Determination of alkylphosphonic acids using micellar electrokinetic chromatography with laser-induced fluorescence detection and high-salt stacking

Methyl-, ethyl- and propylphosphonic acids (MPA, EPA, and PPA, respectively) were derivatized with panacyl bromide in dry N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). After mixing with a high-salt dilution buffer, the derivatives were separated by micellar electrokinetic chromatography in 35 min and detected by laser-induced fluorescence (He-Cd laser excitation at 325 nm and detection at 500 nm). Baseline resolution was achieved using a separation buffer containing 50 mM sodium cholate, 40% (v/v) of acetonitrile and 50 mM borate. Addition of 400 mM NaCl to the dilution buffer allowed the injection time to be increased to 30 s while still maintaining baseline resolution. Limits of detection for MPA, EPA, and PPA were 0.13 microM (12 ppb), 0.13 microM (14 ppb) and 0.14 microM (17 ppb) injected, respectively. The reproducibility of corrected peak area at 15 microM was 3.7 approximately 4.3%.     

Indirect laser-induced fluorescence detection of explosive compounds using capillary electrochromatography and micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Mixtures of nitroaromatic and nitramine explosive compounds and their degradation products were analyzed using electrokinetically driven separations with both indirect laser-induced fluorescence (IDLIF) and UV absorption detection. Complete separations of the 14-component mixture (EPA 8330) were achieved using both capillary electrochromatography (CEC) and micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC). IDLIF detection was performed using an epifluorescence system with excitation provided by a 635 nm diode laser and micromolar concentrations of the dye Cy-5 as the visualizing agent. While the sensitivity of the two detection methods was similar for the nitroaromatic compounds, the nitramines could only be detected using UV absorption due to their low fluorescence quenching efficiency of Cy-5. The detection sensitivity using IDLIF was limited by low frequency oscillations in the fluorescence background. The oscillations increased with higher electric field strength and were attributed to thermal fluctuations caused by Joule heating. Due to the more conductive running buffer and higher separation currents used in MEKC, sensitive IDLIF detection could only be achieved using low (approximately 100 V/cm) field strengths, resulting in long analysis times. CEC separations, which are typically run with low conductivity mobile phases to avoid bubble formation, are less sensitive to this effect. In CEC separations with IDLIF detection a stable fluorescence background using Cy-5 could be established using only a nonporous stationary phase. In capillaries packed with porous silica particles, anomalous migration behavior was observed with charged dye molecules and a stable fluorescence background could not be established under electrokinetic flow. This is the first demonstration of IDLIF in packed channel CEC.     

Determination of catecholamines and serotonin by micellar electrokinetic chromatography with laser-induced fluorescence detection

6-Oxy-(N-succinimidyl acetate)-9-(2'-methoxycarbonyl) fluorescein, a new synthesized fluorescent reagent, was established for the first time as a label for the sensitive analysis of catecholamines (CAs) and serotonin (5-HT) by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) with laser-induced fluorescence detection. After careful study on the derivatization conditions such as pH value, reagent concentration, temperature and reaction time, the labeling reaction was accomplished as quickly as 7 min with stable yield. The separation parameters for the CAs and 5-HT were also optimized in detail. The derivatives were baseline separated in a running buffer containing 30 mM boric acid and 15 mM sodium dodeculsulfate at pH 9.0. The detection limits ranged from 5 x 10(-10) to 2 x 10(-9) M (signal-to-noise ratio = 3). The rapid and sensitive method was also applied to the determination of the CAs and 5-HT of urine samples.     

Determination of phosphoamino acids by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with laser-induced fluorescence detection

A micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) method with laser-induced fluorescence detection (LIF) was developed for analyzing three phosphoamino acids including phosphotyrosine (P-Tyr), phosphoserine (P-Ser), and phosphothreonine (P-Thr). 3-(2-Furoyl)quinoline-2-carboxaldehyde (FQ), a fluorogenic dye, was employed for derivatization of these phosphoamino acids. Results indicated that the complete baseline resolution of each phosphoamino acid was obtained within 10 min, using 20 mmol l⁻¹ sodium borate buffer (pH 9.35) containing 20 mmol l⁻¹sodium deoxycholate (SDC) and 10 mmol l⁻¹ Brij35. Other common amino acids, especially Glu and Asp, did not disturb the assay of these phosphoamino acids. There was a linear relationship between the peak area for analyte and its concentration, with correlation coefficients in the range of 0.9966-0.9996. The concentration detection limits (signal-to-noise = 3) for P-Tyr, P-Ser, and P-Thr were 10, 40, and 75 nmol l⁻¹, respectively. The developed method was successfully applied for determining phosphoamino acids in the hydrolysis sample of a phosphorylated protein kinase.     

Simultaneous determination of catecholamines and amino acids by micellar electrokinetic chromatography with laser-induced fluorescence detection

A selective and sensitive method was developed for separation and simultaneous determination of catecholamines and amino acids by MEKC with LIF. Interestingly enough, such work has been firstly performed on catecholamines derivatized with 4-chloro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole and the detailed derivatization mechanism was discussed. After derivatization at 60 degrees C for 20 min, NBD-labeled catecholamines and amino acids were separated in a buffer system containing 10 mM sodium tetraborate-Na2HPO4, 20 mM SDS, and 10% v/v ACN at pH 9.75. SDS micelles were employed to improve the fluorescence intensity of catecholamine derivatives efficiently. Under optimum conditions, two catecholamines and 11 amino acids were separated in a short 13 min analysis time and the RSDs for migration time and peak area were less than 0.60 and 6.50%, respectively. The method was successfully applied for the quantification of catecholamines and amino acids in Portulaca oleracea L., human urine sample, and mixed injection sample.     

Profiling of amine metabolites in human biofluids by micellar electrokinetic chromatography with laser-induced fluorescence detection

A rapid and sensitive capillary electrophoresis (CE) method has been developed for profiling organic metabolites containing amine functional groups in mammalian biofluids. Metabolites containing an amine group were derivatized with 4-fluoro-7-nitrobenzo-2,1,3-oxadiazol (NBD-F), separated by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), and detected by argon-ion (488 nm) laser-induced fluorescence detection. The optimized MEKC background electrolyte conditions were: 50 mmol L⁻¹ sodium cholate, 5 mmol L⁻¹ β-cyclodextrin, and 20 mmol L⁻¹ Brij 35 in 20 mmol L⁻¹ aqueous borate buffer, pH 9.3, containing 7% methanol. Under these conditions all the amine compounds in mammalian biofluids, for example plasma, saliva, and urine, were derivatized directly, without extraction, in a minimum volume of 100 nL and the derivatives could be separated within 16 min. Up to 90% of the amine-containing metabolites in plasma and saliva could be identified by reference to standard compounds. For twenty amine standards linearity of calibration was better than R ² = 0.99. Migration-time and peak-area reproducibility were better than RSD 1.5% and 15% respectively. In replicate analysis of human plasma bioanalytical precision ranged between 0.7 and 3.8 RSD% for a 5.0-μL volume and between 1.7 and 5.5 RSD% for 100-nL volume. The concentrations measured were found to be in agreement with literature values.     

Simultaneous analysis of sulfur-containing excitatory amino acids using micellar electrokinetic chromatography with diode array and laser-induced fluorescence detection

The suitability of micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) coupled with diode array or laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection to analyze the four sulfur-containing excitatory amino acids (SEAA), homocysteine sulfinic acid (HCSA), homocysteic acid (HCA), cysteine sulfinic acid (CSA), and cysteic acid (CA) was investigated. 5-Carboxy-fluorescein succinimidyl ester was chosen as fluorescent reagent to derivatize HCSA, HCA, CSA, and CA. During method development, the yield of reaction dependent on pH and incubation time as well as the stability of the products were analyzed. The maximum yield was obtained after 30 min using a 0.1 M borate buffer (pH 8.9) as derivatization buffer. Each labeled amino acid exhibited high stability at room temperature over a period of 5 days. Baseline separation of labeled HCSA, HCA, CSA, and CA was obtained using a buffer consisting of 0.1 M borate, 50 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and 5% v/v methanol (pH 9.0). By applying LIF detection, limits of detection ranged from 0.9 x 10(-10) M for HCSA to 6.0 x 10(-10) M for CA, respectively. Slightly modified separation conditions enabled the analysis of SEAA in cerebrospinal fluid in the presence of the neurotransmitters glutamate and aspartate. In conclusion, MEKC coupled with LIF detection is a suitable technique for the simultaneous and sensitive analysis of SEAA. Further work will focus on the validation of the method with cerebrospinal fluid as sample matrix.     

Methyl-beta-cyclodextrin modified micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with laser-induced fluorescence for separation and detection of phospholipids

Micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MECC) with laser-induced fluorescence detection was applied to the separation of amino group-containing phospholipids including phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylserine (PS), lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LysoPE), and lysophosphatidylserine (LysoPS). A fluorogenic dye, 3-(2-furoyl)quinoline-2-carboxaldehyde (FQ), was successfully used to fluorescently label these phospholipids. 4-Fluoro-7-nitrobenzofurazan only produced fluorescent product from LysoPE and PE; signals were not observed from LysoPS and PS. A borax buffer containing sodium deoxycholate modified with methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (methyl-beta-CD) was an excellent MECC system for these phospholipids. Under the optimum conditions, four FQ-labeled phospholipid classes were separated within 8 min. Moreover, each of the PE, PS, LysoPE and LysoPS peaks split into two components corresponding to subclasses with different lengths of the fatty acid chains, but these subclasses were completely resolved only for LysoPE. Detection limits ranged from 0.18 to 1.1 fg (10(-9) - 10(-10) M), which was four- to five-orders of magnitude superior to previously reported CE methods.     

胶束电动色谱-激光诱导荧光检测法测定肌松弛药巴氯芬

以4-氯-7-硝基苯并-2-氧杂-1,3-二唑(NBD-Cl)为柱前衍生试剂,建立了胶束电动色谱-激光诱导荧光检测法测定肌松弛药巴氯芬(BAL)的新方法。经过实验条件的优化,采用15 mmol/L硼砂、20 mmol/L十二烷基硫酸钠、10%(v/v)乙腈、pH 9.75的缓冲体系,在分离电压为17.5 kV、柱温为25 ℃的条件下,压力进样3.45 kPa(0.5 psi)×3 s,巴氯芬及其内标物的衍生产物在7 min内实现较好的基线分离,线性范围为0.025～25 mg/L,相关系数为0.9999,检出限(S/N=3)和定量限(S/N=10)分别为0.90 μg/L和6.25 μg/L。该方法被应用于巴氯芬制剂及加入巴氯芬对照品的尿液样品分析,回收率范围分别为101.6%～107.9%和107.0%～109.6%。该方法有望应用于巴氯芬药物制剂的质量监控以及为巴氯芬药物代谢的研究提供辅助手段。     

Simultaneous determination of phosphorus-containing amino acid-herbicides by nonionic surfactant micellar electrokinetic chromatography with laser-induced fluorescence detection

The potential of micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection for the separation and determination of phosphorus-containing amino acid-herbicides (glufosinate and glyphosate), and aminomethylphosphonic acid (the major metabolite of glyphosate), involving derivatization with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) isomer I, was investigated. Different variables that affect derivatization (pH, FITC concentration, time and temperature) and separation (pH and concentration of the buffer, kind and concentration of surfactants and applied voltage) were studied. The analysis was conducted within about 8 min and the use of the nonionic surfactant Triton X-100 improved the selectivity, thus indirectly enhancing sensitivity by shifting of the interfering peaks of the FITC excess. Dynamic ranges of 2.0-3,000 microg/L, limits of detection at microgram or submicrogram-per-liter level, and relative standard deviations from 4.7 to 6.4% were obtained. The ensuing method--nonionic surfactant MEKC-- is a useful choice for the determination of these herbicides as it provides limits of detection similar or lower than those reported by existing chromatographic alternatives without the use of an additional preconcentration technique such as solid-phase extraction. The separation of a mixture of nine FITC-derivatized amino acids, selected as target compounds, was also carried out to assess the discrimination power of the nonionic surfactant MEKC method for the analysis of closely related anionic analytes.     

Analysis of aminophospholipid molecular species by methyl-beta-cyclodextrin modified micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with laser-induced fluorescence detection

Micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) with laser-induced fluorescence detection is used for the analysis of three classes of aminophospholipids: phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylserine (PS), and lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE) molecular species. 3-(2-Furoyl) quinoline-2-carboxaldehyde (FQ), a fluorogenic dye, was employed for labeling of these phospholipids. The FQ-labeled lipid species were then separated by sodium deoxycholate MEKC modified with methyl-beta-cyclodextrin. Baseline resolution of each class of phospholipids was achieved within 7 min. The migration time in each class increased with the carbon number of their side aliphatic chain. Separation efficiencies of approximately 3x10(5) plates were observed for most of these species. Concentration detection limits (3 sigma) were from 10(-9) to 10(-10) M for PE and LPE species and from 10(-8) to 10(-9) M for PS species. The relative standard deviations for migration time and peak area were less than 0.9% and 4.5%, respectively, for seven PE species. This method was applied to the separation of PE isolated from HT29 human colon cancer cells and roughly 30 PE species were resolved.     

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.     

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography of enkephalin-related peptides with laser-induced fluorescence detection

Eight enkephalin-related peptides were derivatized using fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), and the derivatization products were separated and detected by capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection. The optimum molar ratio of FITC and peptide for derivatization was found to be 40:1, and 5 mmol/L sodium borate buffer (pH 9.2) was selected as derivatization media in order to get the high efficiency. Enkephalin-related peptides were completely separated in the pH range of 10.51-10.60 in a running buffer consisting of 100 mmol/L sodium borate and 60 mmol/L sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The detection limit for these eight enkephalins ranged from 0.18 to 2.25 nmol/L, and the linear response range was 1.0 x 10(-6) to 1.0 x 10(-9) mol/L with correlation coefficients between 0.9947-0.9988. A separation efficiency as high as 380000 theoretical plates could be obtained for these analytes.     

Monitoring subcellular biotransformation of N-l-leucyldoxorubicin by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography coupled to laser-induced fluorescence detection

Development of prodrugs is a promising alternative to address cytotoxicity and nonspecificity of common anticancer agents. N-l-leucyldoxorubicin (LeuDox) is a prodrug that is biotransformed to the anticancer drug doxorubicin (Dox) in the extracellular space; however, its biotransformation may also occur intracellularly in endocytic organelles. Such organelle-specific biotransformation is yet to be determined. In this study, magnetically enriched endocytic organelle fractions from human uterine sarcoma cells were treated with LeuDox. Micellar electrokinetic chromatography with laser-induced fluorescence detection (MEKC-LIF) was used to determine that 10 % of LeuDox was biotransformed to Dox, accounting for ～43 % of the biotransformation occurring in the post-nuclear fraction. This finding suggests that endocytic organelles also participate in the intracellular biotransformation of LeuDox to Dox.

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.     

Trace determination of short-chain aliphatic amines in biological samples by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with laser-induced fluorescence detection

In this study, a new capillary electrophoresis (CE) method is described originally for the sensitive and selective determination of short-chain aliphatic amines in biological samples. These amines were converted into their N-hydroxysuccinimidyl fluorescein-O-acetate (SIFA) derivatives and measured by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with laser-induced fluorescence detection. The derivatization conditions and separation parameters for the aliphatic amines were optimized in detail. The SIFA-labeled amines were fully separated within 8.5 min using 25 mM pH 9.6 boric acid electrolyte containing 60 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The parameters of validation such as linearity of response, precision and detection limits were determined. The detection limits were obtained in the range from 0.02 to 0.1 nM, which was the lowest value reported by CE methods. The developed method was successfully employed to monitor aliphatic amines in serum and cells samples. After comparison of other CE methods using different fluorescent probes, the present method represents a powerful tool for the trace determination of aliphatic amines in complex biological samples.     

Band broadening caused by the multiple labeling of proteins in micellar electrokinetic chromatography with diode laser-induced fluorescence detection

When a labeling reagent is used, in the determination of proteins by capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection, the multiple labeling of proteins frequently occurs, which can degrade the separation efficiency. In order to understand the influence of the multiple labeling of proteins on separation efficiency, the band broadening caused by a labeling reaction between bovine serum albumin (BSA) and a cyanine fluorescent dye (Cy5) was investigated using micellar electrokinetic chromatography in conjunction with diode laser-induced fluorometry. With the aid of an internal standard, methylene blue, the height equivalent to the theoretical plate (HETP) ratio of BSA to methylene blue was used as an indicator for band broadening under optimum separation conditions. Labeling conditions, including reaction buffer pH, reaction time, and initial concentration of Cy5 to bovine serum albumin, were found to influence the HETP ratio. The separation efficiency for the labeled protein was degraded by experimental conditions employed in the labeling, which indicates an increase in the heterogeneity of the final products.     

Rapid determination of aniline metabolites of chlorpropham in potatoes by micellar electrokinetic chromatography using negative-charged mixed micelles and laser-induced fluorescence detection

A rapid, reliable method has been developed for the multi-residue analysis of aniline metabolites of chlorpropham in potato samples. The method involves the precolumn derivatization of aniline metabolites with 5-(4,6-dichloro-s-triazin-2-ylamino) fluorescein (DTAF) and their subsequent separation and determination by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with laser-induced fluorescence detection (MEKC-LIF). The optimum procedure includes a derivatization step of the aniline metabolites (3-chloroaniline, 3-chloro-4-hydroxyaniline and 3-chloro-4-methoxyaniline) at 40 degrees C for 40 min and a 5-fold dilution prior to MEKC analysis, which is conducted within about 7 min using negative-charged mixed micelles (SDS/Triton X-100) in the running buffer. Under these conditions, the DTAF-anilines were readily detected at 0.3-3.1 microg/L level with a precision of 4.8-6.4%. These results indicate that negative-charged mixed surfactant MEKC-LIF is useful as a selective, rapid, and sensitive tool for the determination of these anilines and surpasses other electrophoretic alternatives based on the use of fluorescein-isothiocyanate (FITC) as label reagent. Finally, the potato matrix showed no significant effects on the derivatization and determination of these analytes, since the analytical figures of merit for the real samples were similar to those obtained in aqueous solutions, and the average recovery at fortification levels of 10-250 microg/kg was over 97%.     

Rapid and simple determination of adenine and guanine in DNA extract by micellar electrokinetic chromatography with indirect laser-induced fluorescence detection

This paper describes a micellar electrokinetic chromatography with indirect laser-induced fluorescence detection method for the simultaneous determination of adenine and guanine in DNA extracts from fungus, maize and soybean. The baseline separation was achieved within 2.5min with running buffer (pH 9.3) composed of 10mM borate, 20mM SDS, 3.0x10(-7)M fluorescein sodium as background reagent, applied voltage of 27.5kV, cartridge temperature of 25.0 degrees C. Good linearity relationships (correlation coefficients>0.9917) between the second-order derivative peak heights (RFU) and concentrations of the analytes (mgml(-1)) were obtained. The detection limits in second-order derivative electrophoregrams were 1.16x10(-3)mgml(-1) for adenine and 0.29x10(-3)mgml(-1) for guanine, respectively. The RSD data of intra-day for migration times and second-order derivative peak heights were less than 0.59 and 4.09%, respectively. This developed method was applied to the analysis of the two purines in DNA extracts with recoveries in the range of 85.3-110.2%. In this work, although the detection sensitivity was lower than that of direct LIF, yet the method has the advantages of rapidness and simplicity. And it would also extend the application range of LIF detector.     

Selective determination of gamma-aminobutyric acid, glutamate and alanine by mixed micellar electrokinetic chromatography and fluorescence detection

A mixed micellar electrokinetic chromatography method with fluorescence detection was developed to simultaneously monitor gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate (Glu) and alanine (Ala) in biological samples. Amino acids were derivatized with naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde (NDA). The separation of three NDA-labeled isomers (GABA, alpha-ABA, beta-ABA) was studied in detail with different micelles solutions such as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) and sodium cholate (SC). Simultaneous resolution of GABA, Glu and Ala from 21 amino acids was achieved within 5 min using 20 mM phosphate buffer at pH 8.7 containing 24 mM SC and 26 mM SDS. The detection limits were 4.0 x 10(-8), 1.1 x 10(-8) and 1.3 x 10(-8) M, for GABA, Glu and Ala, respectively, with S/N = 2. The method was applied to monitor the changes of amount of GABA, Glu and Ala in tobacco leaf in response to cold and dark stress.