuticals and requires much shorter analytical time compared to traditional methods.     

Optimization of background electrolyte composition for simultaneous contactless conductivity and fluorescence detection in capillary electrophoresis of biological samples

In this article, optimization of BGE for simultaneous separation of inorganic ions, organic acids, and glutathione using dual C⁴D‐LIF detection in capillary electrophoresis is presented. The optimized BGE consisted of 30 mM 2‐[4‐(2‐hydroxyethyl)piperazin‐1‐yl]ethanesulfonic acid, 15 mM 2‐amino‐2‐hydroxymethyl‐propane‐1,3‐diol, and 2 mM 18‐crown‐6 at pH 7.2 and allowed simultaneous separation of ten inorganic anions and cations, three organic acids and glutathione in 20 min. The samples were injected hydrodynamically from both capillary ends using the double‐opposite end injection principle. Sensitive detection of anions, cations, and organic acids with micromolar LODs using C⁴D and simultaneously glutathione with nanomolar LODs using LIF was achieved in a single run. The developed BGE may be useful in analyses of biological samples containing analytes with differing concentrations of several orders of magnitude that is not possible with single detection mode.     

Determination of heavy metal ions by microchip capillary electrophoresis coupled with contactless conductivity detection

An integrated detection circuitry based on a lock-in amplifier was designed for contactless conductivity determination of heavy metals. Combined with a simple-structure electrophoresis microchip, the detection system is successfully utilized for the separation and determination of various heavy metals. The influences of the running buffer and detection conditions on the response of the detector have been investigated. Six millimole 2-morpholinoethanesulfonic acid + histidine were selected as buffer for its stable baseline and high sensitivity. The best signals were recorded with a frequency of 38 kHz and 20 V(pp). The results showed that Mn(2+), Cd(2+), Co(2+), and Cu(2+) can be successfully separated and detected within 100 s by our system. The detection limits for five heavy metals (Mn(2+), Pb(2+), Cd(2+), Co(2+), and Cu(2+)) were determined to range from about 0.7 to 5.4 μM. This microchip system performs a crucial step toward the realization of a simple, inexpensive, and portable analytical device for metal analysis.     

Capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection for uric acid determination in biological fluids

The suitability of capillary electrophoresis (CE) with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (C⁴D) for the direct determination of uric acid in human plasma and urine was investigated. It was found that a careful optimization of the buffer composition and pH was necessary to achieve selective determination in the complex sample matrices. An electrolyte solution consisting of 10 mM 2-morpholinoethanesulfonic acid (MES), 10 mM histidine and 0.1 mM hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), pH 6.0, was finally found suitable for use as running buffer for both sample matrices. The limit of detection (3 S/N) was determined as 3.3 μM. The linearity of the response was tested for the range between 10 and 500 μM and a correlation coefficient of 0.9996 was obtained. Intra- and inter-day variabilities were <10%. Quantitative analysis of urine and plasma samples showed a good correlation with the routine enzymatic method currently used at the University Hospital of Basel.     

Dynamic supported liquid membrane tip extraction of glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid followed by capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection

A dynamic supported liquid membrane tip extraction (SLMTE) procedure for the effective extraction and preconcentration of glyphosate (GLYP) and its metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) in water has been investigated. The SLMTE procedure was performed in a semi-automated dynamic mode and demonstrated a greater performance against a static extraction. Several important extraction parameters such as donor phase pH, cationic carrier concentration, type of membrane solvent, type of acceptor stripping phase, agitation and extraction time were comprehensively optimized. A solution of Aliquat-336, a cationic carrier, in dihexyl ether was selected as the supported liquid incorporated into the membrane phase. Quantification of GLYP and AMPA was carried out using capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection. An electrolyte solution consisting of 12 mM histidine (His), 8 mM 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid (MES), 75 μM cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), 3% methanol, pH 6.3, was used as running buffer. Under the optimum extraction conditions, the method showed good linearity in the range of 0.01–200 μg/L (GLYP) and 0.1–400 μg/L (AMPA), acceptable reproducibility (RSD 5–7%, n = 5), low limits of detection of 0.005 μg/L for GLYP and 0.06 μg/L for AMPA, and satisfactory relative recoveries (90–94%). Due to the low cost, the SLMTE device was disposed after each run which additionally eliminated the possibility of carry-over between runs. The validated method was tested for the analysis of both analytes in spiked tap water and river water with good success.     

Improving precision of manual hydrodynamic injection in capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection

Reproducible injection in capillary electrophoresis has been difficult to achieve with manual injection techniques using simple injection devices, such as gravity injection (siphoning) or hydrodynamic sample splitting. We demonstrate that the injection reproducibility can be improved using very simple means. With hydrodynamic sample splitter, a passive micro-metering valve can be inserted in-line to regulate the sample flow rate through the splitter interface. A significant improvement of both reproducibility and repeatability was achieved. The reproducibility of RSD of the peak areas improved from 25.4% to 4.4%, while the repeatability was below 4.1% when micro-metering valve was used. Additional simple correction that can be used to further improve the variability of injected sample volumes in any hydrodynamic injection mode in CE with conductivity detection was proposed and verified. The measured EOF peak can serve as a simple indicator of the injected volume and can be effectively used for additional correction. By a linear function between the injection volume and the peak area of the EOF, the RSD values of peak areas for both manual gravity injection and hydrodynamic sample splitter were further improved below 2% RSD. The linearity of the calibration curve was also significantly improved. The proposed correction works even with slight differences in matrix composition, as demonstrated on the analysis aqueous soil extract of model mixture of five nerve agent degradation products.     

Online preconcentration in capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection for sensitive determination of sorbic and benzoic acids in soy sauce

A sensitive method of online preconcentration followed by capillary electrophoresis with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (CE-C⁴D) is evaluated as a novel approach for the determination of benzoic acid and sorbic acid in soy sauce. The online preconcentration technique, namely field-enhanced sample injection, coupled with CE-C⁴D were successfully developed and optimized. In order to reduce the complex matrix interference resulting from the constituents of soy sauce, a suitable sample clean-up procedure was also investigated for real sample pretreatment. Under optimized conditions, sorbic acid and benzoic acid were well separated within 10 min, and the detection limits were 0.05 μM (5.6 μg L⁻¹) and 0.08 μM (9.8 μg L⁻¹), respectively. The accuracy was tested by spiking 10.0 mg L⁻¹ and 100.0 mg L⁻¹ of standards in the soy sauce samples, and the recoveries were 95-99%, respectively. Results of this study show a great potential for the proposed method as a tool for the fast screening of benzoic acid and sorbic acid in a complex matrix.