Interaction of mercury(II) ions with immobilized apo-metallothioneins studied by scanning electrochemical microscopy combined with surface plasmon resonance

Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) was combined with surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and applied for in-situ monitoring of the incorporation of Hg²⁺ by apo-metallothionein (apo-MT) immobilized on the SPR substrate. Hg²⁺ was anodically stripped from the Hg-coated SECM Pt tip and sequestered by apo-MT upon its diffusion to the SPR substrate. The high sensitivity of the SPR instrument enabled the detection of the change in the composition and structure of apo-MT molecules that was induced by the metal sequestration of Hg²⁺. The SPR response revealed that the saturation co-ordination number of Hg²⁺ binding to apo-MT was 18. Moreover, an unexpected collapse of the structure of MT was observed when the stoichiometric ratio of Hg²⁺/MT was ~70, and the structure cannot be further altered even by adding a large excess of Hg²⁺. This collapse was also confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. The results are potentially useful for a deeper understanding of the detoxification mechanism of MT to mercury ion.

Study of non-covalent interactions of luotonin A derivatives and the DNA minor groove as a first step in the study of their analytical potential as DNA probes

The interaction between DNA and several newly synthesized derivatives of the natural anticancer compound luotonin A has been studied. The results from our work reveal an effective and selective alkaloid/double-stranded DNA (ds-DNA) interaction. In the presence of increasing amounts of ds-DNA, a noticeable fluorescence quenching of the luotonin A derivatives under study was observed. However, this effect did not take place when single-stranded DNA (ss-DNA) was employed. The association constant alkaloids/ds-DNA was calculated by quantitation of such a quenching effect. The influence of other quenchers, namely Co²⁺ and Br⁻ on the native fluorescence of luotonin A and derivatives was also studied, and a remarkable quenching effect was observed for both ions. We have also investigated how by binding DNA the alkaloids could get protected from the external Co²⁺ and Br⁻ quenchers. The Stern–Volmer constants (K _SV) for Co²⁺ and Br⁻ quenching effect on the studied alkaloids were considerably reduced (10–50%) after incubation of the compounds in the presence of DNA with regard to the K _SV values in absence of DNA. An increase in the fluorescence anisotropy values of luotonins was also produced only in the presence of ds-DNA but not in the case of ss-DNA. To better characterize the nature of that interaction, viscosimetry assays and ethidium bromide displacement studies were conducted. With regard to DNA reference solutions, the viscosity of solutions containing DNA and luotonin A derivatives was reduced or not significantly increased. It was also observed that the studied compounds were unable to displace the intercalating agent ethidium bromide. All of these results, together with the obtained association constants values (K _ass = 2.2 × 10² – 1.3 × 10³), support that neither covalent nor intercalating interactions luotonin A derivatives/ds-DNA are produced, leading to the conclusion that these alkaloids bind ds-DNA through the minor groove. The specific changes in the fluorescence behavior of luotonin A and derivatives distinguishing between ss-DNA and ds-DNA binding, lead us to propose these compounds as attractive turn-off probes to detect DNA hybridization.     

Effects of redox conditions and zinc(II) ions on metallothionein aggregation revealed by chip capillary electrophoresis

Metallothioneins (MTs) belong to cysteine-rich proteins with unique higher structure. One of the most known MT's functions is metals detoxification and maintaining their homeostasis in a cell. Structure of MT with naturally occurred zinc(II) ions can be affected by concentration of metal ions as well as redox milieu inside a cell, however the exact explanation and biochemical effects of the structural changes are still missing. In this study we used capillary electrophoresis on chip coupled with fluorescence detection to determine structural changes of MT with increasing concentration of zinc(II) ions and under various redox conditions. To investigate the structural-dependent effects, reduced and/or oxidized apo-MT (MT without natural occurred metal ion) was prepared. Zinc binding into reduced and/or oxidized apo-MT was compared. MT was incubated with 0, 5, 15, 25, 50 and 100 μM ZnCl₂ for 1 h in 37 °C. Formation of MT aggregates with increasing zinc concentration was observed by spectrophotometry, chip capillary electrophoresis, and SDS-PAGE. We found out that reduced MT forms aggregates more readily compared to oxidized MT. Using the chip capillary electrophoresis allowed us relative quantification of MT aggregation as a decrease in the area of the signal corresponding to the monomer form of MT (Mw 15 kDa, migration time 26.5 s) and its ratio to total signal (sum of all signals measured by the electrophoresis). The dependences had an exponential character with equation y = 2.4 × e^−0.01x, R² = 0.945 for 15 kDa peak area and y = 0.11 × e^−0.01x, R² = 0.938 for decrease of 15 kDa peak area ratio to the total signal. Zn–MT interaction was 30% faster during the first 15 min and 50% faster during the whole experiment for reduced MT. It can be concluded that formation of MT aggregates is dependent on redox state and Zn(II) concentration.     

The complexation of apo-metallothionein with cadmium ion and its conformation study

The circular dichroism was used to study the complexation of two isoforms of rabbit liver apo-metallothioneins (apo-MT1 and apo-MT2) with Cd²⁺ ion and the influence of Cd²⁺ ion on the conformation of reconstituted MTs. The stability of sulfhydryls of apo-MT has been investigated at the room temperature in the presence of air. The reconstitutions of apo-MT1 with Cd²⁺ ion were carried out atpH 4.71 (stable state) andpH 7.9 (with 90% sulfhydryls oxidated) respectively. it was found that the characteristic CD band at 257 nm(+), 238 nm(?), 226 nm(+) of reconstituted MT with Cd²⁺ ion was the same as native MT atpH 4.71, however only one peak at 243 nm(+) appeared on the CD spectra atpH 7.9 which arose from mononuclear complexes with four separated thiolate ligands per Cd²⁺ ion. The CD spectra of apo-MTs+7 eq Cd²⁺ system were measured at variouspH values. It was found that the peak at 256 nm of apo-MT1 binding Cd²⁺ ion split into two small peaks atpH between 2.42 and 3.02, and became one peak atpH 3.32, while the shapes of Cd peaks of apo-MT2 binding Cd²⁺ ion did not change withpH, indicating that the binding sites and pathway of apo-MT1 binding Cd²⁺ ion were different from those of apo-MT2. A possible mechanism was suggested.     

Detection of antibiotics in food: Extraction of fluoroquinolones by DNA

The ability of DNA to extract fluoroquinolones from model solutions and real probes of food was demonstrated and investigated quantitatively. The interaction between fluoroquinolones and different types of DNA was studied by equilibrium dialysis. The first application of this direct approach allowed us to determine binding constants and binding stoichiometries in different conditions. The binding of enrofloxacin to heat-denatured DNA (d-DNA) from herring sperm is pH- and magnesium-dependent; the highest fraction of bound drugs was found at pH 7 and a magnesium concentration of 0.5–1 mM. Results for three types of DNA: d-DNA, double-stranded DNA and single-stranded DNA were compared. The unwound DNA showed almost doubled binding constants and stoichiometries, thus indicating preferable interaction of enrofloxacin with single-strand regions of DNA. The binding of other fluoroquinolones (lomefloxacin, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, danofloxacin and sarafloxacin) with d-DNA is very similar to that of enrofloxacin: the binding constants are in the range from 0.94 × 10⁵ to 2.40 × 10⁵ M⁻¹, and the stoichiometries range from 4.1 to 6.9 fluoroquinolone molecules per 100 DNA bases. The binding properties were quantitatively the same for extraction of fluoroquinolones from model aqueous solutions and from liquid food (milk). The results indicate the efficiency of DNA for selective extraction of fluoroquinolones from real samples for further analysis. This selective binding also allows us to consider DNA as a natural receptor for development of analytical techniques for fluoroquinolones.     

Sequence dependence of DNA radioprotection by the thiols WR-1065 and WR-151326

Sequence-dependent variations of DNA structure modulate radiation-induced strand breakage. Thiols reduce breakage by scavenging damaging radiolytic OH ^. and repairing sugar radicals. As shown by sequencing gel electrophoresis, WR-1065 radioprotection is modulated by sequence, whereas that of WR-151326, a larger thiol, is more evenly distributed. Molecular modelling was performed on complexes of a 53 bp oligonucleotide (belonging to a natural restriction fragment) with one molecule of WR-1065 or WR-151326. Energy minimised structures exhibit a broadening of the minor groove of an AAATT motif upon WR-1065 binding, and a narrowing of the groove upon WR-151326 binding. Consequently, the accessibility to OH^˙ of H4′ (whose abstraction leads to strand breakage) increases near WR-1065, whereas it decreases near WR-151326. This modifies locally the otherwise homogeneous radioprotection. The effect of WR-151326 strengthens the protection at all tested binding sites, whereas that of WR-1065 diminishes it in some regions, in good agreement with the observed radioprotection distribution. Received: 24 April 1998 / Accepted: 4 August 1998 / Published online: 11 November 1998     

An SPR biosensor for the detection of microcystins in drinking water

A surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor for the detection of microcystins (MCs) in drinking water has been developed. Several assay formats have been evaluated. The selected format is based on a competitive inhibition assay, in which microcystin-LR (MCLR) has been covalently immobilized onto the surface of an SPR chip functionalized with a self-assembled monolayer. The influence of several factors affecting sensor performance, such as the nature and concentration of the antibody, the composition of the carrier buffer, and the blocking and regeneration solutions, has been evaluated. The optimized SPR biosensor provides an IC₅₀ 0.67 ± 0.09 μg L⁻¹, a detection limit of 73 ± 8 ng L⁻¹, and a dynamic range from 0.2 to 2.0 μg L⁻¹ for MCLR. Cross-reactivity to other related MCs, such as microcystin-RR (88%) and microcystin-YR (94%), has also been measured. The SPR biosensor can perform four simultaneous determinations in 60 min, and each SPR chip can be reused for at least 40 assay–regeneration cycles without significant binding capacity loss. The biosensor has been successfully applied to the direct analysis of MCLR in drinking water samples, below the provisional guideline value of 1 μg L⁻¹ established by the World Health Organization for drinking water.     

Identification and analysis of stereoselective drug interactions with low-density lipoprotein by high-performance affinity chromatography

Columns containing immobilized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) were prepared for the analysis of drug interactions with this agent by high-performance affinity chromatography (HPAC). R/S-Propranolol was used as a model drug for this study. The LDL columns gave reproducible binding to propranolol over 60 h of continuous use in the presence of pH 7.4 0.067 M potassium phosphate buffer. Experiments conducted with this type of column through frontal analysis indicated that two types of interactions were occurring between R-propranolol and LDL, while only a single type of interaction was observed between S-propranolol and LDL. The first type of interaction, which was seen for both enantiomers, involved non-saturable binding; this interaction had an overall affinity (nK _a) of 1.9 (±0.1) × 10⁵ M⁻¹ for R-propranolol and 2.7 (±0.2) × 10⁵ M⁻¹ for S-propranolol at 37 °C. The second type of interaction was observed only for R-propranolol and involved saturable binding that had an association equilibrium constant (K _a) of 5.2 (±2.3) × 10⁵ M⁻¹ at 37 °C. Similar differences in binding behavior were found for the two enantiomers at 20 °C and 27 °C. This is the first known example of stereoselective binding of drugs by LDL or other lipoproteins. This work also illustrates the ability of HPAC to be used as a tool for characterizing mixed-mode interactions that involve LDL and related binding agents.     

A Thermodynamic Study on the Binding of Calcium Ion with Myelin Basic Protein

The interaction of myelin basic protein (MBP) from the bovine central nervous system with divalent calcium ion was studied by isothermal titration calorimetry at 27 °C in aqueous solution. The extended solvation model was used to reproduce the enthalpies of Ca²⁺-MBP interaction over the whole range of Ca²⁺ concentrations. The solvation parameters recovered from the solvation model were attributed to the structural change of MBP due to the metal ion interaction. It was found that there is a set of two identical and non-interacting binding sites for Ca²⁺ ions. The association equilibrium constant is 0.021 μmol⋅dm⁻³. The molar enthalpy of binding is ΔH=−15.10 kJ⋅mol⁻¹.     

Interaction of partially ionized poly(acrylic acid) with a surfactant counterion at constant pH values

Binding of a cationic surfactant ion, dodecylpyridinium ion, to poly(acrylic acids) of low charge densities was examined by potentiometry using surfactant-selective electrodes in the solutions, where the pH was kept constant by employing a pH buffering system. The binding of the surfactant counterions was thus able to be studied at a constant pH during the binding process. The binding took place in two steps, the first cooperative binding step and the second gradual binding step. The critical association concentration decreased as the pH increased, indicating the predominant role of the electric interaction in the binding. The binding isotherms obtained at different but constant pH values were analyzed by the matrix method, taking into account the nearest-neighbor interactions among three different kinds of sites on the polymer: ionized, protonated, and surfactant-bound. The theoretical analysis could describe only the first step but could not explain the second step. A relatively large cooperativity parameter, u, was found for the first step and it can be between 3 × 10³ and 1 × 10⁴. When the ionic strength was decreased tenfold, the cooperativity of the binding decreased (u∼1 × 10³). The binding constants of the isolated site were 5.5–6.0 × 10⁴ kg mol⁻¹ and slightly increased to 6.5 × 10⁴ kg mol⁻¹ as the ionic strength decreased. The deviation of the second step from the theoretical analysis was supposed to arise from a change of proton dissociation constant in the nonpolar space formed by the bound surfactants. Received: 29 November 2000/Accepted: 24 January 2001     

Study of multiple binding constants of dexamethasone with human serum albumin by capillary electrophoresis–frontal analysis and multivariate regression

Studies into the interactions between drugs and human serum albumin (HSA) are extremely important for drug discovery, since HSA behaves as a carrier for external drugs and internal biological molecules. In this paper, to evaluate the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of dexamethasone (DXM), the interaction between DXM and HSA was studied by capillary electrophoresis–frontal analysis (CE-FA). According to the Klotz equation, four binding sites between DXM and HSA were obtained, and the average binding constant was 1.05 × 10³ M⁻¹. Furthermore, according to multiple equilibrium theory, based on the assumption that there are two types of binding site, the binding constant at one site was calculated to be 3.539 × 10³ M⁻¹, and the average of the other three was 1.234 × 10³ M⁻¹. In addition, to obtain the detailed binding information at each binding site, new equations were deduced by multivariate regression. The four binding constants of DXM and HSA were calculated to be 5.558 × 10¹ M⁻¹, 2.158 × 10⁴ M⁻¹, 7.312 × 10³ M⁻¹ and 2.043 × 10³ M⁻¹, respectively, which is helpful for detailed studies into the interactions between drugs and proteins with multiple binding sites. Figure Electropherograms of DXM sodium phosphate and HAS mixtures for different protein to drug concentration ratios, obtained by CE-FA     

Voltammetric study of the interaction of the ofloxacin–copper complex with DNA, and its analytical application

The electrochemical behavior of the ofloxacin–copper complex, Cu(II)L₂, at a mercury electrode, and the interaction of DNA with the complex have been investigated. The experiments indicate that the electrode reaction of Cu(II)L₂ is an irreversible surface electrochemical reaction and that the reactant is of adsorbed character. In the presence of DNA, the formation of the electrochemically non-active complexes Cu(II)L₂-DNA, results in the decrease of the peak current of Cu(II)L₂. Based on the electrochemical behavior of the Cu(II)L₂ with DNA, binding by electrostatic interaction is suggested and a new method for determining nucleic acid is proposed. Under the optimum conditions, the decrease of the peak current is in proportional to the concentration of nucleic acids in the range from 3 × 10⁻⁸ to 3 × 10⁻⁶ g · mL⁻¹ for calf thymus DNA, from 1.6 × 10⁻⁸ to 9.0 × 10⁻⁷ g · mL⁻¹ for fish sperm DNA, and from 3.3 × 10⁻⁸ to 5.5 × 10⁻⁷ g · mL⁻¹ for yeast RNA. The detection limits are 3.3 × 10⁻⁹, 6.7 × 10⁻⁹ and 8.0 × 10⁻⁹ g · mL⁻¹, respectively. The method exhibits good recovery and high sensitivity in synthetic samples and in real samples.     

Llama-derived single-domain antibodies for the detection of botulinum A neurotoxin

Single-domain antibodies (sdAb) specific for botulinum neurotoxin serotype A (BoNT A) were selected from an immune llama phage display library derived from a llama that was immunized with BoNT A toxoid. The constructed phage library was panned using two methods: panning on plates coated with BoNT A toxoid (BoNT A Td) and BoNT A complex toxoid (BoNT Ac Td) and panning on microspheres coupled to BoNT A Td and BoNT A toxin (BoNT A Tx). Both panning methods selected for binders that had identical sequences, suggesting that panning on toxoided material may be as effective as panning on bead-immobilized toxin for isolating specific binders. All of the isolated binders tested were observed to recognize bead-immobilized BoNT A Tx in direct binding assays, and showed very little cross-reactivity towards other BoNT serotypes and unrelated protein. Sandwich assays that incorporated selected sdAb as capture and tracer elements demonstrated that all of the sdAb were able to recognize soluble (“live”) BoNT A Tx and BoNT Ac Tx with virtually no cross-reactivity with other BoNT serotypes. The isolated sdAb did not exhibit the high degree of thermal stability often associated with these reagents; after the first heating cycle most of the binding activity was lost, but the portion of the protein that did refold and recover antigen-binding activity showed only minimal loss on subsequent heating and cooling cycles. The binding kinetics of selected binders, assessed by both an equilibrium fluid array assay as well as surface plasmon resonance (SPR) using toxoided material, gave dissociation constants (K _D ) in the range 2.2 × 10⁻¹¹ to 1.6 × 10⁻¹⁰ M. These high-affinity binders may prove beneficial to the development of recombinant reagents for the rapid detection of BoNT A, particularly in field screening and monitoring applications.     

Ion specificity and viscosity of rutile dispersions

The isoelectric point (IEP) of rutile is shifted to higher pH values in the presence of greater than 10⁻⁴ mol dm⁻³ Ba²⁺, Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺, and when a critical concentration (5 × 10⁻⁴ mol dm⁻³ for Ba²⁺ and 1 × 10⁻³ mol dm⁻³ for Ca²⁺) is exceeded there is no IEP at all and the ζ potential is always positive. A common intersection point for the ζ-potential curves of the different concentrations of salt is found, but for the various salts the point is shifted from ζ = 0 mV for Mg²⁺ up to ζ = 20 mV for Ba²⁺. Between the IEP and the charge-reversal point a rheologically unstable region is discovered. The shear stress of rutile dispersions (2.5 g rutile + 4 g electrolyte solution) at shear rates of 116 s⁻¹ shows the same pH dependence irrespective of the concentration of alkaline-earth metal cations up to 10⁻² mol dm⁻³. The shear stress is less than 1 Pa below pH 3.8 and in the pH range 5–12 it assumes a value between 50 and 80 Pa at 116 s⁻¹ with some scatter; however, no systematic trend with concentration of alkaline-earth metal cations and a rather insignificant decrease with pH at pristine conditions are observed. The acidic branch of the yield stress (pH) and low shear rate viscosity (pH) curves is insensitive to the presence of alkaline-earth metal cations, and the same behaviour is found for the ζ potential. The alkaline-earth metal cations induce an increase in viscosity in the basic region and a shift in the pH of maximum viscosity to high pH values. It was also discovered that the effect different alkaline-earth metal cations have on the rheological properties at the same concentration is different from the effect induced by indifferent electrolytes. When the ζ potential increases the viscosity at high pH is increased in a series which follows the increase in size of the cation. Received: 9 September 1998 Accepted in revised form: 12 January 1999     

Thermodynamic Study of the Binding of Mercury Ion to Human Growth Hormone at Different Temperatures

The interaction of human growth hormone (hGH) with the divalent mercury ion was studied by isothermal titration calorimetry at two temperatures of 27 °C and 37 °C in aqueous solutions. We found that there is a set of two identical and non-interacting binding sites for Hg²⁺ ions. The intrinsic dissociation equilibrium constant and the molar enthalpy of binding are 4.2 mmol⋅L⁻¹ and −14.8 kJ⋅mol⁻¹ at 27 °C and 5.1 mmol⋅L⁻¹ and −14.2 kJ⋅mol⁻¹ at 37 °C, respectively. The results obtained indicate that the stability of the protein increases due to the binding of mercury ions using the extended solvation theory.     

Conjugal Transferring of Resistance Gene ptr for Improvement of Pristinamycin-Producing Streptomyces pristinaespiralis

Improving pristinamycin production from Streptomyces pristinaespiralis was performed by introducing the resistance gene ptr followed by selection for enhanced tolerance to pristinamycin and fermentation test. To transfer ptr into S. pristinaespiralis, an effective method was established for the first time by using the intergeneric conjugation of DNA from Escherichia coli to S. pristinaespiralis. The procedure was optimized with heat treatment, spore concentration, optimum medium used in conjugation, concentration of MgCl₂, etc. With the optimized conditions, the conjugation frequency was up to 1.36 × 10⁻³ exconjugants per recipient. The procedure was used to transfer the ptr gene into S. pristinaespiralis, resulting in 146 exconjugants. These exconjugants were screened on the pristinamycin-resistant plates, and then the fermentation test subsequently. Finally, two strains (SPR1 and SPR2) were obtained with a high yield of 0.11 and 0.15 g/l, respectively, which is about six to eight times more than that of wild-strain ATCC25486. The subculture experiments indicated that the hereditary character of the high-producing S. pristinaespiralis SPR1 and SPR2 was stable. Our work suggests that introducing resistance gene ptr into S. pristinaespiralis could be the way to improve the production of pristinamycin through the enhancement of antibiotic tolerance.     

Rapid Fluorometric Screening of Antibiotics in Seafood

Simple and rapid fluorometric screening methods have been developed based on the competitive binding between the target and an intercalating fluorophore dye to double-stranded-DNA (dsDNA). In this study, the long-wavelength fluorescente dye TOTO-3 was employed as the indicator. Compounds that interact with dsDNA will affect the binding of TOTO-3 to the nucleic acid thereby changing the fluorescence intensity. The analyte concentration is indirectly determined by the decrease in fluorescence intensity. A fiber optic fluorescence screening system was developed for rapid and convenient sample processing. Lambda DNA (48.5 kb) was chosen as a suitable sensing nucleic acid material. Detection of sulfathiazole and chloramphenicol in shrimps using this method was studied in the range of 0.5–25 ng mL⁻¹ of sulfathiazole and of 1–50 ng mL⁻¹ of chloramphenicol. Detection limits of 0.5 ng mL⁻¹ of sulfathiazole and 1 ng mL⁻¹ of chloramphenicol were achieved. This approach is useful as a routine test in the monitoring of antibiotics in the environment or aquaculture products. The easy operation and the rapid and sensitive detection make this a potential high-throughput screening method.     

DNA sensor by using electrochemiluminescence of acridinium ester initiated by tripropylamine

It was found that tripropylamine (TPA) could be used as a coreactant to initiate the electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of acridinium NHS ester (AE NHS) labels attached to DNA. The radicals generated in the electro-oxidation process of TPA reacted with AE NHS to form the excited N-methylacridone, giving rise to light emission. The AE/TPA ECL system was for the first time used as the detection system for developing an ECL-based DNA sensor. In the protocol, streptavidin-modified gold nanoparticles were firstly immobilized onto a thiol-treated gold electrode. The streptavidin could specifically interact with the biontinylated capture DNA. Afterwards, the target DNA and the AE-labeled report DNA were conjugated onto the electrode step by step due to the hybridization reactions, and a sandwich-type sensor was fabricated. The ECL signals of the sensor were obtained under pulse potential condition in alkaline solution containing 50.0 mmol L⁻¹ TPA. Under optimized experimental conditions, the linear range of the DNA sensor for the determination of the target DNA was from 5.0 × 10⁻¹⁵ to 5.0 × 10⁻¹² mol L⁻¹. The detection limit (S/N = 3) was 3.0 × 10⁻¹⁵ mol L⁻¹. Moreover, the sensor could specifically recognize the target DNA against one base-pair mismatched sequences, two base-pair mismatched sequences, and the noncomplementary sequences. It is of great application potential in clinic analysis.     

Application of chitosan functionalized with 3,4-dihydroxy benzoic acid moiety for on-line preconcentration and determination of trace elements in water samples

Chitosan resin functionalized with 3,4-dihydroxy benzoic acid (CCTS-DHBA resin) was used as a packing material for flow injection (FI) on-line mini-column preconcentration in combination with inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) for the determination of trace elements such as silver, bismuth, copper, gallium, indium, molybdenum, nickel, uranium, and vanadium in environmental waters. A 5-mL aliquot of sample (pH 5.5) was introduced to the minicolumn for the adsorption/preconcentration of the metal ions, and the collected analytes on the mini-column were eluted with 2 M HNO₃, and the eluates was subsequently transported via direct injection to the nebulizer of ICP-AES for quantification. The parameters affecting on the sensitivity, such as sample pH, sample flow rate, eluent concentration, and eluent flow rate, were carefully examined. Alkali and alkaline earth metal ions commonly existing in river water and seawater did not affect the analysis of metals. Under the optimum conditions, the method allowed the determination of metal ions with detection limits of 0.08 ng mL⁻¹ (Ag), 0.9 ng mL⁻¹ (Bi), 0.07 ng mL⁻¹ (Cu), 0.9 ng mL⁻¹ (Ga), 0.9 ng mL⁻¹ (In), 0.08 ng mL⁻¹ (Mo), 0.09 ng mL⁻¹ (Ni), 0.9 ng mL⁻¹ (U), and 0.08 ng mL⁻¹ (V). By using 5 mL of sample solution, the enrichment factor and collection efficiency were 8–12 fold and 96–102%, respectively, whereas the sample throughput was 7 samples/hour. The method was validated by determining metal ions in certified reference material of river water (SLRS-4) and nearshore seawater (CASS-4), and its applicability was further demonstrated to river water and seawater samples.     

Magnetic microsphere-based methods to study the interaction of teicoplanin with peptides and bacteria

Teicoplanin (teic) from Actinoplanes teichomyceticus is a glycopeptide antibiotic used to treat many Gram-positive bacterial infections. Glycopeptide antibiotics inhibit bacterial growth by binding to carboxy-terminal d-Ala-d-Ala intermediates in the peptidoglycan of the cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria. In this paper we report the derivatization of magnetic microspheres with teic (teic-microspheres). Fluorescence-based techniques have been developed to analyze the binding properties of the microspheres to two d-Ala-d-Ala terminus peptides. The dissociation constant for the binding of carboxyfluorescein-labeled d-Ala-d-Ala-d-Ala to teic on microspheres was established via fluorimetry and flow cytometry and was determined to be 0.5 × 10⁻⁶ and 3.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹, respectively. The feasibility of utilizing microparticles with fluorescence methods to detect low levels (the limit of bacterial detection was determined to be 30 colon-forming units; cfu) of Gram-positive bacteria has been demonstrated. A simple microfluidic experiment is reported to demonstrate the possibility of developing microsphere-based affinity assays to study peptide–antibiotic interaction.