2-Carboxy-1-naphthyl phosphate as a substrate for the fluorimetric determination of alkaline phosphatase

A new substrate, 2-carboxy-1-naphthyl phosphate (CNP), was developed for the fluorimetric determination of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. The product of the enzyme reaction is 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid (HNA), which is a strong fluorescent product. The amount of HNA generated is proportional to ALP activity. Optimal conditions for the determination of ALP were investigated. The linear range and detection limit for the determination of ALP are 0.01-4.8 U/L and 7.44 mU/L, respectively. This method is simple, practical and can be successfully applied to assess ALP in human serum with good accuracy and precision. The results were evaluated by comparison with a standard colorimetric assay using p-nitrophenyl phosphate as ALP substrate.     

Flow injection analysis system for on-line cutinase activity assay

A FIA system based on a micellar system for a substrate (p-nitrophenylbutyrate) with low stability in aqueous phase was built to monitor cutinase activity in bioprocesses. All samples were previously diluted with 50 mM phosphate buffer pH 7.0 containing 11.6 mM sodium cholate. The cutinase activity in this diluted solution enhances about 40% in relation to phosphate buffer. Furthermore, the enzyme adsorption and consequent blocking/fouling of injector and tubes of the FIA system was eliminated due to excellent properties of sodium cholate as surface active agent.The cutinase activity is based in following the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenylbutyrate to p-nitrophenol in the reaction stream through the formation of an absorbance peak at 400 nm proportional to enzyme activity. The compositions of reaction stream as well as its stability were studied in order to minimize non-enzymatic hydrolysis of p-nitrophenylbutyrate and maximize cutinase activity assay reproducibility. An excellent correlation was obtained between the FIA system and off-line method for determination of cutinase activity in the culture media, and during separation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells and cutinase concentration by micro and ultrafiltration, respectively.     

Continuous-flow protease assay based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer

A homogeneous continuous-flow assay using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) for detection was developed to measure the hydrolysis of HIV Protease Substrate 1 (to which two choromophores, EDANS and DABCYL are covalently attached) by a protease (e.g. Subtilisin Carlsberg) and the influence of inhibitors. In the continuous-flow assay, an inhibitor solution and an enzyme solution were first eluted into the system and allowed to react with each other in a reaction coil. Subsequently, the substrate solution was added to an enzyme-inhibitor mixture in a second reaction coil and incubated for 1 min. Finally, the fluorescence intensity was monitored.The system was also utilized to measure the inhibition of the protease by two weak acidity inhibitors which are 4-(2-aminoethyl)benzenesulfonyl fluoride hydrochloride (AEBSF) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). Using the obtained optimum conditions for AEBSF, a detection limit of 0.3 mmol/l was achieved and the relative standard deviation was below 3.7% in the 2.5-7.5 mmol/l range. For EDTA, which required a 20 times higher substrate concentration than AEBSF, a detection limit of 0.2 mmol/l was obtained and the relative standard deviation was below 9.6% in the 0.5-7.5 mmol/l range.The optimization of pH, substrate concentration, enzyme concentration, reaction time and temperature are described. Organic modifier effects were also investigated. Methanol, acetonitrile and DMSO could be tolerated up to 30%.     

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.     

A sensitive fluorescence reagent for the determination of aldehydes from alcoholic beverage using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection and mass spectrometric identification

A pre-column derivatization method for the sensitive determination of aldehydes using the tagging reagent 2-[2-(7H-dibenzo[a,g] carbazol-7-yl)-ethoxy] ethyl carbonylhydrazine (DBCEEC) followed by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection and APCI-MS identification has been developed. The chromophore of fluoren-9-methoxy-carbonylhydrazine (Fmoc-hydrazine) reagent was replaced by 2-[2-(7H-dibenzo[a,g] carbazol-7-yl)-ethoxy] ethyl functional group, which resulted in a sensitive fluorescence tagging reagent DBCEEC. DBCEEC could easily and quickly labeled aldehydes. The maximum excitation (300 nm) and emission (400 nm) wavelengths did not essentially change for all the aldehyde derivatives. Derivatives were sufficiently stable to be efficiently analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The derivatives showed an intense protonated molecular ion corresponding m/z [M + (CH₂)_n]⁺ in positive-ion mode (M: molecular weight of DBCEEC, n: corresponding aldehyde carbon atom numbers). The collision-induced dissociation of protonated molecular ion formed fragment ions at m/z 294.6, m/z 338.6 and m/z 356.5. Studies on derivatization demonstrated excellent derivative yields in the presence of trichloroacetic acid (TCA) catalyst. Maximal yields close to 100% were observed with a 10 to 15-fold molar reagent excess. Separation of the derivatized aldehydes had been optimized on ZORBAX Eclipse XDB-C₈ column with aqueous acetonitrile as mobile phase in conjunction with a binary gradient elution. Excellent linear responses were observed at the concentration range of 0.01-10 nmol mL⁻¹ with coefficients of >0.9991. Detection limits obtained by the analysis of a derivatized standard containing 0.01 nmol mL⁻¹ of each aldehyde, were from 0.2 to 1.78 nmol L⁻¹ (at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3).     

Controlled synthesis and fluorescent properties of poly(9-(4-vinylbenzyl)-9H-carbazole) via nitroxide-mediated living free-radical polymerization

The functional polymer containing carbazole unit, [(poly(9-(4-vinylbenzyl)-9H-carbazole) (PVBK)], was successfully prepared via nitroxide-mediated living free-radical polymerization of 9-(4-vinylbenzyl)-9H-carbazole (VBK). The controlled features of the polymerization were confirmed by the linear increase in the molecular weight with the monomer conversion while keeping the relative narrow molecular weight distribution (M_w/M_n ? 1.51), and successful chain extension with styrene. The resulting polymer absorbed light in the 305-355 nm range and exhibited fluorescent emission at 350 nm. The fluorescent intensity of the polymer was lower than that of monomer and was affected by the properties of the different solvents, which decreased in the following order: DMF > THF > CHCl₃ at the same concentration of carbazole units. The fluorescence intensity of the polymer was apparently influenced by chromophore concentration, and the maximum value was obtained when the carbazole unit concentration was around 8 × 10⁻⁵ mol/L. Moreover, it was shown that the strong fluorescence of PVBK can be quenched by methyl acrylate (MA).     

Spectrofluorimetric method for measuring the activity of the enzyme α-l-fucosidase using the ion associate of 2-chloro-4-nitro phenol-rhodamine-B

A low cost and accurate method for the detection and analytical determination of the activity of the enzyme α-l-fucosidase (AFU) was developed. The method was based upon measuring the fluorescence intensity of the complex ion associate of the ion associate of rhodamine-B and the compound 2-chloro-4-nitrophenol (RB⁺ CNP⁻) at 580 nm in phosphate buffer (pH 5) against the reagent blank. The influence of the different parameters, e.g. pH, incubation time, temperature, 2-chloro-4-nitrophenol concentration, foreign ions and surfactants that control the fluorescence intensity of the produced ion associate was critically investigated. The correlation between the fluorescence activity of the enzyme AFU by the developed procedures and the standard method was positive and highly significant in patients and controls (r² = 0.99, p < 0.001). The developed method is simple and proceeds without practical artifacts compared to the standard method.     

A novel lophine-based fluorescence probe and its binding to human serum albumin

The binding of a lophine-based fluorescence probe, 4-[4-(4-dimethylaminophenyl)-5-phenyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl]benzoic acid methyl ester (DAPIM) with human serum albumin (HSA) was investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy under physiological conditions. While DAPIM shows extreme low fluorescence in aqueous solution, DAPIM binding with HSA emits strong fluorescence at 510 nm. The binding constant and binding number determined by Scatchard plot was 3.65 × 10⁶ M⁻¹ and 1.07, respectively. Competitive binding between DAPIM and other ligands such as warfarin, valproic acid, diazepam and oleic acid, were also studied fluorometrically. The results indicated that the primary binding site of DAPIM to HSA is site II at subdomain IIIA. DAPIM can be a useful fluorescence probe for the characterization of drug-binding sites. In addition to the interaction study, because the fluorescence intensity of DAPIM increased in proportion to HSA concentration, its potential in HSA assay for serum sample was also evaluated.     

Direct detection of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol in saliva using a novel homogeneous competitive immunoassay with fluorescence quenching

For the detection of the major active component of cannabis, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in aqueous samples, a homogeneous competitive immunoassay based on fluorescence quenching induced by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) has been developed. The fluorescence of anti-THC-antibody, labeled with fluorescence dye DY-481XL, can be quenched after its binding to THC-BSA-quencher conjugate (bovine serum albumin coupled with THC and another fluorescence dye, DYQ-661, as quencher). This quenching effect is inhibited when the antibodies bind to free THC in aqueous sample, thus competing for binding sites with the THC-BSA-quencher conjugate. The extent of the inhibition corresponds to the concentration of THC in the samples. The assay principle is simple and the test duration is within 10 min. The detection limit for THC in buffer was 2 ng mL⁻¹. In pooled saliva samples a detection limit of 50 ng mL⁻¹ was achieved.     

Development of a microbioreactor with ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase 2 (NTPDase2) immobilized on a polyacrylamide-coated capillary at the outlet

A simple and fast method of immobilization of cell membrane suspension containing human ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase 2 (NTPDase2) on a polyacrylamide-coated capillary was developed. The enzyme microbioreactor was prepared by hydrodynamic injection of a small plug of the polycationic electrolyte hexadimethrine bromide (HDB) followed by a suspension of an enzyme-containing membrane preparation. In order to shorten the enzyme assay time and to increase the throughput of the assay, the capillary was coated from the outlet end and all injections were performed from the outlet end of the capillary. For the monitoring of the enzymatic reaction, the substrate ATP dissolved in reaction buffer (140 mM NaCl, 5 mM KCl, 1 mM MgCl₂, 2 mM CaCl₂, and 10 mM Hepes, pH 7.4, internal standard: 10 μM UMP) in the absence or presence of inhibitor was injected electrokinetically and incubated in the microbioreactor for 1 min with 1 kV of applied voltage. Then, the electrophoretic separation of the reaction products was initiated by applying a constant current of 60 μA. A 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 6.5) was used for the separations and the products were detected by UV absorbance at 260 nm. The new method was compared with an at-capillary-inlet method without immobilization of the enzyme. The results (K_m values, K_i values for inhibitor) obtained with both methods were similar and comparable with literature data. The developed outlet immobilized enzyme microreactor using a coated capillary is very fast, simple and most economic allowing multiple use of the enzyme.     

Feasibility of gymnodimine and 13-desmethyl C spirolide detection by fluorescence polarization using a receptor-based assay in shellfish matrixes

The detection of toxins in shellfish through reliable methods is essential for human health preservation and prevention of economic losses in the aquaculture industry. Although no human intoxication has been unequivocally linked to gymnodimines or spirolides, these phycotoxins are highly toxic by intraperitoneal injection causing false positives in lipophilic toxin detection by the mouse bioassay. Based on the detection of molecular interactions by fluorescence polarization an inhibition assay was developed using fluorescent α-bungarotoxin and nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-enriched membranes of Torpedo marmorata to detect gymnodimine and 13-desmethyl C spirolide. Both toxins, classified into the cyclic imine group, inhibit the interaction of α-bungarotoxin with Torpedo nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the nM range. In this study we analyze the matrix effect of four shellfish species on the fluorescence polarization assay. Mussels, clams, cockles and scallops were extracted with acetone and sequentially partitioned with n-hexane and chloroform. The interference of these shellfish extracts with the α-bungarotoxin fluorescence or its binding to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor was lower than 11%. The average recovery rates of gymnodimine and 13-desmethyl C spirolide using these solvents were 90.6 ± 7.8% and 89.6 ± 3.2%, respectively with variations among species. The quantification range of this fluorescence polarization assay for gymnodimine and 13-desmethyl C spirolide in all tested species was 80-2000 μg kg⁻¹ and 85-700 μg kg⁻¹ of shellfish meat, respectively. This assay format can be used to detect gymnodimine and 13-desmethyl C spirolide in shellfish as a screening assay.     

Selective and sensitive homogenous assay of serum albumin with 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulphonate as a biosensor

Homogenous selective assay of albumin (ALB) in clinical sera was tested with 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulphonate (ANS) as Förster-resonance-energy-transfer (FRET) acceptor of tryptophan residues and biosensor of ALB. Between the excitation at 280 and 350 nm, the ratio of the fluorescence at 470 nm of free ANS in ethanol was about 1.9 while that of the complexes of ALB and ANS was about 3.9, supporting FRET in complexes of ANS and ALB. ANS below 1.0 mM saturated one site of ALB with K_d of about 0.13 μM in 20 mM sodium phosphate buffer at pH 7.0. For selective assay of ALB, 0.30 μM ANS was used to quantify fluorescence of the complexes at 470 nm under the excitation at 280 nm. ALB from 1.8 to 25 nM was quantified, whose lower limit was below 1% than that by bromocresol green assay while one-third than that by immunoturbidimetric assay. Globular proteins at comparable levels gave negligible signals. This new method showed reasonable resistance to other interfering substances in clinical sera. Quantities of ALB in clinical sera by this method were consistent with those by bromocresol green assay and immunoturbidimetric assay. Hence, homogenous assay of ALB with ANS as FRET biosensor was effective.     

Novel B,O-chelated fluorescent probe for nitric oxide imaging in Raw 264.7 macrophages and onion tissues

A novel fluorescent probe based on B,O-chelated dipyrromethene chromophore in far-visible and near-infrared spectral region (600–900 nm), boron chelated 8-(3,4-diaminophenyl)-3,5-bis(2-hydroxyphenyl)-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indancene (BOPB), has been first developed for nitric oxide (NO) imaging. BOPB, a turn-on fluorescent probe, can react with NO rapidly under physiological condition. The reaction product of BOPB with NO, BOPB-T, emits bright red fluorescence at 643 nm when excited at 622 nm. Meanwhile, BOPB-T displays high fluorescent quantum yield of 0.21 and good photostability. The selectivity for NO over other reactive oxygen/nitrogen species and ascorbic acid has been investigated and BOPB has good specificity for the detection of NO. MTT assay shows that the toxicity of BOPB (below 10 μM) to living cells can be neglected. Based on these investigations, BOPB has been used for NO imaging in Raw 264.7 cells and onion tissues. Meanwhile, mechanical injury to onion tissues results in a brighter fluorescence around the wound, which indicates that more NO has been produced in plant tissues in response to external stimuli. Our studies illustrate that BOPB has advantages of high sensitivity, low background interference and little photo damage on fluorescence imaging of NO.     

Target-mediated consecutive endonuclease reactions for specific and sensitive homogeneous fluorescence assay of O-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase

O⁶-Methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) is one of the most important DNA-repair enzymes. Herein, a simple, sensitive and selective homogeneous fluorescence assay strategy is developed for the detection of MGMT on the basis of target-mediated two consecutive endonuclease reactions. The activity assay of MGMT is firstly accomplished using a hairpin-structured DNA substrate to offer a specific recognition site on the substrate DNA for restriction endonuclease PvuII, and thus to initiate the first endonuclease reaction. The product which activates the second endonuclease reaction allows an efficient amplification approach to create an abundance of fluorescence signal reporters. The first endonuclease reaction offers the method high specificity and the second one furnishes the assay improved sensitivity. The results reveal that the MGMT assay strategy shows dynamic responses in the concentration range from 1 to 120 ng mL⁻¹ with a detection limit of 0.5 ng mL⁻¹. By simply altering the alkylated bases, this strategy can also be extended for the detection of other alkyltransferases. Therefore, the developed strategy might provide an intrinsically convenient, sensitive and specific platform for alkyltransferase activate assay and related biochemical studies due to its label-free, homogeneous, and fluorescence-based detection format.     

Monitoring yoctomole alkaline phosphatase by capillary electrophoresis with on-capillary catalysis-electrochemical detection

An electrophoretically mediated microanalysis method for detection of yoctomole (ymol) alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was developed by a combination of on-capillary enzyme-catalyzed reaction and electrochemical detection. In this method, ALP molecules were electrokinetically injected into a capillary of 10 μm i.d. and then electromigrated to the section of the capillary immersed in a warm water bath of 37 °C, where ALP reacted for a certain time with disodium phenyl phosphate as the enzyme substrate. ALP could be measured through determining the electroactive product phenol of the enzyme-catalyzed reaction by using electrochemical detection. The phenol concentration was proportional to the mass of ALP. As a catalyst, ALP was not consumed during the reaction, which provided amplification of signal with prolonged the reaction time. In order to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio, the detection end of the capillary was etched to a horn-shape and a single carbon fiber microcylinder electrode of 6 μm in diameter as the working electrode was inserted into the detection end of the capillary. Under these conditions, the mass of ALP as low as 1.2 × 10⁻²² mol (72 molecules) or 4.0 × 10⁻²³ mol (24 molecules) could be detected for the on-capillary reaction time of 15 min or 2 h.     

Removal of sample background buffering ions and myoglobin enrichment via a pH junction created by discontinuous buffers in capillary electrophoresis

Traditional CE sample stacking is ineffective for samples containing a high concentration of salt and/or buffer. We recently reported the use of a discontinuous buffer system for protein enrichment that was applicable to samples containing millimolar concentrations of salt. In this paper, the technique was investigated for samples containing unwanted buffering ions, including TRIS, MES, and phosphate, which are commonly used in biological sample preparation. Using myoglobin as a model protein, the results demonstrated that background buffering ions can be effectively removed or separated from the enriched protein. The key is to use either the acid or the base of the discontinuous buffers to adjust the pH of the sample, such that the net charge of the unwanted buffering ions is near-zero. The successful isolation and enrichment of myoglobin from up to 100 mM TRIS and 50 mM MES was demonstrated. The enrichment factors remained at approximately 200. Removal of phosphate was more challenging because its net charge was anionic in both the acid and the base of the discontinuous buffers. The enrichment was only achievable up to 30 mM of sodium phosphate, the enrichment factors observed were significantly lower, below 50, and the process was delayed due to the higher ionic strength resulted from phosphate. The migration of phosphate during enrichment was studied using a UV-absorbing analogue, phenyl phosphate. In addition, Simul 5.0 was used to simulate the discontinuous buffers in the absence and presence of TRIS and phosphate. The stimulated TRIS and phosphate concentration profiles were generally in agreement with the experimental results. The simulation also provided a better understanding on the effect of phosphate on the formation of the pH junction.     

On-chip integrated hydrolysis, fluorescent labeling, and electrophoretic separation utilized for acetylcholinesterase assay

A sensitive on-chip acetylcholinesterase (AChE) assay that serves as a basis for the development of a fully integrated on-chip AChE-inhibitor detection assay is presented. The sequential steps required for the on-chip analysis process were integrated into a microchip. Transport and mixing of the reagents occurred by a combination of electroosmosis and electrophoresis using computer-controlled electrokinetic transport. AChE-catalyzed hydrolysis of acetylthiocholine to thiocholine was determined by on-chip reaction of thiocholine with eosinmaleimide, and the resulting thioether was electrophoretically separated and detected by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). Enzyme-substrate mixing and reaction by confluent flow of reagents was compared with electrophoretically mediated microanalysis (EMMA), based on injection of an enzyme plug, and the utilization of differences in electrophoretic mobility as a driving force for efficient mixing and reaction. Both methods yielded similar results, however the EMMA-plug technique is preferable. The EMMA-plug technique was optimized for length and pushing time of enzyme plug, length of dyes mixture plug, acetylthiocholine concentration, and detector location. Detection of O-ethyl S-[2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl] methylphosphonothiolate (VX) and paraoxon, two AChE inhibitors, was demonstrated by off-chip mixing of the inhibitor and AChE, followed by the on-chip AChE assay. Limit of detection of VX for 5.5 min incubation and of paraoxon for 8 min incubation was 4 × 10⁻¹⁰ and 4 × 10⁻⁷ M, respectively. Utilization of the AChE microchip assay for inhibition kinetics was demonstrated also by evaluation of the inhibitor-enzyme bimolecular reaction constant (k_i). The evaluated k_i values for VX and paraoxon for AChE from the electric eel were 3.5 × 10⁷ and 1.7 × 10⁵ M⁻¹ min⁻¹, respectively, conforming well to reported values obtained by bulk methods.     

Monitoring of progestins: Development of immunochemical methods for purification and detection of levonorgestrel

A polyclonal antibody (Ab) for the progestin levonorgestrel (LNG) was generated, and immunochemical assays for its detection, clean-up and concentration were developed. A highly specific microplate diagnostic assay for the detection of LNG was developed that used the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. The LNG ELISA developed was sensitive and reproducible; it exhibited I₅₀ and I₂₀ values of 3.3 ± 1.8 ng mL⁻¹ and 0.6 ± 0.4 ng mL⁻¹, respectively, and the Abs did not cross react with any of the tested steroid hormones. The above Abs were used to develop a sol-gel-based immunoaffinity purification (IAP) method for concentration and clean-up of LNG that is compatible with subsequent immunochemical or instrumental chemical analytical procedures, such as liquid chromatography followed by mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Development of the columns included successful entrapment of Abs within a tetramethoxysilane (TMOS)-based SiO₂ polymer network. The Abs could bind the free analyte from solution, and the bound analyte could be easily eluted from the sol-gel matrix at high recoveries. The Ab selectivity towards the antigen was high, in both ELISA and the sol-gel columns, but the entrapped Abs cross-reacted with two other steroid hormones - ethynylestradiol (EE2) and nortestosterone (NT) - which share similar epitopes with LNG, despite the lack of cross reactivity in the ELISA. The validity of the method was investigated by LC-MS/MS and a good analytical correlation was obtained.     

Sensitive fluorimetric flow injection analysis for fluoride ion with a novel reagent, 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein di-tert-butyldimethylsilyl ether

A novel reagent, 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein di-tert-butyldimethylsilyl ether (FCl₂TBS), was synthesized for fluoride ion and used for a sensitive fluorimetric flow injection analysis by detecting the recovery of fluorescence due to cleavage of Si-O bond. Four kinds of fluorescein di-tert-butyldimethylsilyl ether (FTBS) analogues were synthesized and FCl₂TBS was the best. By introducing chlorine to FTBS, stability of the reagent, reactivity and the baseline signals were improved. The FIA system was three lines. The sample solution (aqua medium) was injected in the carrier solution (water) and merged with the reagent solution (2.0 × 10⁻⁵ M FCl₂TBS acetone solution), then mixed with phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.5). The fluorescence intensities were measured at λ_ex 503 nm and λ_em 527 nm. The calibration graph had linear relationship between (1.0-50.0) × 10⁻⁶ M and the determinable limit was 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ M. The relative standard deviation of 12 measurements with 1.0 × 10⁻⁵ M F⁻ solution was 1.0% and the sample throughput was 13 h⁻¹. The developed method was successfully applied to river and tap water samples.     

Generic simple enzyme immunoassay approach to avert small molecule immobilization problems on solid phases: Application to the determination of tobramycin in serum

Generic simple and sensitive universal enzyme immunoassay approach for the determination of small analytes has been developed to avert the problems associated with small molecule immobilization onto solid phases. The developed assay employed a heterogeneous non-competitive binding format. The assay used anti-analyte antibody coupled to polyacrylamide beads as a solid-phase and β-d-galactosidase enzyme-labeled analyte as a label. In this assay, the analyte in a sample was firstly incubated to react with an excess of the antibody-coupled beads, and then the unoccupied antibody binding sites were allowed to react with the enzyme-labeled analyte. Analyte bound to the antibody-coupled beads was separated by centrifugation, and the enzyme activity of the supernatant was measured spectrophotometrically at 420 nm, after reaction with 4-nitrophenyl-β-d-galactopyranoside as a substrate for the enzyme. The signal was directly proportional to the concentration of analyte in the sample. The optimum conditions for the developed assay were established and applied to the determination of tobramycin, as a representative example of the small analytes, in serum samples. The assay limit of detection was 10 ng mL⁻¹ and the effective working range at relative standard deviation of ≤10% was 40-800 ng mL⁻¹. The assay precisions were acceptable; the relative standard deviations were 4.36-5.17 and 5.62-7.40% for intra- and inter-assay precision, respectively. Analytical recovery of tobramycin spiked in serum ranged from 95.89 ± 4.25 to 103.45 ± 4.60%. The assay results correlated well with those obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography (r = 0.992). The assay described herein has great practical value in determination of small analytes because it is sensitive, rapid, and easy to perform in any laboratory. Although the assay was validated for tobramycin, however, it is also anticipated that the same methodology could be used for essentially any analyte for which a selective antibody exists, and an appropriate enzyme conjugate can be made.