Application of capillary isotachophoresis in peptide analysis

This paper gives a broad and detailed review of the applications of one of the modern high-performance electromigration separation techniques--capillary isotachophoresis (ITP)--in peptide analysis. Examples are presented of the utilization of capillary ITP for peptide analysis in the fields of chemistry, general and clinical biochemistry, biology, biotechnology, pharmacy and the food industry. The complete composition of all the electrolyte systems used for peptide ITP analyses in both cationic and anionic techniques is given in tabular form. According to the purpose of analysis the applications are divided into several sections: model studies, determination of physico-chemical characteristics, purity control of both intermediate and final peptide preparations, including the determination of low-molecular-mass ionogenic admixtures, and the analysis of peptides in biological fluids and tissue extracts. In addition to the main applications the theoretical and methodological aspects of peptide ITP analysis are discussed. The basic electromigration properties of peptides (their polyampholyte character, effective and absolute mobilities, acid-base equilibria) are explained and the selection of parameters for peptide ITP analysis is described in detail. The advantages and disadvantages of ITP compared with other electrophoretic and chromatographic methods used for peptide analysis are discussed.     

Physicochemical characterization of phosphinic pseudopeptides by capillary zone electrophoresis in highly acidic background electrolytes

Phosphinic pseudopeptides (i.e., peptide isosteres with one peptide bond replaced by a phosphinic acid moiety) were analyzed and physicochemically characterized by capillary zone electrophoresis in the pH range of 1.1-3.2, employing phosphoric, phosphinic, oxalic and dichloroacetic acids as background electrolyte (BGE) constituents. The acid dissociation constant (pK(a)) of phosphinate group in phosphinic pseudopeptides and ionic mobilities of these analytes were determined from the pH dependence of their effective electrophoretic mobilities corrected to standard temperature and constant ionic strength of the BGEs. It was shown that these corrections are necessary whenever precise mobility data at very low pH are to be determined. Additionally, it was found that the ionic mobilities of the phosphinic pseudopeptides and pK(a) of their phosphinate group are affected by the BGE constituent used. The variability of migration behavior of the pseudopeptides can be attributed to their ion-pairing formation with the BGE components.     

Recent applications of conductivity detection in capillary and chip electrophoresis

The review provides a comprehensive survey of the recent applications of contact and contactless conductivity detection in capillary electrophoretic and chip electrophoretic analyses of a broad scale of compounds, from low-molecular-mass highly mobile small inorganic and organic ions, via medium-molecular-mass peptides and oligo- and polynucleotides up to high-molecular-mass biopolymers, proteins and nucleic acids fragments. The review presents also the recent developments in the construction of different types of conductivity detectors (detectors with galvanic contact of the sensing electrodes with the BGE and sample components, contactless conductivity detectors with capacitively coupled tubular and semitubular electrodes and combined conductivity/optical detectors) applied in the capillary electromigration methods performed in classical fused silica, polytetrafluorethylene, and polyetheretherketone capillaries or on glass and polymethylmethacrylate microchips. In addition, the principle and theoretical bases of conductivity detection in capillary electromigration techniques, zone electrophoresis, ITP, micellar EKC, and electrochromatography are briefly described.     

Control of EOF in CE by different ways of application of radial electric field

Various ways of application of radial electric field for the control of electrokinetic potential and EOF in a home-made device for CE are presented. The device comprises three high-voltage power supplies, which are used to form a radial electric field across the fused-silica capillary wall. One power supply provides the internal electric field - a driving force for electrophoretic migration of charged analytes and for the EOF. Two power supplies are connected to the ends of the outer low-conductivity polymeric coating, which is formed by the dispersion of insoluble conductive copolymer of aniline and p-phenylendiamine in polystyrene matrix (dissolved in N-methylpyrrolidone) attached to the original outer polyimide coating of the capillary. They are able to constitute the external longitudinal electric field with variable values of electric potential at both ends of the outer coating. The potential gradient between the external and internal electric field is perpendicular to the capillary wall and forms a radial electric field across the capillary wall, which affects the electrokinetic potential at the solid-liquid interface and EOF inside the capillary. The developed device and methodology has been applied for the analysis of both chiral and achiral molecules such as terbutaline enantiomers and oligopeptides (diglycine and triglycine). The effect of magnitude, orientation, and different ways of application of the radial electric field on the flow rate of the EOF and on the speed, efficiency, and resolution of CZE separations of the above analytes in the internally noncoated fused-silica capillaries have been evaluated.     

Separation of structurally related peptides by open-tubular capillary electrochromatography using (metallo)porphyrins as the adsorbed stationary phase

Several (metallo)porphyrins, particularly the porphyrin derivative tetraphenylporphyrin, and complexes of porphyrin derivatives with metal ions (Zn2+, Cu2+, Ni2+, Co2+, Co3+) have been employed as the stationary phase physically adsorbed onto the inner fused-silica capillary surface for open-tubular capillary electrochromatography, and applied for the separation of structurally related peptides. Four octapeptides, derivatives of the B23-B30 fragment of the B-chain of human insulin with minor changes in their sequences (presence of lysine or ornithine in position B-29, presence or absence of phenylacetyl protecting group on the amino group of lysine/ornithine or N-terminal amino group of glycine), were studied as model analytes. Separations were performed both in alkaline (pH 9.0) and in acidic (pH 2.25) background electrolytes, and the changes in the migration/retention behaviour of the model set of peptides were investigated with respect to the porphyrin periphery/central metal atom and the charge of the octapeptides modified. The key moment of successful separation of these peptides seems to be the accessibility of functional groups of the peptides to the interaction with the modifiers tested herein.     

Analysis of water extracts from airborne dust samples by capillary isotachophoresis

Application of capillary isotachophoresis (CITP) for the analysis of water extracts of the dust samples collected in different periods in air-filtration devices in Prague car traffic tunnels and in Parisian metro station is presented. The extracts were analyzed in cationic mode with a leading electrolyte (LE) of 10 mM KOH, 25 mM acetic acid, pH 4.4, and a terminating electrolyte (TE) of 10 mM β-alanine, adjusted to pH 4.4 with acetic acid, and in anionic mode with LE 10 mM HCl, 20 mM histidine, pH 5.8 and TE 10 mM 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulphonic acid, pH 3.7. Extracted amounts of UV-absorbing substances, including pollen allergens and organic pollutants, the number of the found components and concentrations of some inorganic ions (e.g. Cl⁻, K⁺, Na⁺, Ca²⁺) in the dust samples were determined. It was found that the extracted amounts of anionic components and their number were much higher than those of cationic components. Significant differences have been found in the analyses of the extracts of different origin. Much more material and more components were present in the extracts of samples from the pollen-rich period than from the pollen-free period, especially in anionic CITP mode.