Sensitive capillary electrophoresis microchip determination of trinitroaromatic explosives in nonaqueous electrolyte following solid phase extraction

A capillary electrophoresis (CE) microchip is utilized for the sensitive separation and detection of three trinitroaromatic explosives: 1,3,5-trinitrotoluene (TNT), 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene (TNB) and 2,4,6-trinitrophenyl-N-methylnitramine (tetryl), in the presence of 10 other explosives and explosive derivatives in nonaqueous electrolyte (acetonitrile/methanol 87.5/12.5 (v/v), 2.5 mM NaOH, 1 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)). The chemical reaction of bases, e.g. hydroxide or methoxide ions, with trinitroaromatic compounds forms red colored derivatives that can be easily detected using a green light emitting diode (LED) on the microchip. Two surfactants bearing opposite charge, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and SDS are compared with respect to their effect on separation times, detection limits and resolving powers for separating these explosives. All microchip separations were achieved in <20 s. In the absence of solid phase extraction (SPE), the detection limits obtained for the trinitroaromatic explosives were as follows: TNB, 60 μg/l; TNT, 160 μg/l and tetryl, 200 μg/l. By coupling the microchip separation with ex situ SPE, the detection limits for detecting these three explosives in seawater were lowered by 240 to more than 1000 times: TNB, 0.25 μg/l; TNT, 0.34 μg/l and tetryl, 0.19 μg/l.     

Capillary electrophoresis with direct chemiluminescence detection for the analysis of catecholamines in human urine

A rapid and sensitive method for the analysis of three catecholamines by capillary electrophoresis(CE)with directchemiluminescence(CL)detection is described.The detection limits(S/N=3)were 1.3*10-8g/mL for isoprenaline,1.0*10-8g/mL for epinephrine and 2.8*10-8g/mL for dopamine.The proposed method was successfully applied to theanalysis of catecholamines in urine samples of cigarette smokers and nonsmokers.The results showed that there is a close relationbetween the release of dopamine in human body fluids and cigarette smoking/nonsmoking.     

微芯片毛细管电泳快速测定加替沙星注射液中加替沙星的含量

研究了用微芯片毛细管电泳非接触电导检测系统快速测定加替沙星注射液中加替沙星的方法。对缓冲液的类型、浓度、分离电压以及进样时间等因素进行了优化。最佳条件为:缓冲液5.0 mmol/L HAc,分离电压2.0 kV,进样时间15.0 s。在该条件下,可在1.0 min内实现加替沙星的快速含量测定。线性范围为4.0～150μg/mL,检出限为1.0μg/mL,加标回收率为95.7%～101%,可成功测定注射液中加替沙星的含量。     

Poly (acrylic acid) microchannel modification for the enhanced resolution of catecholamines microchip electrophoresis with electrochemical detection

A new modification of glass electrophoresis microchips based on poly (acrylic) acid immobilization has been performed. It is based on the reaction of PAA with an amine functionalized surface, obtained through the bifunctional reagent 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane. Parameters affecting all the three steps involved: surface activation, silanization and polymer immobilization were optimized employing soda-lime glass plates. Characterization by SEM and XPS was carried out. Application of the modified microchips to the separation of a model system: dopamine (D), epinephrine (E) and norepinephrine (NE), that on the other hand are of high clinical relevance was performed employing amperometric detection. Modification is necessary for obtaining partial resolution of all the three analytes in a microchip with an effective separation length of 30 mm. Situation changes from no resolution (Rs) at all (only one peak was achieved for the mixture) to a partial resolution (Rs D–NE and Rs NE–E are 0.25 and 0.24 respectively). Microchips with 60 mm of separation channel were also modified, implying this procedure a resolution enhancement (Rs of 0.49 and 0.28 for D–NE and NE–E respectively), even when methanol is employed as organic modifier (Rs values of 0.70 (D–NE) and 0.66 (NE–E) for a 3% MeOH).     

Rapid separation of basic drugs by nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis

Summary Nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) has been used to achieve rapid separations of basic drugs. A high electric field was obtained by using short capillaries. Baseline separations of basic drugs, including amphetamines, tropane alkaloids and local anesthetics, were achieved in 1 min by selection of the appropriate organic solvent and electrolyte composition. Thus, high-throughput analyses can be performed. Peak efficiency up to 9154 theoretical plates s⁻¹ was achieved in a separation performed at 923V cm⁻¹. No discernible loss in resolution was observed when a conventional capillary (64.5cm) was replaced by a short (32.5 cm) capillary.     

高效毛细管区带电泳法快速测定尿液中的肌酐

建立了一种快速测定尿中肌酐浓度的高效毛细管电泳方法。利用非涂层石英毛细管(64.5 cm×50μm i.d),以pH 2.5,0.1 mmol/L H3PO4作为电泳缓冲液,检测波长191 nm,用0.05 Pa压力进样4 s,在电压16 kV快速分离尿液中的肌酐,采用外标法定量。肌酐的迁移时间约为5.5 min,肌酐浓度在34.5~8840μmol/L范围内呈良好的线性(r2=0.999)。平均日内精密度为2.5%,日间精密度为3.0%。回收率94.1%~99.0%。与全自动生化分析仪碱性苦味酸速率法相比有良好的相关性(r=0.990,n=56)。高效毛细管电泳法测定尿肌酐可应用于临床样品的检测。     

A study on the system of nonaqueous microchip electrophoresis with on‐line peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence detection

This article describes a further development of our previously reported miniaturized analysis system of microchip electrophoresis with on‐line chemiluminescence detection. The system, developed first time for nonaqueous microchip electrophoresis with peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence detection, consists of a suction pressure device for sample or reagent introduction, a constant voltage supplied for electrophoretic separation, an either hydrophilic or hydrophobic porous polymer plug for preventing chemiluminescence reagent flowing upstream and a spiral detection channel for enhancement of both detection sensitivity and reproducibility. Especially, by using organic solvent as BGE medium, the developed system avoided the interface problem between aqueous running buffer and low‐water‐content chemiluminescence solvent in previous reports. The influencing factors on chemiluminescence signal were optimized using rhodamine 6G as model molecule. The system performance was further investigated in the experiment of separation of hydrophilic rhodamine dyes and analysis of hydrophobic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, providing the detection limit (S/N = 3) of 3.5 nmol/L for rhodamine 123, 6.8 nmol/L for rhodamine 6G, and 60 nmol/L for 1‐aminopyrene, respectively. The experimental results showed the system offered a number of benefits, including compact structure, high sensitivity, good reproducibility, and a wide range of application prospect.     

Fast quantitative determination of diuretic drugs in tablets and human urine by microchip electrophoresis with native fluorescence detection

Microchip electrophoresis (MCE) with native fluorescence detection has been applied for the fast quantitative analysis of pharmaceutical formulations. For this purpose, methods for fast separation and sensitive detection of the unlabeled diuretic drugs, amiloride, triamterene, bendroflumethiazide (BFMTZ), and bumetanide were developed. An epifluorescence setup was used enabling the coupling of different lasers into a commercial fluorescence microscope. The detection sensitivity of different excitation light sources was compared utilizing either a HeCd laser (lambda(exc) = 325 nm), a frequency quadrupled Nd:YAG laser (lambda(exc) = 266 nm), or a mercury lamp (lambda(exc) = 330-380 nm). At optimal conditions using the HeCd laser, the drugs were separated within 15 s with LODs less than 1 mug/mL for the four compounds. A linear relationship between concentration and peak area was obtained in the concentration range of 0.05-20 microg/mL with a mean correlation coefficient of around 0.996 for all analytes. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of the respective drugs in commercial formulations and in human urine without interference from other constituents. These data show that MCE has a great potential for reliable drug analysis.     

Selective detection of cytochrome C by microchip electrophoresis based on an aptamer strategy

The release of cytochrome C (Cyt C) plays an important role in apoptosis. In this study, selective and sensitive detection of Cyt C based on an aptamer strategy coupled with MCE was developed. Following the binding of a specific aptamer to Cyt C, the aptamer exhibited an irregular state, reducing the binding affinity of a fluorescent probe, and thus preventing the aptamer‐Cyt C complexes from detection within the MCE. The height of the detection peak of the residual aptamer linearly decreased, and therefore, the difference in peak height of residual aptamer compared to that of the initial aptamer was used to quantify the captured protein concentration. Experimental conditions such as incubation time, pH, temperature, and ionic strength were optimized. A measurement of Cyt C concentration by MCE was achieved within 135 s, with a limit of detection as low as 0.4 nM. The proposed method has high selectivity and good stability for the detection of Cyt C. The experimental results demonstrate that this method is quick, consumes only a small quantity of sample, is highly selectivity and exhibits high sensitivity.     

Determination of intracellular sulphydryl compounds by microchip electrophoresis with selective chemiluminescence detection

An analytical method based on microchip electrophoresis (MCE) and chemiluminescence detection (CL) was developed for the determination of intracellular sulphydryl compounds. Cell injection/loading, cytolysis, electrophoretic separation, and CL detection were integrated onto a simple cross-microfluidic chip. Selective CL detection of sulphydryl compounds was achieved by deploying the luminol–Na₂S₂O₈ reaction. Under the CL conditions selected, many endogenous compounds in biological systems such as amino acids, biogenic amines, peptides and proteins did not produce any CL signal, which further ensured a high selectivity of the proposed MCE–CL assays. Sulphydryl compounds including cysteine (Cys), glutathione (GSH), and hemoglobin (Hb) were selected as the test compounds. The MCE separation was completed within 120 s. The detection limits were estimated to be 7 amol for Cys, 32 amol for GSH and 69 amol for Hb, respectively. The present method was applied to analyze individual red blood cells collected from both healthy subjects and cancer patients. It was found that the average intracellular contents of Cys, GSH and Hb were in the ranges of 26–43 amol/cell, 128–323 amol/cell and 522–667 amol/cell, respectively for cancer patients, compared to 579–609 amol Hb/cell and not detectable Cys and GSH for healthy subjects.     

Monitoring environmental pollutants by microchip capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection

During the past decade, significant progress in the development of miniaturized microfluidic systems has occurred due to the numerous advantages of microchip analysis. This review focuses on recent advances and the key strategies in microchip capillary electrophoresis (CE) with electrochemical detection (ECD) for separating and detecting a variety of environmental pollutants. The subjects covered include the fabrication of microfluidic chips, ECD, typical applications of microchip CE with ECD in environmental analysis, and future prospects. It is expected that microchip CE-ECD will become a powerful tool in the environmental field and will lead to the creation of truly portable devices.     

Selective fluorescence labeling and sensitive determination of Staphylococcus aureus by microchip electrophoresis with a multiple-concentration approach

In this paper we explored the use of fluorescently labelled vancomycin to specifically bind and detect Staphylococcus aureus based on an on-line multiple-concentration on microchip electrophoresis.     

Determination of heavy metal ions by microchip capillary electrophoresis coupled with contactless conductivity detection

An integrated detection circuitry based on a lock-in amplifier was designed for contactless conductivity determination of heavy metals. Combined with a simple-structure electrophoresis microchip, the detection system is successfully utilized for the separation and determination of various heavy metals. The influences of the running buffer and detection conditions on the response of the detector have been investigated. Six millimole 2-morpholinoethanesulfonic acid + histidine were selected as buffer for its stable baseline and high sensitivity. The best signals were recorded with a frequency of 38 kHz and 20 V(pp). The results showed that Mn(2+), Cd(2+), Co(2+), and Cu(2+) can be successfully separated and detected within 100 s by our system. The detection limits for five heavy metals (Mn(2+), Pb(2+), Cd(2+), Co(2+), and Cu(2+)) were determined to range from about 0.7 to 5.4 μM. This microchip system performs a crucial step toward the realization of a simple, inexpensive, and portable analytical device for metal analysis.     

High-sensitivity microchip electrophoresis determination of inorganic anions and oxalate in atmospheric aerosols with adjustable selectivity and conductivity detection

A sensitive and selective separation of common anionic constituents of atmospheric aerosols, sulfate, nitrate, chloride, and oxalate, is presented using microchip electrophoresis. The optimized separation is achieved in under 1 min and at low background electrolyte ionic strength (2.9 mM) by combining a metal-binding electrolyte anion (17 mM picolinic acid), a sulfate-binding electrolyte cation (19 mM HEPBS), a zwitterionic surfactant with affinity towards weakly solvated anions (19 mM N-tetradecyl,N,N-dimethyl-3-ammonio-1-propansulfonate), and operation in counter-electroosmotic flow (EOF) mode. The separation is performed at pH 4.7, permitting pH manipulation of oxalate's mobility. The majority of low-concentration organic acids are not observed at these conditions, allowing for rapid subsequent injections without the presence of interfering peaks. Because the mobilities of sulfate, nitrate, and oxalate are independently controlled, other minor constituents of aerosols can be analyzed, including nitrite, fluoride, and formate if desired using similar separation conditions. Contact conductivity detection is utilized, and the limit of detection for oxalate (S/N = 3) is 180 nM without stacking. Sensitivity can be increased with field-amplified sample stacking by injecting from dilute electrolyte with a detection limit of 19 nM achieved. The high-sensitivity, counter-EOF operation, and short analysis time make this separation well-suited to continuous online monitoring of aerosol composition.     

Enhanced detection of seven glucoconjugated and hydroxylated porphyrins and chlorins by nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis combined with stacking

The nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis mode which includes a preconcentration step based on a transient pseudo-isotachophoresis to the simultaneous separation of seven glucoconjugated and hydroxylated porphyrins and chlorins, exhibiting very close structures, is reported. A high methanol content, of the buffer solution, was necessary in order to prevent self-assembly of the compounds and to enhance their solubility during separation. With the addition of 66% (v/v) methanol and 1% (w/v) NaCl in the aqueous sample solution, large volumes could be injected (44% capillary volume) without a loss in resolution. Sensitivity of detection was therefore improved by a 100-fold factor with regard to the method employing normal injection (2% capillary volume). Optimum electrophoretic conditions, in terms of sensitivity and performance, were obtained by using 20 mM phosphoric acid buffer, pH 2.2 and 50% methanol. The method was validated and applied to qualitative analysis of glucoconjugates in serum samples.     

Development and validation method for determination of fluoxetine and its main metabolite norfluoxetine by nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis in human urine

A simple, rapid and sensitive procedure using nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) to measure fluoxetine and its main metabolite norfluoxetine has been developed and validated. Optimum separation of fluoxetine and norfluoxetine, by measuring at 230 nm, was obtained on a 60 cm × 75 μm capillary using a nonaqueous solution system of 7:3 methanol-acetonitrile containing 15 mM ammonium acetate, capillary temperature and voltage 25 °C and 25 kV, respectively and hydrodynamic injection. Paroxetine was used as internal standard. Good results were obtained for different aspects including stability of the solutions, linearity, and precision. Detection limits of 10 μg L⁻¹ were obtained for fluoxetine and its metabolite. This method has been used to determine fluoxetine and it main metabolite at clinically relevant levels in human urine. Before NACE determination, the samples were purified and enriched by means of extraction-preconcentration step with a preconditioned C₁₈ cartridge and eluting the compounds with methanol.     

Ionic liquids used in and analyzed by capillary and microchip electrophoresis

This review, covering reports published from 2001 to December 2008, shows how ionic liquids (ILs) have made significant contributions in the improvement of capillary and microchip electrophoresis (CE and μCE) for the separation and detection of analytes such as phenols and aromatic acids, metal ions, medicines, enantiomers, biological materials, etc. Furthermore, CE methods applied in the sensitive and accurate determination of physico-chemical properties of ILs have been summarized. Accordingly, research vacancies and future development trends in these areas are discussed.     

Precise determination of N‐acetylcysteine in pharmaceuticals by microchip electrophoresis

A novel microchip electrophoresis method for the rapid and high‐precision determination of N‐acetylcysteine, a pharmaceutically active ingredient, in mucolytics has been developed. Isotachophoresis separations were carried out at pH 6.0 on a microchip with conductivity detection. The methods of external calibration and internal standard were used to evaluate the results. The internal standard method effectively eliminated variations in various working parameters, mainly run‐to‐run fluctuations of an injected volume. The repeatability and accuracy of N‐acetylcysteine determination in all mucolytic preparations tested (Solmucol 90 and 200, and ACC Long 600) were more than satisfactory with the relative standard deviation and relative error values <0.7 and <1.9%, respectively. A recovery range of 99–101% of N‐acetylcysteine in the analyzed pharmaceuticals predetermines the proposed method for accurate analysis as well. This work, in general, indicates analytical possibilities of microchip isotachophoresis for the quantitative analysis of simplified samples such as pharmaceuticals that contain the analyte(s) at relatively high concentrations.     

Study on the effects of electrolytes and solvents in the determination of quaternary ammonium ions by nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection

A study on the separation of lipophilic quaternary ammonium cations in NACE coupled with contactless conductivity detection (NACE‐C⁴D) is presented. The suitability of different salts dissolved in various organic solvents as running electrolytes in NACE‐C⁴D was investigated. A solvent mixture of methanol/acetonitrile at a ratio of 90%:10% v/v showed the best results. Deoxycholic acid sodium salt as BGE was found to provide exceptional high stability with low baseline noise that leads to highest S/N ratios for the target analytes among all BGEs tested. Under the optimum conditions, capillaries with different internal diameters were examined and an id of 50 μm was found to give best detection sensitivity. The proposed method was validated and showed good linearity in the range from 2.5 to 200 μM, low limits of detection (0.1–0.7 μM) and acceptable reproducibility of peak area (intraday RSD 0.1–0.7%, n = 3; interday RSD 5.9–9.4%, n = 3).