Use of capillary electrophoresis with chemiluminescence detection for sensitive determination of homocysteine

A sensitive capillary electrophoresis (CE) method with chemiluminescence (CL) detection was developed for the determination of homocysteine (HCys) in human plasma. In this work, N‐(4‐aminobutyl)‐N‐ethylisoluminol was used as tagging reagent to label the analyte for achieving high assay sensitivity. N‐(4‐Aminobutyl)‐N‐ethylisoluminol‐tagged HCys after CE separation reacted with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of horseradish peroxidase, producing CL emission. Experimental conditions for labeling analyte, CE separation, and CL detection were studied. The CL intensity was proportional to the concentration of HCys in the range of 2.5×10^?8 to 5.0×10^?6 M. Detection limit (S/N=3) was 7.6×10^?9 M. Human plasma samples from healthy donors were analyzed by the presented method. HCys levels were found to be in the range of 9.50–15.3 μM.     

Capillary electrophoresis–electrochemiluminescence detection method for the analysis of ibandronate in drug formulations and human urine

A simple, rapid and sensitive CE method coupled with electrochemiluminescence (ECL) detection for direct analysis of ibandronate (IBAN) has been developed. Using a buffer solution of 20 mM sodium phosphate (pH 9.0) and a voltage of 13.5 kV, separation of IBAN in a 30‐cm length capillary was achieved in 3 min. ECL detection was performed with an indium tin oxide working electrode bias at 1.6 V (versus a Pt wire reference) in a 200‐mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 8.0) containing 3.5 mM Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ (where bpy=2,2′‐bipyridyl). Derivatization of IBAN prior to CE‐ECL analysis was not needed. Linear correlation (r=0.9992, n=7) between ECL intensity and analyte concentration was obtained in the range of 0.25–50 μM IBAN. The LOD of IBAN in water was 0.08 μM. The developed method was applied to the analysis of IBAN in a drug formulation and human urine sample. SPE using magnetic Fe₃O₄@Al₂O₃ nanoparticles as the extraction phase was employed to pretreat the urine sample before CE‐ECL analysis. The linear range was 0.2–12.0 μM IBAN in human urine (r=0.9974, n=6). The LOD of IBAN in urine was 0.06 μM. Total analysis time including sample preparation was <1 h.     

A carbon quantum dots‐enhanced chemiluminescence method for the determination of gallic acid in food samples

In this work, we show that gallic acid can significantly inhibit the chemiluminescence (CL) intensity of carbon quantum dots (CQDs)‐enhanced K₃Fe(CN)₆–luminol system. Under optimum conditions, the decrease in the CL intensity is proportional to the concentration of gallic acid over the range 0.01–1.0 μM, and the detection limit is 1.0 nM. The relative standard deviation of repeated intraday and interday determinations of gallic acid was 1.2–4.2%. This method was successfully applied to the determination of gallic acid in food samples, with recoveries in the range 94.0–103.0%. A possible mechanism of CL is discussed.     

Gold nanoparticle‐enhanced capillary electrophoresis‐chemiluminescence assay of trace uric acid

A sensitive method based on gold nanoparticle‐enhanced CE‐chemiluminescence (CL) detection was developed for quantifying uric acid (UA) in serum. In this work, gold nanoparticles were added into the running buffer of CE to catalyze the post‐column CL reaction between luminol and hydrogen peroxide, achieving highly efficient CL emission. Negative peaks were produced due to the inhibitory effects on CL emission from UA eluted from the electrophoretic capillary. The decrease in CL intensity was proportional to the concentration of UA in the range of 2.5×10^?7–1.0×10^?5 M. Detection limit was 4.6×10^?8 M UA. Ten human serum samples were analyzed by the presented method. Serum level of UA was found to be in the range from 204 to 324 μM for healthy subjects (n=5), and from 464 to 497 μM for diabetic patients (n=5). The two groups were significantly different (p<0.05). The results suggested a potential application of the proposed assay in rapid primary diagnosis of diseases such as diabetes.     

Sensitive Determination of 2‐Methoxyestradiol in Pharmaceutical Preparations and Biological Fluids by KMnO4‐Na2SO3 Chemiluminescence System

A simple and novel flow‐injection chemiluminescence (FI‐CL) method was established for the determination of 2‐Methoxyestradiol (2‐ME) in pharmaceutical preparations and biological fluids. The method was based on the significant enhancement of the CL from the KMnO₄‐Na₂SO₃ reaction by 2‐ME in acidic medium. Under optimized conditions, the CL intensity was correlated linearly with concentration of 2‐ME in the range of 5.0 × 10^?8‐5.0 × 10^?6 M (r = 0.9995). The detection limit (3σ) of 2‐ME was 7.5 × 10^?9 M and the relative standard deviation was 0.8% at 5.0 × 10^?7 M 2‐ME (n = 8). The proposed method was successfully applied for the flow‐injection CL determination of 2‐ME in pharmaceutical preparations and biological fluids with the recoveries from 92.4 to 106.8%. The possible CL reaction mechanism was also discussed briefly.     

Efficient capillary electrophoresis separation and determination of free amino acids in beer samples

Simultaneous detection of various o‐phthalaldehyde (OPA)‐labeled amino acids (AAs) in food samples was reported based on CE separation. Ionic liquid was used for the first time for CE analysis of AAs with in‐capillary derivatization. Several other additives, including SDS, α/β‐CD, and ACN, as well as key parameters for CE separation (buffer pH value, separation voltage), were also investigated. Our results show that the multiple additive strategy exhibits good stable and repeatable character for CE analysis of OPA‐labeled AAs, for either in‐capillary derivatization or CE separation, and allows simultaneous quantification of different OPA‐labeled AAs in a large concentration range of 50 μM to 3.0 mM with LOD down to 10 μM. Seventeen OPA‐labeled AAs, except for two pairs of AAs (His/Gln and Phe/Leu), which were separated with resolutions of 1.1 and 1.2, respectively, were baseline separated and identified within 23 min using the present multiple additive strategy. The method was successfully applied for simultaneous analysis of AAs in seven beer samples and as many as eleven trace‐amount AAs were detected and quantified, indicating the valuable potential application of the present method for food analysis.     

Capillary Electrophoresis Chemiluminescence for the Analysis of Flavonoids in Pharmaceuticals and Human Plasma

A capillary electrophoresis (CE)-chemiluminescence (CL) method has been developed for the determination of the pharmacologically active flavonoids, including rutin and quercetin in pharmaceuticals and human plasma containing Ginkgo biloba leaves extract (EGb). The separation was conducted in borate buffer and luminol. The post-column CL reagent was K₃Fe(CN)₆ in NaOH medium. Rutin and quercetin were baseline separated within 10 min with detection limits of 1.0 and 5.0 nM, respectively. The maximum intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations (RSD) of migration time of analytes were <3.5 %. Moreover, the high selectivity of the CL detection and the high-separation efficiency of CE render the method the potential of quick analyzing the pharmacologically active substances in complex matrix with satisfactory results.

     

Capillary Electrophoresis Chemiluminescence for the Analysis of Flavonoids in Pharmaceuticals and Human Plasma

A capillary electrophoresis (CE)-chemiluminescence (CL) method has been developed for the determination of the pharmacologically active flavonoids, including rutin and quercetin in pharmaceuticals and human plasma containing Ginkgo biloba leaves extract (EGb). The separation was conducted in borate buffer and luminol. The post-column CL reagent was K₃Fe(CN)₆ in NaOH medium. Rutin and quercetin were baseline separated within 10 min with detection limits of 1.0 and 5.0 nM, respectively. The maximum intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations (RSD) of migration time of analytes were <3.5 %. Moreover, the high selectivity of the CL detection and the high-separation efficiency of CE render the method the potential of quick analyzing the pharmacologically active substances in complex matrix with satisfactory results.     

Aptamer‐based detection and quantitative analysis of human immunoglobulin E in capillary electrophoresis with chemiluminescence detection

A novel aptamer‐based CE with chemiluminescence (CL) assay was developed for highly sensitive detection of human immunoglobulin E (IgE). The IgE aptamer was conjugated with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to form AuNPs‐aptamer that could specifically recognize the IgE to produce an AuNPs‐aptamer‐IgE complex. The mixture of the AuNPs‐aptamer‐IgE complex and the unbounded AuNPs‐aptamer could be effectively separated by CE and sensitively detected with luminol‐H₂O₂ CL system. By taking the advantage of the excellent catalytic behavior of AuNPs on luminol‐H₂O₂ CL system, the ultrasensitive detection of IgE was achieved. The detection limit of IgE is 7.6 fM (S/N = 3) with a linear range from 0.025 to 250 pM. Successful detection of IgE in human serum samples was demonstrated and the recoveries of 94.9–103.2% were obtained. The excellent assay features of the developed approach are its specificity, sensitivity, adaptability, and very small sample consumption. Our design provides a methodology model for determination of rare proteins in biological samples.     

Dual‐signal amplification strategy for ultrasensitive chemiluminescence detection of PDGF–BB in capillary electrophoresis

Many efforts have been made toward the achievement of high sensitivity in capillary electrophoresis coupled with chemiluminescence detection (CE‐CL). This work describes a novel dual‐signal amplification strategy for highly specific and ultrasensitive CL detection of human platelet‐derived growth factor–BB (PDGF–BB) using both aptamer and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) modified gold nanoparticles (HRP–AuNPs–aptamer) as nanoprobes in CE. Both AuNPs and HRP in the nanoprobes could amplify the CL signals in the luminol–H₂O₂ CL system, owing to the excellent catalytic behavior of AuNPs and HRP in the CL system. Meanwhile, the high affinity of aptamer modified on the AuNPs allows detection with high specificity. As proof‐of‐concept, the proposed method was employed to quantify the concentration of PDGF–BB from 0.50 to 250 fm with a detection limit of 0.21 fm. The applicability of the assay was further demonstrated in the analysis of PDGF–BB in human serum samples with acceptable accuracy and reliability. The result of this study exhibits distinct advantages, such as high sensitivity, good specificity, simplicity, and very small sample consumption. The good performances of the proposed strategy provide a powerful avenue for ultrasensitive detection of rare proteins in biological sample, showing great promise in biochemical analysis. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Capillary electrophoresis chemiluminescence assay of naphthol isomers in human urine and river water using Ni(IV) complex‐luminol system

A capillary electrophoresis method involving online indirect chemiluminescence (CL) detection was used to determine naphthol (NAP) isomers. The method was based on the quenching effect of 1‐ and 2‐NAP on a new CL reaction of luminol with Ni(IV) complex in an alkaline medium. Separation was conducted with a 25.0 mM sodium borate buffer containing 0.8 mmol/L luminol. Under optimized conditions, 1‐ and 2‐NAP were baseline separated and detected in less than 8 min. The limits of detection of 1‐ and 2‐NAP were 3.1 and 2.7 μg/L, respectively (S/N = 3), with a linear range of 4.0–80.0 μg/L (r > 0.995). Analysis of real samples demonstrated that the spiked recoveries were in the range of 89.2–107.5% (n = 3). The proposed method was successfully used to determine 1‐ and 2‐NAP contents in three environmental water samples and 14 human urine samples. No derivatization or tedious pretreatment was required in the analysis. The proposed method is a potential approach for routine tests of naphthol isomers in a facile CE–CL system.     

Sequential capillary electrophoresis analysis using optically gated sample injection and UV/vis detection

We present sequential CE analysis of amino acids and l ‐asparaginase‐catalyzed enzyme reaction, by combing the on‐line derivatization, optically gated (OG) injection and commercial‐available UV‐Vis detection. Various experimental conditions for sequential OG‐UV/vis CE analysis were investigated and optimized by analyzing a standard mixture of amino acids. High reproducibility of the sequential CE analysis was demonstrated with RSD values (n = 20) of 2.23, 2.57, and 0.70% for peak heights, peak areas, and migration times, respectively, and the LOD of 5.0 μM (for asparagine) and 2.0 μM (for aspartic acid) were obtained. With the application of the OG‐UV/vis CE analysis, sequential online CE enzyme assay of l ‐asparaginase‐catalyzed enzyme reaction was carried out by automatically and continuously monitoring the substrate consumption and the product formation every 12 s from the beginning to the end of the reaction. The Michaelis constants for the reaction were obtained and were found to be in good agreement with the results of traditional off‐line enzyme assays. The study demonstrated the feasibility and reliability of integrating the OG injection with UV/vis detection for sequential online CE analysis, which could be of potential value for online monitoring various chemical reaction and bioprocesses.     

Rapid screening of inorganic and organic anions in liquid by‐products from hydrothermal treatment of biomass by capillary electrophoresis

A simple and rapid capillary electrophoresis method with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (CE‐C⁴D) for the simultaneous determination of inorganic and organic anions in liquid product obtained from the hydrothermal treatment of biomass residues is presented. Under the optimal analytical conditions, limits of detection ranged from 1.8 to 9.4 μM for most target solutes and 53 μM for citrate. Relative standard deviations were below 0.5% for migration times and within 0.6–6.5% for peak areas for all solutes. The proposed method was successfully applied for the rapid determination and screening of inorganic and organic anions in liquid product produced following differing hydrothermal treatment temperatures for banana and pineapple biomass, and the contribution of organic acid formation to acidity in the liquid was evaluated. CE‐C⁴D could be a suitable method for the optimization or tailoring of HTT conditions for desired liquid product composition, and additionally for determination of the best variety(s) of biomass to use in such processes.     

Determination of levodopa by capillary electrophoresis with chemiluminescence detection

A rapid and simple method using capillary electrophoresis (CE) with chemiluminescence (CL) detection was developed for the determination of levodopa. This method was based on enhance effect of levodopa on the CL reaction between luminol and potassium hexacyanoferrate(III) (K₃[Fe(CN)₆]) in alkaline aqueous solution. CL detection employed a lab-built reaction flow cell and a photon counter. The optimized conditions for the CL detection were 1.0 × 10⁻⁵ M luminol added to the CE running buffer and 5.0 × 10⁻⁵ M K₃[Fe(CN)₆] in 0.6 M NaOH solution introduced postcolumn. Under the optimal conditions, a linear range from 5.0 × 10⁻⁸ to 2.5 × 10⁻⁶ M (r = 9991), and a detection limit of 2.0 × 10⁻⁸ M (signal/noise = 3) for levodopa were achieved. The precision (R.S.D.) on peak area (at 5.0 × 10⁻⁷ M of levodopa, n = 11) was 4.1%. The applicability of the method for the analysis of pharmaceutical and human plasma samples was examined.     

Investigation of the Photodecomposition of Hemin and Trace Amount Determination of Hemin with Flow Injection Chemiluminescence Method

Using the hemin‐H₂O₂‐Na₂CO₃‐NaOH chemiluminescence (CL) system, the study on the photodecomposition behavior of hemin under ultraviolet light and solar light were carried out and the determination of hemin was developed coupled with simple flow injection technique. The results showed that the decomposition reaction of hemin in different light irradiations corresponded with a first‐order reaction. And then the determination of hemin was completed by the CL emission from the reaction of hemin with H₂O₂ in aqueous carbonate. The linear range was 2.2 × 10^?10 to 6.88 × 10^?7 M and the detection limit was 2.2 × 10^?11 M (S/N = 3). The relative standard deviation (RSD) was 2.82% for ten independent detections of 1.72 × 10^?8 M hemin. As a preliminary application, the proposed method was successfully applied for the analysis of hemin in pharmaceutical formulations and animal blood with a recovery of 96?108%. A possible CL mechanism of the present system was discussed, and free radicals were suggested to be involved in this reaction.     

Simultaneous determination of serotonin and creatinine in urine by combining two ultrasound-assisted emulsification microextractions with on-column stacking in capillary electrophoresis

This article describes the development of a rapid, simple, and sensitive analytical approach for the simultaneous determination of serotonin (5‐hydroxytryptamine) and creatinine in urine samples by combining two ultrasound‐assisted emulsification microextractions (USAEMEs) in series with on‐column stacking in CE. This serial USAEME procedure comprises analytes extraction from the donor solution (urine with K₂CO₃ additive) to an organic solvent followed by a back‐extraction from the organic phase into a small volume of hydrochloric acid. After 15 min of sample pretreatment, the acidic acceptor solution was analyzed directly on CE in the mode of capillary zone electrophoresis. The adoption of HCl as the acceptor phase not only provided effective back‐extraction but also facilitated pH‐mediated on‐column stacking in CE analysis. About 360‐fold sensitivity enhancement was achieved for serotonin detection. The limits of detection were 7.9 nM for serotonin and 13.3 μM for creatinine, respectively. Satisfactory results were obtained with respect to precision and recovery. The proposed method has been demonstrated to be convenient and effective for the analysis of real urine samples. We believe that two USAEMEs in series will find wide applications in simplified sample pretreatment prior to CE analysis.     

Quantification of γ-aminobutyric acid in the heads of houseflies (Musca domestica) and diamondback moths (Plutella xylostella (L.)), using capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection

A novel method was developed for quantifying the levels of γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the heads of houseflies (Musca domestica) and diamondback moths (Plutella xylostella (L.)), using capillary electrophoresis with laser‐induced fluorescence detection (CE‐LIF). The GABA in sample was derivatized with 4‐chloro‐7‐nitro‐2,1,3‐benzoxadiazole (NBD‐Cl) prior to CE‐LIF analysis. In total, 32 mmol/L borate buffer, at pH 9.2 and containing 5.3 mmol/L β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) and 10.4 mmol/L sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), was determined to be the optimum CE background electrolyte (BGE) for GABA analysis. The detection limit of GABA was 0.016 μmol/L. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the migration time and peak area of GABA were 1.78 and 4.93%, respectively. The average recoveries of 0.97, 3.88, and 5.83 μmol/L of GABA, each added to the head sample of housefly, ranged from 88.9 to 110.5%. This method is simple and applicable to GABA assays of the heads of insects. With this newly developed CE‐LIF method, the amounts of GABA in the heads of houseflies (M. domestica) and diamondback moths (P. xylostella (L.)) were measured. The results are relevant to the understandings of some insecticides and insecticide‐resistance mechanisms in pests.     

Light‐emitting‐diode‐induced chemiluminescence detection for capillary electrophoresis

In this work, an LED‐induced‐chemiluminescence (LED‐CL) system was developed to extend the application of CL detection in CE. In the LED‐CL, the analyte photooxidizes luminol under the irradiation of LEDs and generates CL. Taking the advantage of the small size nature of LEDs, the constructed photoreactor is greatly miniaturized, and especially suitable as a CE detector. The feasibility of the proposed detector was evaluated by detection of riboflavin (RF), flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) after CE separation. Under the optimized conditions, the LODs for RF, FMN and FAD were 0.007, 0.02 and 0.1 μg/mL, respectively, better than those by UV detection. The RSDs were 3.4, 3.6 and 4.1% for 0.5 μg/mL RF, 2 μg/mL FMN and 5 μg/mL FAD, respectively. The LED‐CL detector features low cost, miniaturization, fast response, high sensitivity and good reproducibility.     

Sensitivity enhancement in capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry of anionic metabolites using a triethylamine-containing background electrolyte and sheath liquid

Analyte responses in CE‐ESI‐MS using negative ionization are frequently relatively low, thereby limiting sensitivity in metabolomics applications. In order to enhance the ionization efficiency of anionic metabolites, BGEs and sheath liquids (SLs) of various compositions were evaluated. Pressure‐induced infusion and CE‐MS experiments showed that addition of triethylamine (TEA) to the BGE and SL enhanced analyte intensities. A BGE consisting of 25 mM TEA (pH 11.7) and an SL of water–methanol (1:1, v/v) containing 5 mM TEA was selected, providing separation and detection of ten representative test metabolites with good reproducibility (migration time RSDs<1%) and linearity (R²>0.99). This BGE yielded lower limits of detection (0.7–9.1 μM) for most test compounds when compared with common CE‐MS methods using a BGE and SL containing ammonium acetate (NH₄Ac) (25 and 5 mM, respectively). CE‐MS of human urine revealed an average amount of 231 molecular features in negative ionization mode when TEA was used in the BGE and SL, whereas 115 and 102 molecular features were found with an NH₄Ac‐containing BGE and SL, employing a bare fused‐silica (BFS) and Polybrene‐dextran sulfate‐Polybrene (PB‐DS‐PB)‐coated capillary, respectively. With the CE‐MS method using TEA, about 170 molecular features were observed that were not detected with the NH₄Ac‐based CE‐MS methods. For more than 82% of the molecular features that were detected with the TEA as well as the NH₄Ac‐containg BGEs (i.e. common features), the peak intensities were higher using TEA with gain factors up to 7. Overall, the results demonstrate that BGEs and SLs containing TEA are quite favorable for the analysis of anionic metabolites in CE‐MS.     

Rapid and direct determination of glyphosate,glufosinate, and aminophosphonic acid by online preconcentration CE with contactless conductivity detection

Rapid and direct online preconcentration followed by CE with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (CE‐C⁴D) is evaluated as a new approach for the determination of glyphosate, glufosinate (GLUF), and aminophosphonic acid (AMPA) in drinking water. Two online preconcentration techniques, namely large volume sample stacking without polarity switching and field‐enhanced sample injection, coupled with CE‐C⁴D were successfully developed and optimized. Under optimized conditions, LODs in the range of 0.01–0.1 μM (1.7–11.1 μg/L) and sensitivity enhancements of 48‐ to 53‐fold were achieved with the large volume sample stacking‐CE‐C⁴D method. By performing the field‐enhanced sample injection‐CE‐C⁴D procedure, excellent LODs down to 0.0005–0.02 μM (0.1–2.2 μg/L) as well as sensitivity enhancements of up to 245‐ to 1002‐fold were obtained. Both techniques showed satisfactory reproducibility with RSDs of peak height of better than 10%. The newly established approaches were successfully applied to the analysis of glyphosate, glufosinate, and aminophosphonic acid in spiked tap drinking water.