Development of fluorescence based flow immunoassays utilising restricted access columns

Summary The development of high-speed flow immunoassay techniques is described. The principles are based on heterogeneous flow immunoassay interactions. High sample throughput can be used for screening small analytes in a number of biological matrices originating from samples of water from environmentally polluted areas, or biological fluids such as urine and plasma. The immunochemical detection principle is based on chromatographic separation of the immunocomplex formed (AbAg or AbAg^*) and the free antigen (Ag) by a restricted access (RA) column, utilising size-exclusion and reversed phase mechanisms. A fluorescein-labelled analyte (Ag^*) was used in the competitive assay format with fluorescence detection. Sample throughput was 80 h⁻¹ and detection limits 1.4 nM (300pgml⁻¹) for atrazine and 2.3 nM (500 pg ml⁻¹) for the sum of triazines. Analyses could be performed at a sample throughput of 400 6 h⁻¹ shift. Basic immunoaffinity interactions of a number of immunoreagents, using fluorescence polarisation were studied and outlined both for triazines and for 2,4-D. Structural variations in tracer synthesis confirmed that this is an important part in the design and optimisation of flow immuno methodologies.     

Characterization of an avidin-bonded column for direct injection in reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

An automatic method for the determination of metabolites of Ropivacaine in urine was set up. It utilizes supported liquid membrane extraction for sample clean-up and enrichment, followed by ion-pair chromatography determination using UV detection. The extraction was very selective with no observed interfering compounds from the urine matrix, permitting simple isocratic chromatographic analysis. The detection limits for spiked urine samples were 2–18 nM for the different compounds. The repeatability was 1–3% (RSD) with an internal standard that was also extracted, and about twice without this standard. A throughput of 3.3 samples per hour was achieved and the liquid membrane was stable for more than a week.     

Molecularly imprinted polymers for triazine herbicides prepared by multi-step swelling and polymerization method. Their application to the determination of methylthiotriazine herbicides in river water

Uniformly-sized, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for atrazine, ametryn and irgarol were prepared by a multi-step swelling and polymerization method using ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a cross-linker and methacrylic acid (MAA), 2-(trifluoromethyl) acrylic acid (TFMAA) or 4-vinylpyridine either as a functional monomer or not. The MIP for atrazine prepared using MAA showed good molecular recognition abilities for chlorotriazine herbicides, while the MIPs for ametryn and irgarol prepared using TFMAA showed excellent molecular recognition abilities for methylthiotriazine herbicides. A restricted access media-molecularly imprinted polymer (RAM-MIP) for irgarol was prepared followed by in situ hydrophilic surface modification using glycerol dimethacrylate and glycerol monomethacrylate as hydrophilic monomers. The RAM-MIP was applied to selective pretreatment and enrichment of methylthiotriazine herbicides, simetryn, ametryn and prometryn, in river water, followed by their separation and UV detection via column-switching HPLC. The calibration graphs of these compounds showed good linearity in the range of 50-500 pg/mL (r > 0.999) with a 100 mL loading of a river water sample. The quantitation limits of simetryn, ametryn and prometryn were 50 pg/mL, and the detection limits were 25 pg/mL. The recoveries of simetryn, ametryn and prometryn at 50 pg/mL were 101%, 95.6% and 95.1%, respectively. This method was successfully applied for the simultaneous determination of simetryn, ametryn and prometryn in river water.     

Amberlite XAD resin solid-phase extraction coupled on-line to a flow injection approach for the rapid enrichment and determination of phenols in water and waste waters

A novel and expeditious approach for direct determination of phenols in water and waste waters based on solid-phase extraction coupled on-line to a flow injection analysis (FIA) manifold is described. The method employs on-line preconcentration of the phenols in an acidified sample (pH=2.0) onto a 3 cmx3 mm column packed with Amberlite XAD-4 resin. The phenols are subsequently eluted from the resin into a flowing system with an alkaline solution (pH=13) by actuating a switching valve; the eluted analytes were then quantified spectrophotometrically as the products of reaction with 4-aminoantipyrine (4-AAP) and potassium ferricyanide on passing through the flow-cell of a detector. The proposed method has a linear calibration range 0.01-1 mug ml(-1) of phenol, with a detection limit of 0.004 mug ml(-1) (S/N=3) and a sample throughput of 12 h(-1), investigated with a 4.4 ml sample volume. The relative standard deviation is 2.4% for 0.2 mug ml(-1) of the analyte. The sensitivity offered by the procedure was higher by a factor of 13 than that provided by a conventional flow injection analysis method. The analytical scheme of the proposed system is much simpler than its conventional manual counterpart due to the fact that it combines trace enrichment, sample clean-up, derivation and detection in one analytical set-up. The high speed, ease of use and automation, selectivity, and relative freedom from random contamination by sample handling make this method ideal for the phenols monitoring in water and waste waters.     

On-line SPE-Nano-LC-Nanospray-MS for rapid and sensitive determination of perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate in river water

An instrumental set up including on-line solid-phase extraction, nano-liquid chromatography, and nanospray mass spectrometry is constructed to improve the sensitivity for quantitation of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in surface water. Sample volumes of 1000 microL are loaded onto a microbore 1.0-mm i.d. x 5 mm, 5 microm Kromasil C(18) enrichment column by a carrier solution consisting of 10mM ammonium acetate in acetonitrile-water (10:90, v/v) at a flow rate of 250 microL/min, providing on-line analyte enrichment and sample clean-up. Backflushed elution onto a 0.1-mm i.d. x 150 mm, 3.5 microm Kromasil C(18) analytical column is conducted using an acetonitrile-10mM ammonium acetate solvent gradient from 30% to 70% acetonitrile. Water samples are added with internal standard (perfluoroheptanoic acid) and filtrated prior to injection. The mass limits of detection of PFOA and PFOS are 0.5 and 1 pg, respectively, corresponding to concentration limits of detection of 500 pg/L and 1 ng/L, respectively. The total time spent on sample preparation, chromatography, and detection is approximately 12 min per sample. The method was employed for the determination of PFOS and PFOA in urban river water.     

Magnetic beads-based immunoassay as a sensitive alternative for atrazine analysis

A new immunoassay strategy for sensitive atrazine determination based on magnetic beads is reported. The immuno-method is a competitive solid-phase immunoassay where the anti-atrazine antibody is immobilized on the magnetic beads surface and fixed at the reaction cell bottom using a simple magnet, which generates a magnetic field. Analyte and HRP (horseradish peroxidase) tracer compete for active sites of antibody. After the immunointeractions antibody-analyte and antibody-tracer, atrazine quantification from the sample is performed by injection of the chemiluminescence substrate (luminol, hydrogen peroxide and p-iodophenol). Different antibodies (polyIgG anti-atrazine Ab I and affinity purified polyIgG anti-atrazine AbI) were tested in this configuration. Also, optimum concentration of antibody-covered magnetic beads was set up (8 mg/l Ab II). Finally, the performance of magnetic beads-based immunoassay for atrazine determination was evaluated demonstrating that the magnetic beads-based immunoassay is one of the most sensitive method for atrazine determination (LoD = 3 pg/l, IC₅₀ = 37 pg/l, DR = 10-1000 pg/l).     

Rapid immunoanalytical method for the determination of atrazine residues in olive oil

A sensitive, simple and reliable method has been developed for the determination of atrazine in extra virgin olive oil. The analytical procedure involves direct extraction of the target analyte from oil matrix with methanol and a freezing clean-up step (–80 °C) followed by plate or sensor immunoassay determination. A detection limit of 0.7 ng/mL, with a dynamic range from 1.0 to 10.4 ng/mL, was reached. The method was highly selective for atrazine and propazine, showing little or no cross-reactivity to other similar compounds. The excellent recoveries obtained (mean value 91.3%) confirm the potential of this approach to detect atrazine in olive oil for application as screening and complementary method in pesticide regulatory and food safety programs. The proposed method correlates well with the reference gas chromatography (GC-MS) technique.     

Sequential injection extraction based on restricted access material for determination of furosemide in serum

Restricted access material (RAM) column containing 25 microm C18 alkyl-diol support was integrated into the sequential injection analysis (SIA) manifold and the SIA-RAM system was tested for direct determination of furosemide in serum. LiChrospher ADS column based on restricted access material is proposed to direct injection of biofluids. The integration of RAM material into SIA enabled creation of a comprehensive on-line sample clean-up technique combined with fluorescence quantitation of analyte. Centrifuged and diluted serum sample was aspirated into the system and loaded onto the column using acetonitrile-water (2:98), pH 2.7. The analyte was retained on the column while proteins contained in the sample were removed to the waste without precipitation and clogging the column. Interfering substances complicating the detection were washed out by acetonitrile-water (15:85), pH 2.7 in the next step. The extracted analyte was eluted by means of acetonitrile-water (25:75), pH 2.3 to the fluorescence detector (emission filter 385 nm). The whole procedure comprising sample pre-treatment, analyte detection and column reconditioning took 20 min. The recoveries of furosemide from serum lay between 101.4 and 103.4% for three concentrations of analyte.     

Aflatoxin M1 determination in raw milk using a flow-injection immunoassay system

A flow-injection immunoassay (FI-IA) method with amperometric detection for aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) determination in milk has been developed. The first step consists in an incubation of the sample containing AFM1 (Ag) with fixed amounts of anti-AFM1 antibody (Ab) and of the tracer (Ag^*, AFM1 covalently coupled to HRP) until equilibrium is reached. In this mixture a competition occurs between Ag and Ag^* for the Ab. The mixture is then injected into a flow system where the separation of the free tracer (Ag^*) and the antibody-bound tracer (AbAg^*) is performed in a column with immobilized Protein G. The antigen–antibody complexes are retained in the column due to the high affinity of the Protein G for the antibody. The activity of the eluted enzyme label is then amperometrically detected.

The immunoassay was optimised relative to conditions for antibody–antigen incubation (pH, incubation time, ionic strength, temperature) and enzymatic label detection. This method showed a dynamic concentration range between 20 and 500 ppt AFM1, a low detection limit (11 ppt), good reproducibility (RSD < 8%) and a high throughput (six samples per hour in triplicate). Different milk samples were analysed and the results were in good agreement with those obtained by HPLC using the AOAC 2000.08 method.     

A sensitive liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for quantitative bioanalysis of fingolimod in human blood: Application to pharmacokinetic study

A simple and sensitive liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method has been developed and validated for the determination of fingolimod in human blood. The analyte and internal standard fingolimod-d4 were extracted from 300 μl of human blood using protein precipitation coupled with solid-phase extraction method. The chromatographic separation was achieved with a Kinetex biphenyl column (100 × 4.6 mm, 2.6 μm) under isocratic conditions at the flow rate of 0.8 ml/min and column temperature was maintained at 45°C. The detection of analyte and internal standard was carried out by tandem mass spectrometry, operated in positive ion and multiple reaction monitoring acquisition mode. The method was fully validated for its selectivity, precision, accuracy, linearity, stability, detection and quantification limit. The extraction recovery of fingolimod in human blood ranged from 98.39 to 99.54%. The developed method was linear over the concentration range of 5–2500 pg/ml with a detection limit of 1 pg/ml. The developed method was validated and successfully applied for pharmacokinetic study after oral administration of fingolimod capsules.     

Post-column oxidative derivatization for the liquid chromatographic determination of phenothiazines

A first post-column chemical derivatization method for the liquid chromatographic determination of phenothiazines is presented. Peroxyacetic acid is introduced as a derivatizing agent for phenothiazines, yielding the colored radical cations or fluorescent sulfoxides, depending on reaction conditions. Both reaction products were successfully employed for the detection of the phenothiazines after their liquid chromatographic separation. The fluorescence spectroscopic detection of the sulfoxides proved to be the more robust and sensitive method. Limits of detection ranged from 4 nM for triflupromazine and trimeprazine to 300 nM for phenothiazine for the fluorescence spectroscopic detection of the sulfoxide and from 0.3 μM for phenothiazine and triflupromazine to 2 μM for trifluperazine for the UV–Vis spectroscopic detection of the radical cation. The calibration functions for the fluorimetric sulfoxide determination ranged from two to more than three decades, starting at the limit of quantification.     

Determination of cadmium, chromium, copper and lead in sediments and soil samples by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry using zirconium containing chemical modifiers.

A method for direct determination of cadmium, chromium, copper and lead in sediments and soil samples by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry using Zr, Ir, etylenediamine acetic acid (EDTA), Zr + EDTA, Ir + EDTA, Zr + Ir and Zr + Ir + EDTA as chemical modifiers in 0.5% (v/v) Triton X-100 plus 0.2% (v/v) nitric acid mixture used as diluent was developed. The effects of mass and mass ratio of modifiers on analytes in sample solutions were studied. The optimum masses and mass ratios of modifiers: 20 microg of Zr, 4 microg of Ir, 100 microg of EDTA and 20 microg of Zr + 4 microg of Ir + 100 microg of EDTA, were used to enhance the analyte signals. Pyrolysis and atomization temperatures, atomization and background absorption profiles, characteristic masses, and detection limits of analytes in samples were compared in the presence or absence of a modifier. The detection limits and characteristic masses of analytes in a 0.5% (m/v) dissolved sample (dilution factor of 200 ml g(-1)) obtained with Zr + Ir + EDTA are 8.0 ng g(-1) and 1.2 pg for Cd, 61 ng g(-1) and 4.3 pg for Cr, 32 ng g(-1) and 23 pg for Cu, and 3.4 ng g(-1) and 19 pg for Pb, respectively. The Zr + Ir + EDTA modifier mixture was found to be preferable for the determination of analytes in sediment and soil-certified and standard reference materials. Depending on the sample type, the percent recoveries of analytes were increased from 81 to 103% by using the proposed modifier mixture; the results obtained are in good agreement with the certified values.     

Liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry of terpenoid lactones in Ginkgo biloba

Ginkgo biloba (ginkgo) is one of most frequently used botanical dietary supplements. The bioactive constituents include the terpenoid lactones consisting of bilobalide and the ginkgolides A, B, C and J. A new assay based on high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) was developed for the measurement of the terpenoid lactones in ginkgo products such as leaf powder and extracts. Initially, the MS/MS fragmentation pathways of ginkgolides were investigated to identify abundant fragment ions that might be useful for the sensitive and selective detection of ginkgolides and bilobalide during LC/MS/MS. Then, sample preparation and clean-up procedures were streamlined to maximize throughput by taking advantage of the selectivity of LC/MS/MS detection. Analyte recoveries exceeded 90%, the intra-assay and inter-assay relative standard deviations were <5%, the relative error was <8% and the limits of detection and quantification were 3.6-120 and 11-350 fmol, depending on the analyte that was injected on to the LC column. Therefore, this LC/MS/MS assay facilitated the rapid quantitative analysis of ginkgolides A, B, C and J and bilobalide in ginkgo dietary supplements with excellent recovery, reproducibity, accuracy and sensitivity.     

Separation and determination of aminohalogenbenzophenones by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method with electrochemical detection has been developed for the determination of three aminohalogenbenzophenones: 2-amino-2',5-dichlorobenzophenone, 2-amino-5-chlorobenzophenone and 2-amino-5-bromo-2'-fluorobenzophenone, metabolites of benzodiazepinooxazoles and other psychotropic drugs. A mobile phase of methanol-water (65:35), containing 5 mM KH2PO4 appeared to be the optimal when a 4-microns, 60-A Nova-Pak C18 column and a flow-rate of 0.75 ml/min (130 bar) were used. The temperature was optimized at 30 degrees C. The amperometric detector, equipped with glassy carbon electrode, was operated at 1.3 V versus Ag/AgCl in the DC mode. The method was applied to the determination of these compounds at two concentration levels: ppm and ppb (ng/cm3) using 2-amino-5-chlorobenzophenone as internal standard. The limit of determination was 750 pg/ml of biological fluid for each compound, and recoveries greater than 97% were obtained for spiked samples of urine and serum, using C18 Sep-Pak cartridges in the sample clean-up procedure.     

一种基于纳米金介导生物沉积铂催化氢还原的电化学免疫分析新方法

本文发展了一种基于纳米金介导生物沉积铂并以铂催化氢还原伏安法进行检测的高灵敏电化学免疫分析新方法。该方法采用夹心免疫分析模式,实现了人免疫球蛋白（HIgG）的测定。首先在聚苯乙烯微孔板中固定羊抗HIgG捕获抗体,HIgG捕获后,碱性磷酸酶标记的HIgG抗体修饰的纳米金探针通过与HIgG的形成的夹心复合物而结合在微孔板上。结合的碱性磷酸酶催化抗坏血酸磷酸酯底物水解产生抗坏血酸,后者在纳米金上介导下还原铂离子沉积于纳米金表面。沉积的金属铂用王水溶解并电富集于玻碳电极上。通过测定铂催化氢还原产生的阴极电流,可实现HIgG的高灵敏分析。催化氢还原电流与HIgG浓度对数在0.1~100ng/ml之间呈线性相关性,检测限达22pg/ml。由于铂催化氢还原的高灵敏度及纳米金介导的生物沉积放大反应,该法具有较高的分析灵敏度,且免疫分析微孔板模式使得该法可同时用于大量样品的分析。     

Supported liquid membranes for the determination of vanillin in food samples with amperometric detection

A supported liquid membrane system has been developed for the extraction of vanillin from food samples. A porous PTFE membrane is impregnated with an organic solvent, which forms a barrier between two aqueous phases. The analyte is extracted from a donor phase into the hydrophobic membrane and then back extracted into a second aqueous solution, the acceptor. The determination (100–1400 μg ml⁻¹ vanillin) was performed using a PVC-graphite composite electrode versus Ag/AgCl/3MKCl at +0.850 V placed in a wall-jet flow cell as amperometric detector. The solid sample is directly placed in the membrane unit without any treatment, and the analyte was extracted from the sample, passes through the membrane and conduced to the flow cell by the acceptor stream. The limit of detection (3σ) was 44 μg ml⁻¹. The method was applied to the determination of vanillin (9–606 μg g⁻¹) in food samples.     

Determination of cadmium in leaves by ultrasound-assisted extraction prior to hydride generation, pervaporation and atomic absorption detection

A flow injection-pervaporation approach, where the samples – beech or olive leaves – were introduced as slurry, has been used for continuous derivatization hydride generation and separation of cadmium prior to determination by atomic absorption spectrometry. The removal of the analyte is achieved with an 1 mol/l HCl + 16% H₂O₂ aqueous solution with the help of an ultrasound probe acting for 17 min. Thiourea and cobalt were also added to the slurry for kinetic catalysis of hydride generation. A CRM – beech leaves – where the analyte had not been certified but estimated was used for optimisation of the leaching step. The results obtained using direct calibration against aqueous standards demonstrated the reliability of the method. The linear concentration range of the calibration curve was from pg/ml to ng/ml, with a correlation coefficient, r², better than 0.99. The detection and quantification limits were 0.3 and 0.9 ng/ml, respectively. The relative standard deviation for within-laboratory reproducibility was 5.7%. Olive leaves CRM was used for validation.     

Preconcentration of atrazine and simazine with multiwalled carbon nanotubes as solid-phase extraction disk

A sensitive and selective preconcentration method using solid-phase extraction (SPE) disk, namely multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) disk, is proposed for the determination of atrazine and simazine in water samples. Atrazine and simazine were extracted on MWCNTs disk and then determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Several parameters on the enrichment factor of the analytes were investigated. The experimental results showed that it was possible to obtain quantitative analysis when the solution pH was 5 using 200 mL of validation solution containing 0.1 μg of triazines and 5 mL of acetone as an eluent. The maximum enrichment factors for atrazine and simazine were 3900 ± 250 and 4000 ± 110, respectively when 200 mL of sample solution volume was used. Relative standard deviations for seven determinations were 6.9% (atrazine) and 3.0% (simazine) under optimum conditions. The linear range of calibration curves were 0.1 to 1 ng mL^{− 1} for each analyte with good correlation coefficients. The detection limits (3S/N) were 2.5 and 5.0 pg mL^{− 1} for atrazine and simazine, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of atrazine and simazine in environmental water samples with high precision and accuracy.     

Dialysis-solid-phase extraction combined on-line with non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis for improved detectability of tricyclic antidepressants in biological samples

Dialysis-solid-phase extraction (SPE) sample pretreatment is combined on-line with non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis for the determination of tricyclic antidepressants in urine and serum. After clean-up and enrichment, the water is removed from the sample matrix and the analytes are eluted from the cartridge by means of an organic solvent. Next, the eluate is transported to the capillary and the injection is performed electrokinetically. This injection, which does not suffer from an adverse sample matrix effect because of the SPE step, results in further analyte concentration. The detection limits are in the 0.02-0.1 microg/ml range and the day-to-day repeatabilities are between 2.5 and 9.5%, which is quite satisfactory.     

Determination of cadmium in water by ICP-AES with on-line adsorption preconcentration using DPTH-gel and TS-gel microcolumns

Two flow injection inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometric methods for the preconcentration and determination of trace amounts of cadmium in sea-water and waste-water samples are described based on the adsorption of the metal ion on a micro-column placed in the injection valve of the FI manifold and packed with silica gel funtionalised with 1,5-bis(di-2-pyridyl) methylene thiocarbohydrazide (DPTH-gel) and silica gel functionalised with methylthiosalicylate (TS-gel), respectively. Various parameters and chemical variables affecting the preconcentration and determination of this metal by ICP-AES are evaluated. The DPTH-gel preconcentration method has a linear calibration range from 5 to at least 100 ng ml(-1) of cadmium, with a R.S.D. of 1.1% for ten independent analyses of 100 ng ml(-1), a detection limit of 1.1 ng ml(-1) and a throughput of 40 samples per hour using a 60 s preconcentration time. The TS-gel preconcentration method shows a linear range between 10 and 100 ng ml(-1), with a R.S.D. of 2.5% for ten independent analyses of 100 ng ml(-1), a detection limit of 4.3 ng ml(-1) and a sample throughput of 24 samples per hour for a preconcentration time of 120 s. Validation was carried out against a certified reference water sample and by determining the analyte content in spiked synthetic sea-water, sea-water and waste-water.