On-line monitoring of enzymatic conversion of adenosine triphosphate to adenosine diphosphate by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Capillary electrophoresis can be a valuable tool for the on-line monitoring of bioprocesses. The enzymatic conversion of nucleotide adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) by hexokinase (HK) was monitored in the bioreactor interfaced by a laboratory-built microsampler to a capillary electrophoresis unit. The use of this specially designed sampling device enabled rapid consecutive injections to be performed without high-voltage (HV) interruptions. No additional sample preparation was required. The method of micellar electrokinetic chromatography, employing reversed electroosmotic flow (EOF) by cationic surfactant and reversed polarity mode provided a good resolution and short analysis time of less than 5 min. The samples were injected electrokinetically, using -25 kV voltage for 3 s and detected by their UV absorbance at 254 nm. The analytes were detected at a microg/ml level with a reproducibility of about 7%. To demonstrate the potential of CE in understanding the processes of biological interest, such as nucleotide degradation and metabolism, the investigation of the efficiency and the time course of the enzymatic transformation was carried out.     

Profiling of cocaine by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

The potential of micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) for the profiling of cocaine samples is described. An MEKC system containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and methanol was optimized using a test mixture of cocaine, its common impurities (benzoylecgonine, norcocaine, tropacocaine, and trans-cinnamoylcocaine), and several degradation products. The effect of pH, percentage modifier, and concentration surfactant on the separation has been investigated. The optimal separation buffer for cocaine samples consisted of 75 mM SDS, 17.5% methanol, and 25 mM borate (pH 8.3) and was well suited to separate components of diverse polarity in one run. Various cocaine seizures have been analyzed with the MEKC system and their signatures were compared. The electrokinetic chromatograms obtained were characteristic, and differences and similarities among the samples could easily be observed. Several impurities were identified in the samples by means of migration times and comparison of recorded and library UV spectra. The composition of the samples was determined semiquantitatively using relative corrected peak areas.     

Determination of nikethamide by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

A simple, fast, sensitive and reproducible micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC)–UV method for the determination of nikethamide (NKD) in human urine and pharmaceutical formulation has been developed and validated. The method exhibits high trueness, good precision, short analysis time and low reagent consumption. NKD is an organic compound belonging to the psychoactive stimulants used as an analeptic drugs. The proposed analytical procedure consists of few steps: dilution of urine or drug in distilled water, centrifugation for 2 min (12,000 g ), separation by MEKC and ultraviolet‐absorbance detection of NKD at 260 nm. The background electrolyte used was 0.035 mol/L pH 9 borate buffer with the addition of 0.05 mol/L sodium dodecyl sulfate and 6.5% ACN. Effective separation was achieved within 5.5 min under a voltage of 21 kV (~90 μA) using a standard fused‐silica capillary (effective length 51 cm, 75 μm i.d.). The determined limit of detection for NKD in urine was 1 μmol/L (0.18 μg/mL). The calibration curve obtained for NKD in urine showed linearity in the range 4–280 μmol/L (0.71–49.90 μg/mL), with R² 0.9998. The RSD of the points of the calibration curve varied from 5.4 to 9.5%. The analytical procedure was successfully applied to analysis of pharmaceutical formulation and spiked urine samples from healthy volunteers.     

Characterisation of retention in micellar high-performance liquid chromatography, in micellar electrokinetic chromatography and in micellar electrokinetic chromatography with reduced flow

The retention (migration) behaviour of various barbiturates, phenylurea and triazine herbicides in micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) with uncoated fused-silica capillaries was compared with the behaviour in micellar electrokinetic chromatography with reduced electroosmotic flow (RF-MEKC) using capillaries modified with linear polyacrylamide. The error in the values of the retention factors caused by the neglection of the contribution of the electroosmotic flow in RF-MEKC was investigated and a method for correcting this error was suggested. The retention was characterised using the lipophilic and polar indices to characterise and to predict the retention as a function of the concentration of the surfactant (sodium dodecylsulphate) in the running buffer in MEKC and in RF-MEKC. Homologous series of n-alkylbenzenes and of n-alkan-2-ones were compared as the standard sets for the calibration of the retention (migration) index scale. The values of the lipophilic indices of a given solute measured in reversed-phase HPLC, MEKC and RF-MEKC are close to each other. Under ideal MEKC conditions, the values of the polarity indices are close to one for various sample solutes. However, for partially ionised compounds such as weakly acidic barbiturates, where the contribution of the electrophoretic migration is significant, the values of the polarity indices are significantly lower than one. Optimum conditions for separations of mixtures of triazine and phenylurea herbicides and of barbiturates using various techniques tested were compared.     

Pesticide analysis by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

On-capillary sample concentration using sample stacking for the improvement of detection limits for various pesticides separated by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography was examined. The dependence of the stacking on different parameters was investigated. An approximately 30-fold preconcentration was achieved by applying sample stacking. Employing a two-step enrichment process (solid-phase extraction combined with sample stacking), detection limits were improved and the sample volume for SPE was reduced. In addition, the total time for the analysis was considerably reduced. Detection limits were between 0.01 and 0.1 ng/ml under these enrichment conditions.     

Determination of the herbicide metribuzin and its major conversion products in soil by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

In this paper, a multiresidue method for the analysis in soils of metribuzin (M) and its major conversion products, deaminometribuzin (DA), diketometribuzin (DK) and deaminodiketometribuzin (DADK) is developed. Considering the neutral and charged nature of the molecules, micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) is a very efficient method for the separation of these compounds, providing high efficiency and short analysis times. Different electrophoretic parameters were studied to optimize the separation, such as the buffer pH and concentration, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) concentration, injection conditions and applied voltage. Excellent separation of the studied compounds was achieved within about 7 min. Soil samples were previously extracted using methanol in an ultrasonic bath and then a SPE procedure was applied to pre-concentrate the analytes by passage through a LiChrolut EN sorbent column. Detection limits at the low microgkg(-1) level were obtained. The proposed method has been satisfactorily applied in soil samples showing recoveries ranging from 86.7% to 104.2% and represents a valuable alternative to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).     

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.

Retention indices in micellar electrokinetic chromatography

The use of retention indices in micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) is evaluated both from a theoretical and a practical point of view. Fundamental equations for the determination of retention indices in MEKC are described, showing that retention indices are independent of the surfactant concentration. Possibilities as well as limitations of different homologous series as reference standards are described. In addition, the practical application of retention indices for identification, investigation of solute-micelle interactions, characterization and classification of pseudo-stationary phases and determination of solute lipophilicity are discussed.     

Separation of coumarins by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

Nine coumarins were successfully separated simultaneously using micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with 4-hydroxybenzoic acid as an internal standard. A carrier composed of buffer solution (20 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate-15 mM sodium borate-15 mM sodium dihydrogenphosphate)-acetonitrile (24:1) was found to be the most suitable electrolyte for this separation. The analysis time (22 min) was shorter than that using high-performance liquid chromatography (47 min). Contents of coumarins in the crude drug of Angelicae Tuhou Radix could be easily determined by the proposed method.     

Separation of beta-lactam antibiotics by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

The retention behaviour of beta-lactam antibiotics in micellar electrokinetic chromatography (EKC) was investigated. Sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and sodium N-lauroyl-N-methyltaurate were used an anionic surfactants at concentrations of 0.05-0.3 M. It was found that the retention of ionic substances in micellar EKC is determined by the following three factors: the electrophoretic migration of the ionic substances, the interaction between the ionic substances and ionic surfactants and solubilization of the solute by the micellar phase. A difference in the retention behaviours of cationic substances was observed between the two anionic surfactants, which have different groups neighbouring the charge-bearing groups. The effect of an ion-pairing reagent was also investigated to make the effect of the micelle clearer. All test solutes were successfully separated by micellar EKC at SDS concentrations above 0.1 M, with theoretical plate numbers ranging from 70,000 to 260,000.     

Analysis of arylamine isomers by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Analysis of carcinogenic substances is a high-priority area. Carcinogenic arylamines draw the analyst's attention because dyes and pigments are in production and used in large volumes. Identification of carcinogenic isomers of arylamines employing micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), a mode of capillary electrophoresis was studied as it offers better scope for separation science. Mixed micellar modes of MEKC techniques were employed to achieve acceptable analyses. Success of this analytical method was proved by real-sample analysis, which confirmed that this is a promising technique for the arylamine species.     

Recent advances in micellar electrokinetic chromatography

This review contains nearly 200 reference citations, and covers advances in electrokinetic capillary chromatography based on micelles, including stabilized micelle complexes, polymeric and mixed micelles from 2003-2004. Detection strategies, analyte determinations, and applications in micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) are discussed. Information regarding methods of analyte concentration, analyte specific analyses, and nonstandard micelles has been summarized in tabular form to provide a means of rapid access to information pertinent to the reader.     

Separation of xylidine isomers by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Xylidines are important precursors for the production of dyes, drugs, and various other products. Because of the high carcinogenic nature of some xylidine isomers it becomes very essential and relevant to develop suitable analytical procedures to separate isomers as well as enhance detection at very low concentrations. Micellar electrokinetic chromatography has been standardized at various influencing parameters such as pH, ionic strength, and micelle modifiers, and the optimum conditions have been ascertained for the best separation and sensitivity of standard mixtures. The applicability of the procedure in environmental samples is studied.     

Analysis of post-harvest fungicides by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

A method based on solid-phase extraction (SPE) and micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) was developed for the simultaneous determination of carbendazim, imazalil, methylthiophanate, O-phenylphenol, prochloraz, procimidone, thiabendazole and triadimefon residues in grape, lettuce, orange and tomato. Selectivity and resolution were studied changing the pH and the concentration of the buffer, the type and concentration of surfactant and the methanol content in the mobile phase. A buffer consisting of 4 mM borate with 75 mM sodium cholate (pH 9.2) gave the best results. The recoveries of the fungicides in spiked fruit and vegetable samples ranged from 30 to 105%, and the limits of detection were between 0.1 and 1 mg kg(-1). The reproducibility and repeatability of the combination of SPE pretreatment and MEKC were good for all the compounds, except for imazalil and O-phenylphenol in oranges, due to some matrix compounds interfering with the separation. The method was applied to post harvest treated samples, and the fungicides were sometimes detected at concentration levels lower than maximum residue limits (MRLs).     

Analysis of carbamate pesticides by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Capillary elcctrophoresis (CE) was used for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of eleven compounds of the carbamate, thio-carhamate, and dithiocarbamate classes of pesticides. Micellar elec-trokinetic chromatography (MEKC) was employed for the separation of these substances. The analysis was performed using an uncoated fused silica column, in borate buffer containing SDS and 10% methanol at basic pH, and UV detection at 230 nm. The addition of methanol to the buffer increased the separation and affected intrinsic migration of analytes. The working standard solutions were prepared in acetonitrile/water 50:50. Although these compounds are structurally different, with a large spectrum of chemical properties, such as polarity and solubility, good separation and sensitivity were obtained. Moreover, good recovery of car-bamates was obtained from tap-water using a styrene-divinylben-zene polymer column with the solid phase extraction (SPE) technique.     

Application of micellar electrokinetic chromatography to pharmaceutical analysis

Electrokinetic chromatography is a new type of analytical separation method which belongs to the group of high performance capillary electrophoretic techniques but whose separation principle is based on that of chromatography. The solute distributes itself between a carrier and the surrounding medium. The carrier, which corresponds to the stationary phase in conventional chromatography, can be transported by electrophoresis with a different velocity from the surrounding medium. The separation is achieved by the differential solute distribution and the differential migration of the carrier. The charged molecules or charged molecular aggregates are employed as the carrier. Various kinds of carriers are available for electrokinetic chromatography along with different partition mechanisms. Among them, micellar electrokinetic chromatography, which employs an ionic micelle as a carrier, has become the most popular method because of its unique and attractive characteristics as well as the separating capability of electrically neutral or nonionic solutes in comparison with capillary zone electrophoresis. The present paper describes the principle, separation characteristics and its application to the analysis of pharmaceuticals.     

Pesticide analysis in rose wines by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

In this work, the determination of 11 pesticides (pirimicarb, metalaxyl, pyrimethanil, procymidone, nuarimol, azoxystrobin, tebufenozide, fenarimol, benalaxyl, penconazole, and tetradifon) in rose wines by micellar EKC (MEKC) using reversed electrode polarity stacking mode (REPSM) as online preconcentration strategy is described. The MEKC buffer consisted of 100 mM sodium tetraborate and 30 mM SDS at pH 8.5 with 6% v/v 1-propanol. A solid-phase microextraction (SPME) procedure using PDMS/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) fibers was applied to extract the selected pesticides from the rose wine samples. The comparison between the calibration curves obtained from hydroalcoholic solutions (12% v/v ethanol) and from rose wines (matrix matched calibration) showed the existence of a strong matrix effect. Furthermore, a comparison with calibration curves obtained with white wine samples also showed significant differences for most of the analyzed pesticides. As a result, a matrix matched calibration was developed. Quantitative extraction from spiked wine samples was carried out in triplicate at two levels of concentration (range 0.18-6.00 mg/L). LODs between 0.040 and 0.929 mg/L were achieved, which are below the maximum residue limits (MRLs) established for wine grapes (except for pirimicarb) by the EU and Spain legislation as well as by the Codex Alimentarius. The established method - which is solvent free, cost effective, and fast - was also applied to the analysis of several homemade rose wine samples and a commercial one. Two of the selected pesticides were found in some of the analyzed samples.     

Serum iohexol analysis by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

A simple and rapid ( approximately 4 min) method for the measurement of iohexol in serum for assessing the glomerular filtration rate is described. It is based on direct serum injection on the capillary by MEKC. The method is linear between 8 and 260 mg/L, with an RSD of peak height of 2.9%. Several simple steps have contributed to an improved daily precision, such as choosing a high pH buffer, increasing the SDS concentration, frequent standardization, and eliminating any sample pretreatment.