Determination of proteins with Alizarin Red S by Rayleigh light scattering technique

A new protein determination method by enhanced Rayleigh light scattering (RLS) technique has been developed. In acid condition (pH=3.60), RLS of 1,2-dihydroxyanthraquinone-3-sulfonate (Alizarin Red S) can be greatly enhanced by addition of proteins, resulting in two characteristic peaks, 360 and 505 nm, respectively. The new protein assay is based on the RLS enhancement and spectrum change. The optimum condition for the reaction was investigated. The linear range is 0.20-24.9 μg ml⁻¹ for BSA and 0.20-15.5 μg ml⁻¹ for HSA. The detection limits (S/N=3) are 9.59 ng ml⁻¹ for BSA and 9.51 ng ml⁻¹ for HSA. The results of determination for human serum samples were comparable to those obtained by Bradford method. The binding stoichiometry was determined.     

Synchronous fluorescence determination of protein with functionalized CdS nanoparticles as a fluorescence probe

Nanometer-sized fluorescent particles have been successfully synthesized. A synchronous fluorescence method, with high sensitivity and selectivity, has been developed for rapid determination of protein with functionalized CdS as a fluorescence probe. When Δλ=260 nm, maximum synchronous fluorescence is produced at 274 nm at pH 7.0. Under optimal conditions, the calibration graphs are linear over the range 0.1-3.0 μg ml⁻¹ for bovine serum albumin (BSA), 0.1-11.0 μg ml⁻¹ for γ-globulin (γ-G) and 0.1-1.4 μg ml⁻¹ for human serum albumin (HSA), respectively. Limits of determination were 0.01 μg ml⁻¹ for BSA, 0.019 μg ml⁻¹ for γ-G and 0.021 μg ml⁻¹ for HSA, respectively. The relative standard deviations of seven replicate measurements were 1.8% for 1.0 μg ml⁻¹ BSA, 2.2% for 1.0 μg ml⁻¹ γ-G and 2.3% for 1.0 μg ml⁻¹ HSA.     

Rapid and sensitive determination of proteins by enhanced resonance light scattering spectroscopy of sodium lauroyl glutamate

A rapid and sensitive method for the determination of proteins is proposed based on the measurements of the enhanced resonance light scattering (RLS) spectroscopy of sodium lauroyl glutamate (SLG). Under the optimum conditions, the interaction between SLG and proteins occurred rapidly, resulting in greatly enhanced RLS intensity with the maximum peak located at 394 nm. It was found that the enhanced RLS intensities were in proportion to the concentrations of proteins in the range of 0.01-3.1 μg ml⁻¹ depending on the kind of proteins. The detection limits were below 6 ng ml⁻¹. Compared with some other methods for the determination of proteins, this method shows high sensitivity, low detection limit and simplicity. This is an inexpensive, simple and fast one-step procedure which requires only measuring the RLS intensities. Human serum samples were determined with satisfactory results.     

A sequential injection fluorometric procedure for rapid determination of total protein in human serum

A sensitive procedure for the quantification of total protein bovine serum albumen (BSA) in human serum was presented with sequential injection sampling and fluorometric detection. A few microliters of sample and fluorescamine solutions were aspirated into the holding coil to facilitate the reaction of protein with fluorescamine by giving rise to a blue-green-fluorescent derivative. The derivative was afterwards excited by a 400 nm radiation from a UV radiator, and the emitted fluorescence was monitored at the wavelength of 470 nm. By loading 5.0 μl of sample and 4.0 μl of fluorescamine solution 0.075% (m/v), a linear calibration graph was obtained within 0.3-12.5 μg ml⁻¹, and a detection limit (3σ) of 0.1 μg ml⁻¹ was achieved, along with a sampling frequency of 40 h⁻¹ and a R.S.D. value of 2.1% at the 5.0 μg ml⁻¹ levels. Protein contents in human serums were analyzed by using the present procedure, and reasonable agreements were obtained with those obtained by a documented spectrophotometric (Biuret) method.     

A rapid and sensitive method for the determination of trace proteins based on the interaction between proteins and Ponceau 4R

The interactions between proteins and Ponceau 4R (PR) in aqueous solution have been studied by the techniques of resonance light scattering (RLS) spectroscopy, the absorption spectroscopy, zeta potential assay and circular dichroism (CD) spectrum. The dry PR can assemble on the surface of protein via electrostatic and hydrophobic forces to produce an associated compound of protein-PR, this compound can enhance the RLS of protein. Based on this fact, a simple, rapid, and sensitive method has been developed for the determination of proteins at nanogram level by RLS technique with a common spectrofluorimeter. Under optimum conditions, the linear range is 0.10-39.2 μg mL⁻¹ for the determination of both bovine serum albumin (BSA) and human serum albumin (HSA). The detection limits (S/N = 3) are 6.96 ng mL⁻¹ for BSA and 5.71 ng mL⁻¹ for HSA, respectively. There is almost no interference from amino acids, most of the metal ions, and other coexistent substances. The method has been satisfactorily applied to the direct determination of the total protein in human serum.     

Ferric nanoparticle-based resonance light scattering determination of DNA at nanogram levels

A novel assay of DNA has been proposed by using ferric nanoparticles as probes coupled with resonance light scattering (RLS) detection. At pH 7.40, the RLS intensity of ferric nanoparticles can be greatly enhanced by the aggregation of positively charged ferric nanoparticles through electrostatic interaction with negatively charged DNA. The enhanced intensity of RLS at 452 nm is proportional to the concentration of DNA in the range of 0.01-0.8 μg ml⁻¹ for calf thymus and salmon sperm DNA and in the range of 0.005-0.3 μg ml⁻¹ for E. coli K12 genomic DNA. Detection limits are 3.6 ng ml⁻¹ for calf thymus DNA, 4.4 ng ml⁻¹ for salmon sperm DNA, and 1.9 ng ml⁻¹ for E. coli K12 genomic DNA, respectively. Compared with the chromophores previously used in RLS assay, the ferric nanoparticles have offered several advantages in easy preparation, good photostability and high sensitivity without being modified or functionalized.     

Study of the interaction of Azur B with DNA and the determination of DNA based on resonance light scattering measurements

Based on the measurements of molecular absorption and resonance light scattering (RLS), the aggregation of Azur B (AB) was in a medium of pH ranging from 1.98 to 2.56 and ionic strength <0.12 M. The presence of double stranded DNA prompts the aggregation, resulting in enhanced RLS signals. Linear relationships were achieved between the enhanced RLS intensity at 359.7 nm and DNA concentration in the range of 0-4.5 μg ml⁻¹ for both calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) and fish sperm DNA (fsDNA) if 3.0×10⁻⁵ M AB was employed. The 3σ limits of detection were 9.3 and 8.9 ng ml⁻¹ for ctDNA and fsDNA, respectively. Five synthetic samples were analysed satisfactorily.     

Preparation and application of functionalized nanoparticles of CdS as a fluorescence probe

CdS nanoparticles have been prepared and modified with mercaptoacetic acid. The functionalized nanoparticles are water-soluble and biocompatible. They could be used as a fluorescence probe in the determination of bovine serum albumin (BSA), which was proved to be a simple, rapid and specific method. In comparison with single organic fluorophores, these nanoparticle probes are brighter, more stable against photobleaching, and do not suffer from blinking. Under the optimum conditions, the response is linearly proportional to the concentration of BSA between 0.1 and 3.2 μg ml⁻¹, and the limit of detection is 0.08 μg ml⁻¹.     

Determination of proteins by flow injection analysis coupled with the Rayleigh light scattering technique

A novel flow injection analysis (FIA) method with Rayleigh light scattering (RLS) detection was developed for the determination of protein concentrations. This method is based on the weak intensity of RLS of p-nitrohenzene-azo-3,6 disulfo-1-amino-8-naphthol-7-azo-benzene disodium salt (Amide Black-10B) which can be enhanced by addition of protein in weakly acidic solution. It has proved that the application of this method to quantify the proteins by using human serum albumin was available in real samples. In addition, this method is very sensitive (the determination limits are 0.11 μg/mL for human serum albumen (HSA) and 0.85 μg/mL for bovine serum albumen, BSA), simple, rapid and tolerance of most interfering substances. The FIA-RLS method was more stabile than the general RLS method and the average R.S.D. value of FIA-RLS less than general RLS. The effects of different interfering substances will be also examined. The amount of proteins in human serum sample was determined and the maximum relative error was no more than 3.00% as well as the recovery was between 94.9 and 105.9%.     

Determination of ternary mixtures of penicillin G, benzathine and procaine by liquid chromatography and factorial design study

In the present work, a rapid and sensitive method for simultaneous determination of penicillin G (PG), benzathine (BE) and procaine (PR) in drug and serum media is introduced. The polar hydro-organic (55/45) mobile phases containing an aqueous solution adjusted to pH = 3.7 and an organic solvent (MeOH) including triethylamine (TEA) and trifluroacetic acid (TFA) are used. The flow rate of 1 ml min⁻¹, a C₈ column (150 mm × 46 mm) with 5 μm i.d. and wavelength at 215 nm are selected for optimal separation condition. The limit of detection (LOD), linear concentration range and relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) of this method for the PG are 1.1 μg ml⁻¹, 10-2400 μg ml⁻¹ and 1.7% and for the BE are 1.2 μg ml⁻¹, 12-2100 μg ml⁻¹ and 1.8% and for the PR are 1.5 μg ml⁻¹, 20-2000 μg ml⁻¹ and 2%, respectively. The factorial design is used for the determination of main and interaction effects of pH, flow rate and concentration of MeOH, TEA and TFA in the separation at two levels. Also, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) table is obtained. The results show that TFA and TEA have higher effect than concentration of MeOH, pH and flow rate factors.     

Ultra-trace level determination of hydroquinone in waste photographic solutions by UV-vis spectrophotometry

A simpler UV-vis spectrophotometric method was investigated for hydroquinone (HQ) determination using KMnO₄ as oxidizing agent for conversion of HQ to p-benzoquinone (BQ) as well as signal enhancer. Various parameters such as analytical wavelength, stability time, temperature, pH, solvent effect and interference of chemicals were checked and parameters optimized by using 1 μg ml⁻¹ standard solution of HQ. Beer's Law was applicable in the range of 0.07-2 μg ml⁻¹ and 0.005-0.05 μg ml⁻¹ at 245.5 nm and at 262 nm for aqueous standard solutions of HQ with linear regression coefficient value of 0.9978 and 0.9843 and detection limit of 0.021 μg ml⁻¹ and 0.0016 μg ml⁻¹ HQ, respectively. Standard deviation of 1.7% and 2.4% was true for 1 μg ml⁻¹ and 0.03 μg ml⁻¹ HQ solution (n = 11) run at respective wavelengths. The method was successfully applied to dilute waste photographic developer samples for free HQ determination.     

Determination of thyroxine hormone by luminol chemiluminescence

A chemiluminescence (CL) flow system for determination of thyroxine (Thy) is presented. It is based on the catalytic effect of cobalt(II) on the CL reaction between luminol and hydrogen peroxide. The iodinated chemical structure of Thy causes a heavy atom effect. The luminol CL signals show significant quenching by Thy. The calibration graph for Thy is linear for 15-70 μg ml⁻¹ and the 3σ detection limits are 27 μg ml⁻¹ for d-Thy and 23 μg ml⁻¹ for l-Thy.     

Simultaneous determination of 11 drugs belonging to four different groups in human urine samples by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method

A new, accurate, sensitive and fast reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) as an analytical method for the quantitative determination of 11 drugs in human urine was worked out, optimized and validated. The objects of analysis were imipenem (IMP), paracetamol (PAR), dipyrone (DPR), vancomycin (VCM), amikacin (AMK), fluconazole (FZ), cefazolin (CFZ), prednisolone (PRE), dexamethasone (DEX), furosemide (FUR) and ketoprofen (KET) belonging to four different groups (antibiotics, analgesic, demulcent and diuretic). For HPLC analysis, diode array (DAD) and fluorescence (FL) detectors were used. The separation of analyzed compounds was conducted by means of a LiChroCART^® Purospher^® C₁₈e (125 mm × 3 mm, particle size 5 μm) analytical column with LiChroCART^® LiChrospher^® C₁₈ (4 mm × 4 mm, particle size 5 μm) pre-column with gradient elution. Analyzed drugs were determined within 20 min. The mobile phase was comprised of various proportions of methanol, acetonitrile and 0.05% trifluoroacetic acid in water. AMK was separated and determined from human urine using ortho-phthaldialdehyde-3-mercaptopropionic acid (OPA-3-MPA) as a fluorescent reagent by RP-HPLC-FL. The following retention times for drugs IMP, PAR, DPR, VCM, AMK, FZ, CFZ, PRE, DEX, FUR and KET in human urine were found: 4.01 min, 4.86 min, 6.71 min, 8.14 min, 9.46 min, 10.01 min, 10.90 min, 13.34 min, 14.06 min, 16.03 min and 18.98 min, respectively. Excellent linearity was obtained for compounds in the range of concentration: 0.35-42 μg ml⁻¹, 0.5-45 μg ml⁻¹, 4.5-38 μg ml⁻¹, 0.25-25 μg ml⁻¹, 0.5-35 μg ml⁻¹, 0.25-22 μg ml⁻¹, 0.03-52 μg ml⁻¹, 0.15-25 μg ml⁻¹, 0.25-28 μg ml⁻¹, 0.05-18 μg ml⁻¹ and 0.15-35 μg ml⁻¹ for IMP, PAR, DPR, VCM, AMK, FZ, CFZ, PRE, DEX, FUR and KET, respectively. The limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) for analyzed drugs were calculated in all cases and recovery studies were also performed. Ten human urine samples obtained from patients treated in hospital have been tested. In analyzed samples, one or more drugs from the 11 examined drugs were detected. The concentrations of examined drugs in urine samples ranged between: 1.5-12 μg ml⁻¹ of PAR, 5.2-11.5 μg ml⁻¹ of DPR, 0.13-9.5 μg ml⁻¹ of CFZ and 0.1-8 μg ml⁻¹ of FUR. This method can be successfully applied to routine determination of all these drugs in human urine samples.     

Flow-injection chemiluminescence determination of dihydralazine sulfate based on hexacyanoferrate(III) oxidation sensitized by eosin Y

A novel flow-injection chemiluminescence (CL) method for the determination of dihydralazine sulfate (DHZS) is described. The method is based on the reaction between DHZS and hexacyanoferrate(III) in alkaline solution to give weak CL signal, which is dramatically enhanced by eosin Y. The CL emission allows quantitation of DHZS concentration in the range 0.02-2.8 μg ml⁻¹ with a detection limit (3σ) of 0.012 μg ml⁻¹. The experimental conditions for the CL reaction are optimized and the possible reaction mechanism is discussed. The method has been applied to the determination of DHZS in pharmaceutical preparations and compared well with the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method.     

Rapid and sensitive determination of protein by light-scattering technique with Eriochrome Blue Black R

Based on the interaction between Eriochrome Blue Black R (EBBR) and proteins, which causes a strong light-scattering signal with the maximum scattering peak located at 398 nm, a simple, rapid, sensitive and selective method is developed for the determination of proteins by the light-scattering technique using a common spectrofluoremeter. Under proper experimental conditions, the protein determination can be performed in the range of 0.1-25, 0.1-20 and 0.25-25 μg ml⁻¹ for bovine serum albumin (BSA), human serum albumin (HSA) and human immunoglobulin G (IgG), respectively. The detection limit, calculated as 3 times the S.D. of nine blank measurements, are 33 μg l⁻¹ for BSA, 25 μg l⁻¹ for HSA and 38 μg l⁻¹ for IgG. Moreover, there is no significant difference among the scattering signals yielded by HSA, IgG and BSA, and almost no interference of many amino acids and metal ions. The method has been satisfactorily applied to the direct determination of the total protein in human serum, saliva and urine samples. The results obtained from the studies on the binding characteristics of EBBR to BSA indicated that an electrostatic force existed in the binding system, and the binding constant (K) and the number of the binding sites (n) at 25 °C are 1.69×10⁵ l mol⁻¹ and 0.946, respectively.     

Non-equilibrium determination of metoclopramide and tetracaine hydrochloride by sequential injection spectrophotometry

A new sequential injection spectrophotometric method was proposed for the determination of metoclopramide and tetracaine hydrochloride. The method was based on the detection of an unstable red intermediate compound resulting from the reaction of metoclopramide or tetracaine hydrochloride with potassium dichromate, in the presence of sodium oxalate, in sulfuric acid solution. The related reaction mechanisms of this new method have been studied. The experimental conditions were optimized for the stopped-flow and continuous-flow sequential injection models. For continuous flow, the linear range for determination of metoclopramide, the detection limit and the sampling frequency were 13-130 μg ml⁻¹, 9.4 μg ml⁻¹ and 40 samples per hour, respectively. For stopped flow, they were 3-42 μg ml⁻¹, 1.0 μg ml⁻¹ and 18 h⁻¹, respectively. Adopting the continuous-flow model for tetracaine hydrochloride, the linear range was 25-300 μg ml⁻¹, and the detection limit was 18.0 μg ml⁻¹ with sampling frequency of 40 h⁻¹. This method has been used to determine metoclopramide and tetracaine hydrochloride in pharmaceutical preparations, and the results are compared with those determined by the pharmacopoeia method. Statistical analysis reveals that there was no evidence of significant difference between the methods.     

Flow-injection chemiluminescence assay for ultra-trace determination of DNA using rhodamine B-Ce(IV)-DNA ternary system in sulfuric acid media

A novel flow-injection chemiluminescence method for the determination of DNA at ultra-trace level has been established. In 0.8 M sulfuric acid media, the chemiluminescence of the rhodamine B-cerium (IV) or Ce(IV) system is enhanced by DNA, activated previously by imidazole-HCl buffer solution (pH 7.0). The enhanced intensity of chemiluminescence is in proportion to log DNA concentration 1.0×10⁻⁸ to 0.1 μg ml⁻¹ for herring sperm DNA and 2.0×10⁻⁶ to 0.2 μg ml⁻¹ for calf thymus DNA with 3σ detection limits of 8.3×10⁻⁹ μg ml⁻¹ for herring sperm DNA and 3.5×10⁻⁷ μg ml⁻¹ for calf thymus DNA, respectively. The relative standard deviation for 1.0×10⁻⁴ μg ml⁻¹ herring sperm DNA was 0.99% and 2.0×10⁻³ μg ml⁻¹ for calf thymus DNA was 1.1% (n=11). Using the optimized system, DNA contents in six synthetic samples has been determined with recoveries of 99.5-109.0%. The possible mechanism has also been studied in this paper.     

Chemiluminescence determination of citrate and pyruvate and their mixtures by the stopped-flow mixing technique

A novel kinetic chemiluminescent method using the stopped-flow mixing technique has been investigated for the rapid and sensitive determination of citrate and pyruvate. The method is based on a tris(2,2′-bipyridiyl)ruthenium(III) (Ru(bpy)₃³⁺) chemiluminescence (CL) reaction. Ru(bpy)₃³⁺ was generated in the mixing chamber by oxidising tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) with cerium(IV). After selecting the best operating parameters, calibration graphs were obtained over the concentration ranges 0.38-38 μg ml⁻¹ and 8.7-1300 ng ml⁻¹ for citrate and pyruvate, respectively. The limits of detection were 0.1 μg ml⁻¹ for citrate and 0.3 ng ml⁻¹ for pyruvate. Based on the differential rate of the chemiluminescent reaction corresponding to citrate and pyruvate, a very simple kinetic procedure was developed for the simultaneous determination of both compounds. Mixtures of citrate and pyruvate in ratios between 15:1 and 1.5:1 were satisfactorily resolved. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of citrate in pharmaceutical formulations, pyruvate in animal blood serum and both compounds in human urine.     

Development of an optical chemical sensor based on 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-(diethylamino)phenol in Nafion for determination of nickel ion

An optical chemical sensor based on immobilization of 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-(diethylamino)phenol (Br-PADAP) in Nafion membrane is described. The membranes were cast onto glass substrates and were used for the determination of nickel in aqueous solutions by spectrophotometry. The sensor system is highly transparent, mechanically stable and showed no evidence of reagent leaching. The influence of several parameters such as pH, ligand concentration, and type and concentration of regenerating solution were optimized. The sensor system showed good sensitivity in the range 0.5-20 μg ml⁻¹ with a detection limit of 0.3 μg ml⁻¹ Ni(II). The sensor has been incorporated into a home-made flow-through cell for determination of nickel in flowing streams with improved sensitivity, precision and detection limit. The calibration curve in the flow system was linear in the range 0.1-16 μg ml⁻¹ with a detection limit of 0.07 μg ml⁻¹. The sensor is easily regenerated by dilute nitric acid solution. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of nickel content in vegetable oil and chocolate samples and the results were compared with those obtained using atomic absorption spectrometry.     

Investigation on the interaction of tetrachloride fluorescein-bovine serum albumin-beta-cyclodextrin and the determination of protein by flow injection analysis

In this paper, a simple and sensitive flow injection analysis (FIA) for the determination of protein with spectroscopic probe was developed. This method was based on the investigation of the interaction of tetrachloride fluorescein (2,4,5,7-tetrachloro-3,6-fluorandiol)-bovine serum albumin (BSA), the coupling reaction of protein with tetrachloride fluorescein (TCFS) which was used as a spectroscopic probe in the presence of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). The interaction mechanism and the main factors affecting the determination were investigated in details. Under the optimum conditions, the linear range and detection limit were 0.0-28.0 μg mL⁻¹ and 0.76 μg mL⁻¹, respectively. The proposed method has been used to determine albumin in serum albumin with satisfactory results.