Characteristics and Application of Porous Ceramic/Agarose Composite Beads Derived as an Affinity Medium

Porous ceramic/agarose composite beads were derived as a kind of glutathione S-transferase (GST) affinity medium to investigate the characteristics and application in fast protein liquid chromatography. The analysis of back pressure and chromatographic performance in a packed bed indicated that this kind of affinity medium with a rigid structure and a high level of column efficiency would be suitable for protein chromatography under high flow velocity. The good physical stability evidenced under harsh alkaline treatments ensured the application in real chromatography processes. When the porous ceramic/agarose composite beads were used in the purification process of fusion protein GST-ADAM15, the purity of the total GST related protein reached more than 91.6 % and the yield reached 44.6 % even at the flow velocity of 764.3 cm h^?1. The works indicated the characteristics of porous ceramic/agarose composite beads and their potential application in protein purification processes.     

Capillary GC Analysis of Glyoxal and Methylglyoxal in the Serum and Urine of Diabetic Patients After Use of 2,3-Diamino-2,3-dimethylbutane as Derivatizing Reagent

The dicarbonyl compounds glyoxal, methylglyoxal, and dimethylglyoxal have been separated by capillary GC on a 30 m × 0.32 mm i.d. HP-5 column after precolumn derivatization with 2,3-diamino-2,3-dimethylbutane at pH 4. Chromatographic separation was complete in 6 min. Nitrogen was used as carrier gas at a flow rate of 2 mL min^?1. Split injection was performed with a split ratio of 10:1 (v/v). The derivatives were monitored by flame-ionization detection, and linear calibration plots were obtained in the ranges 0.06–0.69, 0.05–1.01, and 0.07–1.33 μg mL^?1 for glyoxal, methylglyoxal, and dimethylglyoxal, respectively; the respective detection limits were 20, 10, and 10 ng mL^?1. Glyoxal and methylglyoxal were analyzed in serum and urine from diabetics and from healthy volunteers. Amounts of glyoxal and methylglyoxal in serum from diabetic patients were 0.19–0.33 and 0.20–0.29 μg mL^?1, respectively, with respective relative standard deviations (RSD) of 0.8–1.0 and 0.8–1.1%. Amounts of glyoxal and methylglyoxal in serum from healthy volunteers were 0.05–0.08 and 0.04–0.10 μg mL^?1, respectively, with respective RSD of 0.9–1.2 and 1.0–1.2%. Levels of glyoxal and methylglyoxal in urine from diabetic patients were 0.18–0.40 and 0.25–0.36 μg mL^?1, respectively.     

Assessment of immobilized yeast for the separation and determination of platinum in environmental samples by flow-injection chemiluminescence and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae immobilized in calcium alginate beads was used for separation and subsequent determination of Pt in environmental samples by flow-injection chemiluminescence (FI-CL) and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). The application of a yeast column resulted in an increase in the tolerable matrix ions concentration compared to direct measurements by both detection techniques. The developed FI-CL method of Pt determination based on the catalytic effect of Pt(IV) ions on luminol oxidation in alkaline medium is characterized by a low limit of detection (0.15 ng mL^?1), and good sensitivity and precision, and can be used for analysis of Pt in water samples. Determination of Pt in more complex environmental samples can be carried out by ETAAS (LOD?=?6 ng mL^?1) after introduction of a column clean-up step with 10 mM nitric acid. The accuracy of the method was confirmed by analyzing the certified reference material of platinum ore (SARM-7), spiked grass, and road dust samples.     

Atomic force microscopy for the characterization of immobilized enzyme molecules on biosensor surfaces

The development of biosensors has been one of the key areas in biotechnology and biomedical studies. Often it is difficult to investigate the immobilized biomolecules on the surfaces for biosensor optimization. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) should provide an ideal means for the visualization of biosensor surface and for the investigation of biomolecule activities. Therefore, AFM has been employed to study the surface topography of immobilized glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) on two-dimensional glutamate biosensor surfaces. Correlation between the surface topography and the activity of the biosensor was investigated. Surface analysis has revealed that the enzymatic activity of the immobilized GDH molecules on the biosensor surface is linked to surface roughness, as measured by the peak-to-valley distance. Fractal dimension of the immobilization sensor surface was found to be a good parameter for judging the quality of the immobilized biosensors. As enzyme immobilization time increases, the biosensor has its maximum activity with around 18 h of immobilization in 10^–6 M GDH solution. Various biosensors prepared under different experimental conditions have been studied by AFM. This technique is shown to be an effective tool to characterize biosensor surfaces.     

Direct Bioelectrocatalysis of PQQ‐Dependent Glucose Dehydrogenase

The direct bioelectrocatalysis was demonstrated for pyrroloquinoline quinone‐dependent glucose dehydrogenase (PQQ‐dependent GDH) covalently attached to single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). The homogeneous ink‐like SWNT suspension was used for both creating the SWNT network on the microelectrode carbon surface and for enzyme immobilization. Functionalization of the SWNT surface by forming active ester groups was found to considerably enhance SWNT solubility in water with a range from 0.1 to 1.0 mg/mL. The PQQ‐dependent GDH immobilized on the surface of the SWNTs exhibited fast heterogeneous electron transfer with a rate constant of 3.6 s^?1. Moreover, the immobilized PQQ‐dependent GDH retained its enzymatic activity for glucose oxidation. A fusion of PQQ‐dependent GDH with SWNTs has a great potential for the development of low‐cost and reagentless glucose sensors and biofuel cells.     

Sensitive flow-injection determination of l-lactate in human blood with immobilized enzyme columns and fluorimetric detection

Enzyme columns prepared by packing l-lactate oxidase and horseradish peroxidase immobilized chemically on controlled-pore glass beads are connected in series. Hydrogen peroxide formed in the enzymatic conversion of l-lactate in the first column is mixed with 3-(p-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid before passage through the peroxidase column and fluorimetric measurement. Linear calibration was obtained for 0.5–500 pmol of L-lactate in 20 μl of 1000-fold diluted, deproteinated whole blood. A rapid sampling rate (60 h^?1) was possible.     

Electrochemical detection of miRNA-222 by use of a magnetic bead-based bioassay

MicroRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) are naturally occurring small RNAs (approximately 22 nucleotides in length) that have critical functions in a variety of biological processes, including tumorigenesis. They are an important target for detection technology for future medical diagnostics. In this paper we report an electrochemical method for miRNA detection based on paramagnetic beads and enzyme amplification. In particular, miR 222 was chosen as model sequence, because of its involvement in brain, lung, and liver cancers. The proposed bioassay is based on biotinylated DNA capture probes immobilized on streptavidin-coated paramagnetic beads. Total RNA was extracted from the cell sample, enriched for small RNA, biotinylated, and then hybridized with the capture probe on the beads. The beads were then incubated with streptavidin–alkaline phosphatase and exposed to the appropriate enzymatic substrate. The product of the enzymatic reaction was electrochemically monitored. The assay was finally tested with a compact microfluidic device which enables multiplexed analysis of eight different samples with a detection limit of 7 pmol L^?1 and RSD?=?15 %. RNA samples from non-small-cell lung cancer and glioblastoma cell lines were also analyzed.     

Immobilization of β-galactosidase on Polystyrene Microspheres Attached L-Alanine

This study investigated the properties of immobilized β-galactosidase on polymeric beads having Schiff base. Polystyrene microspheres attached L-Alanine (FMPS-Ala) was synthesized from (4-formyl-3-methoxyphenoxymethyl)polystyrene (FMPS) and L-alanine by condensation. A coordinasyon polymer involving Ni²⁺(FMPS-Ala-Ni) was produced with the template method and characterized. β-galactosidase was immobilized onto the (FMPS), (FMPS-Ala) and (FMPS-Ala-Ni) complexes via covalent bonds. The Km/Vmax values were calculated as 0.343 mM/0.0259 mM min^?1for free β-galactosidase and 0.104 mM/0.0126 mM min^?1, 0.0617 mM/0.0417 mM min^?1and 0.210 mM/0.0287 mM min^?1for β-galactosidase immobilized to the (FMPS), (FMPS-Ala) and (FMPS-Ala-Ni) supports, respectively. The storage stability of (FMPS-Ala-Ni) was determined to be higher than that of the (FMPS) and (FMPS-Ala) polymers.     

Dual‐enzyme,co‐immobilized capillary microreactor combined with substrate recycling for high‐sensitive glutamate determination based on CE

A new method for high‐sensitive determination of glutamate was developed and evaluated based on CE by using dual‐enzyme co‐immobilized capillary microreactor combined with substrate recycling. The capillary microreactor was prepared by covalently co‐immobilizing glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) on the inner surface of a capillary and was characterized by SEM, ultraviolet‐visible spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The GDH‐GPT co‐immobilized capillary microreactor showed great stability and reproducibility. The apparent K_m for glutamate with GDH‐GPT coupled reaction was determined to be 0.61±0.06 mM but 2.56±0.24 mM when only GDH was immobilized. Glutamate determination was based on on‐column monitoring UV absorption at 340 nm of the reaction product reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, of which peak area was directly related to the glutamate concentration. The response of the present co‐immobilized GDH‐GPT assay for glutamate is greatly enhanced over single enzyme system, and a 15.7‐fold improvement in sensitivity was obtained. The detection limit of the proposed method is 0.15 μM glutamate (S/N=3). Selectivity for glutamate is good over most of the 20 amino acids. Finally, this method was successfully applied to determine the glutamate content in rat plasma and serum samples.     

Micro- to nanostructured poly(pyrrole-nitrilotriacetic acid) films via nanosphere templates: applications to 3D enzyme attachment by affinity interactions

We report the combination of latex nanosphere lithography with electropolymerization of N-substituted pyrrole monomer bearing a nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) moiety for the template-assisted nanostructuration of poly(pyrrole-NTA) films and their application for biomolecule immobilization. The electrodes were modified by casting latex beads (100 or 900 nm in diameter) on their surface followed by electropolymerization of the pyrrole-NTA monomer and the subsequent chelation of Cu²⁺ ions. The dissolution of the nanobeads leads then to a nanostructured polymer film with increased surface. Thanks to the versatile affinity interactions between the (NTA)Cu²⁺ complex and histidine- or biotin-tagged proteins, both tyrosinase and glucose oxidase were immobilized on the modified electrode. Nanostructuration of the polypyrrole via nanosphere lithography (NSL) using 900- and 100-nm latex beads allows an increase in surface concentration of enzymes anchored on the functionalized polypyrrole electrode. The nanostructured enzyme electrodes were characterized by fluorescence microscopy, 3D laser scanning confocal microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Electrochemical studies demonstrate the increase in the amount of immobilized biomolecules and associated biosensor performances when achieving NSL compared to conventional polymer formation without bead template. In addition, the decrease in nanobead diameter from 900 to 100 nm provides an enhancement in biosensor performance. Between biosensors based on films polymerized without nanobeads and with 100-nm nanobeads, maximum current density values increase from 4 to 56 μA cm^?2 and from 7 to 45 μA cm^?2 for biosensors based on tyrosinase and glucose oxidase, respectively.     

Use of Frontal Chromatography to Measure the Binding Interaction of Berberine Chloride with Bovine Serum Albumin

There is much interest in the interactions between the active constituents of traditional Chinese medicine and biomolecules. By use of frontal analysis on an affinity column we have examined the binding interaction of berberine chloride (BC), a major active constituent of coptis, with bovine serum albumin (BSA) in 40 mM phosphate buffer, pH 7.0. Adsorption of BC on immobilized BSA was in accordance with the Langmuir isotherm, suggesting BC is binding to a single type of site on the immobilized BSA. The binding constant was 4.79 × 10⁴ L mol^?1 at 30 °C, less than the value of 6.61 × 10⁴ L mol^?1 obtained by fluorescence spectroscopy under the same buffer and temperature conditions. The effects of temperature on the retention, binding constant, and active binding sites, and on the percentage protein binding of BC, were also investigated. Thermodynamic measurements indicated that the increase in entropy was an important process promoting the interaction between BC and BSA.     

Determination of Urinary Glucose by a Flow Injection Analysis Amperometric Biosensor and Ion-Exchange Chromatography

A practical biosensor system has been developed for the determination of urinary glucose using a flow-injection analysis (FIA) amperometric detector and ion-exchange chromatography. Glucose oxidase was immobilized onto porous aminopropyl glass beads via glutaraldehyde activation to form an immobilized enzyme column. On the basis of its negative charge at pH 5.5, endogenous urate in urine samples was effectively retained by an upstream anion-exchange resin column. The biosensor system possessed a sensitivity of 160 ±2.4 RU μM^-1 (RU or relative unit is defined as 2.86 μV at the detection output) for glucose with a minimum detection level of 10 μM. When applied for the determination of urinary glucose, the result obtained compared very well with that of the widely accepted hexokinase assay. The immobilized glucose oxidase could be reused for more than 1000 repeated analyses without losing its original activity. The reuse of the acetate anion-exchange column before replacement would be about 25–30 analyses. Acetaminophen and ascorbic acid were also effectively adsorbed by the acetate anion exchanger. The introduction of this type of anion exchanger thus greatly improved the selectivity of the FIA biosensor system and fostered its applicability for the determination of glucose in urine samples.     

Use of Frontal Chromatography to Measure the Binding Interaction of Berberine Chloride with Bovine Serum Albumin

There is much interest in the interactions between the active constituents of traditional Chinese medicine and biomolecules. By use of frontal analysis on an affinity column we have examined the binding interaction of berberine chloride (BC), a major active constituent of coptis, with bovine serum albumin (BSA) in 40 mM phosphate buffer, pH 7.0. Adsorption of BC on immobilized BSA was in accordance with the Langmuir isotherm, suggesting BC is binding to a single type of site on the immobilized BSA. The binding constant was 4.79 × 10⁴ L mol⁻¹ at 30 °C, less than the value of 6.61 × 10⁴ L mol⁻¹ obtained by fluorescence spectroscopy under the same buffer and temperature conditions. The effects of temperature on the retention, binding constant, and active binding sites, and on the percentage protein binding of BC, were also investigated. Thermodynamic measurements indicated that the increase in entropy was an important process promoting the interaction between BC and BSA.

     

RP-LC with Fluorescence Detection of Amino Acids in Rat Brain Synaptosomes

For the first time, a simple and validated reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RP-LC) with fluorescence detection has been developed for the simultaneous analysis of glutamate (Glu), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glycine (Gly) and taurine (Tau) in Wistar and tremor rats brain synaptosomes. The samples were separated on a C18 analytical column with gradient elution of methanol and 0.1 mol L^?1 potassium acetate at a flow rate of 1 mL min^?1. Total run time was approximately 25 min. All calibration curves exhibited good linearity (r ² > 0.999) within test ranges. The reproducibility was estimated by intra-and inter-day assays and RSD values were less than 2.48%. The recoveries were between 96.32 and 105.21%. The method was successfully applied to the quantification of amino acids in Wistar and tremor rats brain synaptosomes. Through this developed protocol, the levels of Glu in hippocampal and prefrontal cortical synaptosomes of tremor rats were both significantly elevated than those of adult Wistar rats whereas significantly decreased concentrations of GABA and Gly were observed in the hippocampal region of tremor rats without evident difference in the prefrontal cortex between experimental and control groups. In addition, our studies also showed a marked elevation of Tau in tremor rats hippocampal synaptosomes although there was no pronounced difference in the prefrontal cortical region of Wistar and tremor rats.     

Flow-injection determination of d-mannitol with immobilized mannitol dehydrogenase

A flow-injection system is described for the determination of d-mannitol. Mannitol dehydrogenase is immobilized on poly(vinyl alcohol) beads and packed in a column (5 cm × 4 mm i.d.). The NADH formed is detected fluorimetrically. The response is linear between 5 × 10^?7 and 1 × 10^?4 M mannitol and the detection limit is 1 × 10^?7 M. The throughput is 30 samples per hour. The reactor is stable for at least 8 weeks.     

Flow-injection chemiluminescence determinations for human blood lead using controlled reagent release technology

A flow-through CL method for the determination of lead combined with controlled-reagent-release technology has been developed. Chemiluminescence (CL) reagents luminol and potassium permanganate were immobilized on anion exchange resin by electrostatic interaction. Lead ion was determined by its enhancing effect on the CL reaction between luminol and potassium permanganate. Both luminol and potassium permanganate were eluted from the anion exchange resin column by sodium phosphate solution. The linear range of the system was 10 μg mL^?1, and the detection limit was 5?×?10^–9 g mL^?1 lead (3σ). A complete analysis could be performed in 1 min with a relative SD 3.2% (1.0?×?10^–7 g mL^?1, n?=?9). The column shows remarkable stability and can be reused over 350 times and 21 days. The method has been applied to determine lead in human blood samples.     

A low-cost,fast, disposable and sensitive biosensor study: flow injection analysis of glucose at poly-methylene blue-modified pencil graphite electrode

In this work, firstly methylene blue (MB) was electropolymerized onto pencil graphite electrode (PGE) surface for the electrocatalytic oxidation of NADH. Cyclic voltammograms show that oxidation potential of NADH at Poly-MB/PGE shifted to negative direction about 300 mV compared with bare PGE. These results indicate that Poly-MB/PGE exhibits a good electrocatalytic activity toward NADH oxidation. Then, a glucose biosensor study was performed based on the determination of enzymatically generated NADH by glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) which immobilized onto Poly-MB/PGE using glutaraldehyde cross-linking procedure. The biosensing of glucose in flow injection analysis (FIA) system was performed at GDH/Poly-MB/PGE for the first time. The electrocatalytic oxidation currents of enzymatically produced NADH obtained from FI amperometric current–time curves recorded at + 200 mV and in phosphate buffer solution at pH 7.0 containing 1.0 M KCl were linearly related to the concentration of glucose. Linear calibration plots are obtained in the concentration range from 0.01 to 1.0 mM. The limit of detection (LOD) was found to be 4.0 µM. A fast, sensitive, low-cost and disposable glucose biosensor was constructed in FIA system using GDH/Poly-MB/PGE; therefore, it might provide a new perspective for the fabrication of biosensor of other compounds such as glutamate, lactate and alcohol.     

Effect of the Presence of Surfactants and Immobilization Conditions on Catalysts’ Properties of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhizomucor miehei</Emphasis> Lipase onto Chitosan

Lipase from Rhizomucor miehei (RML) was immobilized onto chitosan support in the presence of some surfactants added at low levels using two different strategies. In the first approach, the enzyme was immobilized in the presence of surfactants on chitosan supports previously functionalized with glutaraldehyde. In the second one, after prior enzyme adsorption on chitosan beads in the presence of surfactants, the complex chitosan beads-enzyme was then cross-linked with glutaraldehyde. The effects of surfactant concentrations on the activities of free and immobilized RML were evaluated. Hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) promoted an inhibition of enzyme activity while the nonionic surfactant Triton X-100 caused a slight increase in the catalytic activity of the free enzyme and the derivatives produced in both methods of immobilization. The best derivatives were achieved when the lipase was firstly adsorbed on chitosan beads at 4 °C for 1 h, 220 rpm followed by cross-link the complex chitosan beads-enzyme with glutaraldehyde 0.6% v.v^?1 at pH 7. The derivatives obtained under these conditions showed high catalytic activity and excellent thermal stability at 60° and 37 °C. The best derivative was also evaluated in the synthesis of two flavor esters namely methyl and ethyl butyrate. At non-optimized conditions, the maximum conversion yield for methyl butyrate was 89%, and for ethyl butyrate, the esterification yield was 92%. The results for both esterifications were similar to those obtained when the commercial enzyme Lipozyme® and free enzyme were used in the same reaction conditions and higher than the one achieved in the absence of the selected surfactant.     

Development and Validation of the Chiral HPLC Method for Daclatasvir in Gradient Elution Mode on Amylose-Based Immobilized Chiral Stationary Phase

A selective and specific high-performance liquid chromatography method for the determination of daclatasvir enantiomers has been developed and validated. Various immobilized polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases were used to define a separation strategy utilizing normal-phase and polar organic chromatography modes. Excellent resolution between daclatasvir and its enantiomer was achieved on amylose tris (3-chlorophenylcarbamate) stationary phase, namely CHIRALPAK ID-3, using binary gradient containing acetonitrile:diethylamine and methanol:diethylamine as the mobile phase. The flow rate of the mobile phases was maintained at 1.0 mL min⁻¹ while the column oven temperature was maintained at 40 °C. The column effluent was monitored by UV detection at 315 nm. In comparison with isocratic method, the binary gradient method offered excellent peak shape and improved resolution between daclatasvir and its enantiomer while maintaining the specificity with diastereomers. The method was found to be precise, accurate, and linear (R ² > 0.999). Limit of detection and limit of quantitation of the enantiomer were found to be 0.083 µg mL⁻¹ as and 0.25 µg mL⁻¹, respectively. Recovery of the enantiomer was found to be in the range of 90 to 112 %.

     

Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) as a matrix for immobilization of lipase

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was found to be suitable for the immobilization of lipase fromCandida rugosa. The best result based on hydrolytic activity was obtained by adsorption of the purified unbuffered enzyme solution onto PMMA beads without any modification of the beads. Prolonged exposure of the protein to the beads increased its adsorption but the expressed activity decreased after 1 h of exposure. The magnitude of the immobilized activity also varied with the size of the beads. Immobilization of the lipase shifted its optimal reaction temperature from 37 to 45°C. The immobilized enzyme is also more stable than the free enzyme in solution. The operational half-life of the immobilized lipase packed in a column and assayed in a closed system is 40 d.