Determination of MDL 201,012 at femtomole/millilitre levels in human plasma by liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection.

A sensitive and selective liquid chromatographic method to quantitate MDL 201,012 in human plasma was developed and validated. MDL 201,012 (I), diethyl-MDL 201,012 (internal standard, II) and desmethyldiol-MDL 201,012 (masking agent, III) were isolated from basified plasma (2 mL) by solid phase extraction using Bond-Elut C-18 cartridges. Endogenous components were selectively removed prior to eluting the analytes from the sorbent. Components were separated using on-line LC column switching with a cyanopropyl precolumn and a phenyl analytical column. The analytical column effluent was monitored electrochemically at a glassy carbon electrode at a potential of +1025 mV vs. Ag/AgCl. Peak-height ratios were proportional to the amount of MDL 201,012 added to plasma over the range 125-7500 pg/mL MDL 201,012. Absolute recovery of MDL 201,012 from human plasma was > 94% across the calibration range. The minimum quantitation limit was 125 pg/mL. Assay precision (%RSD) ranged from 5.2 to 13% based on the analysis of quality control standards containing 125, 250, 500, 1000, 2500, 5000 and 7500 pg/mL MDL 201,012. Corresponding assay accuracy (% relative error) was +/- 8.5%. The method has been successfully used to quantitate MDL 201,012 in samples from acute dose tolerance studies in human volunteers.     

Detection of double-stranded PCR amplicons at the attomole level electrosprayed from low nanomolar solutions using FT-ICR mass spectrometry

An 82-base-pair polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product was amplified from the tetranucleotide short tandem repeat locus within the human tyrosine hydroxylase gene. PCR amplification was carried out using 100 ng of human nuclear DNA obtained from an individual who is homozygotic for the 9.3 allele resulting in a 50.5 kDa amplicon. To generate sufficient material for these investigations, several reactions were pooled and subsequently purified and quantified using UV-vis spectrophotometry. A serial dilution was carried out from a 2 μM stock solution providing solution concentrations down to 5 nM. Measurements were made using hexapole accumulation and gated trapping strategies in a 4.7 Telsa Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer (FTICR-MS) which facilitated detection of the amplicon at the attomole level when electrosprayed from a 5 nM solution with a single acquisition! The signal-to-noise ratio was determined to be 8.3 for the spectrum derived from the 5 nM solution using the magnitude-mode mass spectral peak height for the most abundant charge-state. This remarkable sensitivity for large PCR amplicons will dramatically improve the ability of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to address important genetic questions for low copy number genes or when the amount of initial template is limited; the latter issue is commonly encountered in DNA forensics. Furthermore, these data represents over 2 orders of magnitude decrease in detection limits over other existing ESI-MS reports concerning PCR products, including those conducted using FTICR-MS.     

Analysis of aminofluorescein-fatty acid derivatives by capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection at the attomole level: application to mycobacterial fatty acids

In the present work, a new method of purification for antithrombin was developed using an expanded bed chromatography technique. Milk fat was removed by centrifugation and caseins were precipitated selectively by addition of zinc chloride. Crude skim milk was then directly fed to an expanded bed column containing the ion-exchange matrix. The use of a cation-exchanger (P-11) resulted in 100% adsorption and 13% recovery whereas the use of an anion-exchanger (DE-52) resulted in 100% adsorption and 84% recovery and up to five-fold purification of antithrombin. The buffer, 25 mM Tris-HCl pH 8.0; the eluting agent, 2 M (NH4)2SO4; and 100% expansion of settled bed were determined to be the optimum conditions for the purification of antithrombin by ion-exchange expanded bed chromatography. A comparison of column diameters revealed that the elution yields increase by two-fold while the column diameter increases from 1 to 2.5 cm. However, antithrombin III was concentrated to a higher degree by using the column with an internal diameter of 1 cm.     

A robust approach for the analysis of peptides in the low femtomole range by capillary electrophoresis-tandem mass spectrometry

A capillary electrophoresis-tandem mass spectrometry (CE-MS/MS) approach has been developed for routine application in proteomic studies. Robustness of the coupling is achieved by using a standard coaxial sheath-flow sprayer. Thereby, greater stability than nanoelectrospray ionization-mass spectrometry coupling of sheathless capillary electrophoresis or nanoliquid chromatography (nano-LC) is achieved, resulting in stable operation for several weeks and unattended overnight sequences. The applied sheath flow is reduced to 1-2 microL/min in order to increase sensitivity. Standard peptides and those of digests of standard proteins and gel-separated proteins can be detected in the low femtomole range (full scan and MS/MS). Detection limits are found to be as low as 500 amol. Low femtomole amounts are required for unequivocal identification by MS/MS experiments in the ion trap and subsequent database search. By applying a simple pH-mediated stacking the concentration sensitivity can be lowered to some tens of fmol/microL (nM), depending on capillary size. This sensitivity is close to published values for sheathless CE-MS and nano-LC-MS, respectively (a comparison to reference values is presented). Moreover, with capillaries of about 50 cm in length separations in less than 10 min are possible resulting in a throughput of up to four analyses per hour. This is a factor of 4-12 times faster than nano-LC separation, being the state-of-the-art techniques for proteomic studies.     

Detection of double-stranded PCR amplicons at the attomole level electrosprayed from low nanomolar solutions using FT-ICR mass spectrometry

An 82-base-pair polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product was amplified from the tetranucleotide short tandem repeat locus within the human tyrosine hydroxylase gene. PCR amplification was carried out using 100 ng of human nuclear DNA obtained from an individual who is homozygotic for the 9.3 allele resulting in a 50.5 kDa amplicon. To generate sufficient material for these investigations, several reactions were pooled and subsequently purified and quantified using UV-vis spectrophotometry. A serial dilution was carried out from a 2 microM stock solution providing solution concentrations down to 5 nM. Measurements were made using hexapole accumulation and gated trapping strategies in a 4.7 Telsa Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer (FTICR-MS) which facilitated detection of the amplicon at the attomole level when electrosprayed from a 5 nM solution with a single acquisition! The signal-to-noise ratio was determined to be 8.3 for the spectrum derived from the 5 nM solution using the magnitude-mode mass spectral peak height for the most abundant charge-state. This remarkable sensitivity for large PCR amplicons will dramatically improve the ability of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to address important genetic questions for low copy number genes or when the amount of initial template is limited; the latter issue is commonly encountered in DNA forensics. Furthermore, these data represents over 2 orders of magnitude decrease in detection limits over other existing ESI-MS reports concerning PCR products, including those conducted using FTICR-MS.     

Mass spectrometric detection of attomole amounts of the prion protein by nanoLC/MS/MS

Sensitive quantitation of prions in biological samples is an extremely important and challenging analytical problem. Prions are the cause of several fatal neurodegenerative diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). At this time, there are no methods to diagnose TSEs in live animals or to assure a prion-free blood supply for humans. Prions have been shown to be present in blood by transfusion experiments, but based on the amount of infectivity found in these types of experiments, the amount of misfolded prion protein in blood is estimated to be only 30 to 625 amol/mL. More sensitive detection of prions in brain would allow earlier detection of disease and assure a safer food supply. We studied quantitation of the prion protein by use of nanoscale liquid chromatography coupled to a tandem mass spectrometer using the multiple reaction monitoring mode of operation. We developed a method based on the detection of VVEQMCTTQYQK obtained by reduction, alkylation, and digestion with trypsin of the prion protein. Detection of VVEQMCTTQYQK was more sensitive than for the derivative with phenylisothiocyanate (PITC) because of decreased ionization efficiency of the PITC-derivatized peptides. The VVEQMCTTQYQK method has a LOD of 20 to 30 amol for pure standards. Proof of principle is demonstrated by quantitation of the amount of PrP 27-30 in the brains of terminally ill Syrian hamsters.     

Detection of femtomole and sub-femtomole levels of peptides by tandem magnetic sector/reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometry and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization

This article describes results of low-level (sub-femtomole) detection of peptides by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization. The matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization method can be used for low-level detection of the parent ion, either [M + H]⁺ or [M + Na]⁺, and collision-induced dissociation of the parent ion can be performed at the picomole level. The instrument used for these studies is a novel high-performance magnetic sector (electric(E)/magnetic(B) sector)/reflectron time-of-flight (TOP) tandem mass spectrometer (EB/TOF).     

Determination of analytes at trace level in uranium matrix by ICP-AES without chemical/physical separation

Determination of trace metallic constituents in nuclear materials e.g. U, Pu, Am, Zr etc. by Atomic Emission Spectroscopy requires the separation of the major matrix without the loss of analytes at trace level. For DC Arc carrier distillation technique, carrier is used to separate the matrix physically according to the volatility of the analytes while appropriate extractant in suitable diluent is used for chemical separation in inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). In the present study an attempt was made to develop a methodology for the determination of B, Cd, Mg, Zn, Al, Sr and Sc at trace level (up to 0.1 μg/mL) in uranium matrix without any chemical or physical separation. It involves identification of suitable analytical lines of uranium for its ICP-AES determination; study the spectral interference of uranium to choose interference free analytical lines, optimization of instrumental and experimental parameters etc. The method was validated using synthetic samples.     

Trace analysis of glyclazide in human plasma at microscale level by mass spectrometry

Green (reagents and organic solvents saving) analytical chemistry is a new strategy for pharmaceutical analysis. The principles of this idea include primary elimination or at least reduction of the amounts of organic reagents and solvents. In this study, we have provided two simple methods for the analysis of clinical drugs in human plasma. One is the capillary LC (Cap LC) connected to MS–MS, the other is the matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) connected to TOF MS. Sulfonylurea drugs are usually used in diabetes mellitus patients. Diabetes is a syndrome of disordered metabolism resulting in abnormally high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia). These microscale methods were successfully applied for the monitoring of drug levels in human plasma using gliclazide (a second‐generation sulfonylurea) as the test platform. The sensitivity of these methods is sufficient for detecting the gliclazide within a therapeutic range. All the analytical procedures (including human plasma, sample preparation, and flow rate of the analytical system) were at microscale level. These two methods would lower the consumption of organic solvents further safeguarding our environment.     

Fluorimetric determination of fluorescein at the femtomole level with a self-ordered ring of a sessile droplet on glass slide support

A method for fluorimetric microscopic determination of trace amounts of fluorescein at the femtomole level has been developed. Since the solvent evaporates from the droplet on a hydrophobic-treated glass slide, an outward capillary flow of the solvent from the interior of the droplet occurs. The resulting outward capillary flow then carries the solute to the perimeter of the droplet spot, where the solute accumulates to form a fluorescent self-ordered ring (SOR). Depending on the volume of the droplet of fluorescein solution, SORs of different sizes with an outer diameter less than 1.2 mm and a ring belt width less than 24 μm can be obtained. Data analysis for a digitally imaged SOR using a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera showed that the fluorescein molecules across the fluorescent SOR belt section follow a Gaussian distribution; the maximum fluorescent intensity at central ring belt (I _max) was found to be proportional to fluorescein content. When a 0.1-μL droplet was spotted on the solid support, fluorescein in a range of 0.6–120 femtomol (or 6.2–1200.0 nM) can be detected, and the limit of detection can reach 62 attomol (or 0.6 nM). With the present method, the contents of fluorescein in fluorescein sodium injections were satisfactorily detected with recoveries of 95–105% and RSD of 3.5 and 4.2%, respectively. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Optimization of the conditions for biuret complex formation for the determination of peptides by capillary electrophoresis with ultraviolet detection

Capillary electrophoresis with UV detection was utilized to optimize copper complexation conditions for the analysis of neuropeptides. Complexation was confirmed by monitoring the response at a visible wavelength. Four complexation strategies were used to compare the UV response of native peptides and their respective copper complexes. All four strategies resulted in complete complexation, but on-capillary complexation provided significant advantages over precapillary and pre-/on-capillary. An increase in UV absorbance along with peak stacking resulted in a significantly greater response using the on-capillary technique. Also, on-capillary complexation does not require dilution of the sample. The effects of temperature and copper concentration were also investigated. The utility of this method for the separation of an enkephalin peptide mixture is presented.     

Measurement of submicrosecond intramolecular contact formation in peptides at the single-molecule level

We describe a single-molecule-sensitive method to determine the rate of contact formation and dissociation between tryptophan and an oxazine derivative (MR121) on the basis of measurements of the photon distance distribution. Two short peptides (15 and 20 amino acids) derived from the transactivation domain of the human oncoprotein p53 were investigated. With the fluorophore attached at the N-terminal end of the flexible peptides, fluorescence of the dye is efficiently quenched upon contact formation with a tryptophan residue. The mechanism responsible for the efficient fluorescence quenching observed in the complexes is assumed to be a photoinduced electron-transfer reaction occurring predominantly at van der Waals contact. Fluorescence fluctuations caused by intramolecular contact formation and dissociation were recorded using confocal fluorescence microscopy with two avalanche photodiodes and the time-correlated single-photon-counting technique, enabling a temporal resolution of 1.2 ns. Peptides containing a tryptophan residue at positions 9 and 8, respectively, show contact formation with rate constants of 1/120 and 1/152 ns(-1), respectively. Whereas the rate constants of contact formation most likely directly report on biopolymer chain mobility, the dissociation rate constants of 1/267 and 1/742 ns(-1), respectively, are significantly smaller and reflect strong hydrophobic interactions between the dye and tryptophan. Fluorescence experiments on point-mutated peptides where tryptophan is exchanged by phenylalanine show no fluorescence quenching.     

Determination of lead at the ng ml-1 level by reduction to plumbane and measurement by inductively-coupled plasma emission spectrometry

A detection limit of 1 ng ml^-1 for lead is obtained by the reported method. Samples are prepared in 0.5 M hydrochloric acid—0.8 M hydrogen peroxide. Plumbane is produced (with 64% efficiency) by the addition of 5% sodium tetrahydroborate in 0.5% NaOH, and is transported by the argon feed directly to an inductively-coupled argon plasma for emission spectrometry. Decreased hydrogen generation and greater stability of the plasma also contribute to the improved detection limit. The method is shown to be generally applicable to As, Sb, Bi, Sn, Te and Se, with detection limits at the ng ml^-1 level.     

Trace lead measurement and on-line removal of matrix interference in seawater by isotope dilution coupled with flow injection and ICP-MS

Isotope dilution analysis method coupled with flow injection and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ID-FI-ICP-MS), enabled trace lead concentration in seawater to be determined and the high salt concentration in the matrix, such as Na⁺, Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺, to be removed on-line. The operational parameters of the FI system including pH for the chelating reaction, concentration of 8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulfonic acid (8-HQS), sample loading time and injection speed, washing time and speed, eluting acid concentration and eluting speed, and instrumental parameters for ICP-MS were optimized and selected. Accurate results could be achieved because the isotope ratios required can be precisely measured in the range of the eluting peak by means of ID-FI-ICP-MS. The 3σ detection limit was 0.204 ng ml⁻¹. The trace lead concentration of seawater in south Xiamen, China was 0.988 ± 0.039 ng ml⁻¹. The recoveries of spiked Pb standard in seawater and standard reference water (GBW 08607) were 97.9 and 101.0%, respectively, with a relative standard deviation of 0.98%. This method can be used to determine trace lead concentration in high salt matrix samples, and is especially useful when the eluting peaks do not have a Gaussian-distribution.     

Trace/matrix separation of uranium and thorium from molybdenum and tungsten matrix. A batch method for ultratrace bulk analysis

Summary A combined analytical procedure for spectro-photometric determination of uranium and thorium traces in high-purity molybdenum and tungsten matrices using the ion-exchanger cellulose Hyphan (TM of Riedel de Haën AG, FRG) for preconcentration is described. Following their separation (batch mode) uranium and thorium are determined as arsenazo-III complexes. The limits of detection (3) are 3 ng g^–1 U and 20 ng g^–1 Th. The analytical procedures elaborated improve the detection limits for U and Th in molybdenum and tungsten matrices by four and three orders of magnitude, respectively, compared to their determination by ICP-OES or DCP-OES without matrix separation. Accordingly, the procedures are routinely applicable in an industrial laboratory. The capability of this batch method can be validated by measurements of ion beam ratio with the glow discharge mass spectrometer; comparable results are obtained.     

Support matrix effects in the reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography of some peptides.

The retentions of 28 peptides in reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography (RPTLC) were determined on cellulose and on impregnated cellulose and alumina layers with 1-propanol as the organic component of the mobile phase. Each peptide showed a support matrix effect: their RM values first decreased to a minimum, then increased with increasing 1-propanol concentration. On cellulose layers only the increasing phase was observed. The retention behaviour of peptides was adequately described with a quadratic or linear function, but the slope value of the linear function had a positive value. The results demonstrate that the support matrix effect can be observed on non-silica supports and it may occur in reversed-phase chromatography in the case of polar solutes and supports with free adsorptive centres on their surfaces. Both the intercept and slope values of the function are needed to describe the lipophilicity of peptides, but the correlation is not strong enough for the determination of the lipophilicity of peptides by RPTLC. Principal component analysis showed that the peptides form distinct clusters on the basis of their retention characteristics: peptides containing a basic amino acid, peptides with a ring structure in the amino acid side-chain and peptides containing uncharged amino acids.     

Optimization of a reaction detector for analysis at the femtomol level of carbamate insecticides by HPLC

Summary For the determination of trace amounts of carbamate insecticides in vegetables the combination of liquid chromatography with post column chemical derivatization (chemical reaction detector) is used. In a two step reaction detector the carbamates are firstly saponified in 0.01 M sodium hydroxide at 80°C with a reaction time of 30sec. To this mixture OPA reagent is added to detect the methylamine generated in the saponification. Optimization strategies for this reaction are demonstrated. At a temperature of 80 °C a reaction time of 80 sec is sufficient for quantitative transformation of the methylamine. The peak dispersion can be reduced and hence the detection limit improved by decreasing the diameter of the tubes and by diminishing dilution through the addition of reagent. A 1∶24 ratio of reagent to column (reactor) effluent is possible with cyclone-type mixers. The quantitation of carbamates in different vegetables is demonstrated. The detection limit is 20ppb at a signal to noise ratio of 10∶1. Thesis B. Lillig, Saarbrücken, 1984     

长光路萃取光度法测定痕量氟

以新型氟树脂长光纤作吸收池，用二甲苯胺的异戊醇作萃取剂，氟、硝酸镧与茜素络合剂形成三元络合物。为保持有机相的清澈，加入０．１０ｍＬ无水乙醇代替ＨＡｃ－ＮａＡｃ缓冲溶液洗涤有机相，并以乙醇稀释有机相后测定。用１１０ｃｍ长的毛细管５８０ｎｍ处测定吸收，氟的线性范围在０－３２μｇ／Ｌ服从比尔定律。该法具有高灵敏度，高稳定性等优点，于天然水中氟，对含氟０．１０ｍｇ／Ｌ－０．１３ｍｇ／Ｌ的水样，其回收率在９     

Optimization of pairings and detection conditions for measurement of FRET between cyan and yellow fluorescent proteins.

Detection of F?rster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between cyan and yellow fluorescent proteins is a key method for quantifying dynamic processes inside living cells. To compare the different cyan and yellow fluorescent proteins, FRET efficiencies were measured for a set of the possible donor:acceptor pairs. FRET between monomeric Cerulean and Venus is more efficient than the ECFP:EYFP pair and has a 10% greater F?rster distance. We also compared several live cell microscopy methods for measuring FRET. The greatest contrast for changes in intramolecular FRET is obtained using a combination of ratiometric and spectral imaging. However, this method is not appropriate for establishing the presence of FRET without extra controls. Accurate FRET efficiencies are obtained by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, but these measurements are difficult to collect and analyze. Acceptor photobleaching is a common and simple method for measuring FRET efficiencies. However, when applied to cyan to yellow fluorescent protein FRET, this method becomes prone to an artifact that leads to overestimation of FRET efficiency and false positive signals. FRET was also detected by measuring the acceptor fluorescence anisotropy. Although difficult to quantify, this method is exceptional for screening purposes, because it provides high contrast for discriminating FRET.