An analysis of avidin, biotin and their interaction at attomole levels by voltammetric and chromatographic techniques

The electroanalytical determination of avidin in solution, in a carbon paste, and in a transgenic maize extract was performed in acidic medium at a carbon paste electrode (CPE). The oxidative voltammetric signal resulting from the presence of tyrosine and tryptophan in avidin was observed using square-wave voltammetry. The process could be used to determine avidin concentrations up to 3 fM (100 amol in 3 l drop) in solution, 700 fM (174 fmol in 250 l solution) in an avidin-modified electrode, and 174 nM in a maize seed extract. In the case of the avidin-modified CPE, several parameters were studied in order to optimize the measurements, such as electrode accumulation time, composition of the avidin-modified CPE, and the elution time of avidin. In addition, the avidin-modified electrode was used to detect biotin in solution (the detection limit was 7.6 pmol in a 6 l drop) and to detect biotin in a pharmaceutical drug after various solvent extraction procedures. Comparable studies for the detection of biotin were developed using HPLC with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) and flow injection analysis with electrochemical detection, which allowed biotin to be detected at levels as low as 614 pM and 6.6 nM, respectively. The effects of applied potential, acetonitrile content, and flow rate of the mobile phase on the FIA-ED signal were also studied.     

Determination of bromadiolone in pheasants and foxes by differential pulse voltammetry

Bromadiolone, a commercially used anticoagulant rodenticide, was determined in tissues of various animals by differential pulse voltammetry with a carbon-paste electrode. Under the most suitable experimental conditions (step potential of 25?mV?s^?1 and 0.2?mol?L^?1 acetate buffer, pH 4.2), the limit of detection was 0.5?ng?mL^?1. The electroanalytical method was consequently used to investigate the bromadiolone transport within the food chain. Pheasants were exposed to bromadiolone and then used as feed for a fox. The average levels were 528 and 198?ng of bromadiolone per gram of fresh weight of liver of pheasant and fox, respectively. Due to the surprisingly lower content of bromadiolone in the latter, a basic biochemical analysis, particularly blood coagulation, was performed. Among the parameters studied (thrombin time, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, and fibrinogen), there was prolongation of the prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time.     

Double Elimination Voltammetry of Short Oligonucleotides

In connection with adsorptive stripping (AdS) technique, elimination voltammetry with linear scan (EVLS) in double mode was successfully employed in the analysis of homo‐ODNs: 5′‐AAA AAA AAA‐3′ (dA₉) and 5′‐CCC CCC CCC‐3′ (dC₉), and hetero‐ODNs: 5′‐CCC AAA CCC‐3′ (H3), 5′‐CAC CAC CAC‐3′ (H4), and 5′‐ACC CAC CCA‐3′ (H9) on hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE). Analogously to single EVLS function E4 (conserving the diffusion current I_d and eliminating kinetic and charging currents I_k, I_c) for the electroactive substance adsorbed, the double EVLS function E4 yields well readable peak‐counterpeaks of reducible nucleic acid bases (adenine A and cytosine C). In comparison with single EVLS these peak‐counterpeaks are higher by more than one order of magnitude (twenty times for dA₉, fourteen times for dC₉, from eight to sixteen times for hetero‐ODNs). The increase of reduction signals with higher resolution was also observed using other two EVLS functions in double mode, the functions E5 eliminating I_c and I_d, but conserving I_k and E6 eliminating I_d and I_k, but conserving I_c. The amplifications of double /single EVLS signals of A and C range from 3.4 to 8.4, and from 3.1 to 8.3 for E5 and E6, respectively. It was proved that AdS double EVLS offers a new, fast, simple and inexpensive electroanalytical tool, which can be considered as a device not only for very good resolution of A and C in ODNs, but also for sensitive detection of changes in the primary structure of nucleic acid bases in ODN chains, depending on experimental conditions, such as pH, temperature, and time and potential of accumulation.     

Enzymatic Reaction Coupled with Flow-Injection Analysis with Charged Aerosol,Coulometric, or Amperometric Detection for Estimation of Contamination of the Environment by Pesticides

Because excessive using of pesticides poses a threat to the environment and to human health, development of low-cost and sensitive methods for analysis of pesticides in the environment is needed. Several bacteria can release halide ions from the molecules of halogenated hydrocarbons. This can be used in a device for analysis of halogenated hydrocarbons in the environment by quantification of the halide anions. Here we directed our attention to selecting an instrument for detection of chloride anions. We tested three different detectors, amperometric, and coulometric, both coupled with flow-injection analysis and charged aerosol, coupled with high performance liquid chromatography. Detection limits (3 × S/N) for measurement of chloride anions by use of these detectors was 30 μM (charged aerosol), 100 nM (coulometric), and 1 nM (amperometric). Because of its lowest detection limit for chloride anions and the many technical possibilities of miniaturization, the amperometric detector was used to test of effect of different cations on the chloride signal under the optimized experimental conditions (working electrode potential −365 mV; “Current R” 5 μA; mobile phase 0.2 M phosphate buffer, pH 6; flow rate 0.5 mL min⁻¹). NaCl, SrCl₂, NH₄Cl, and CsCl were tested as sources of chloride anions. We then used the detector to detect chloride anions catalytically cleaved from 1-chlorohexane by the enzyme haloalkane dehalogenase LinB from the bacterium Sphingobium japonicum UT26. The activity of the enzyme increased with increasing reaction temperature until the maximum was observed at 39°C. The results obtained were in good agreement with data obtained by colorimetric detection.

     

Electrochemical determination of Ag-ions in environment waters and their action on plant embryos

We utilized liquid chromatography coupled with electrochemical detector (HPLC-ED) for analyzing of silver ions. The optimization of basic chromatographic parameters has been done. The detection limit (3 S/N) obtained were 20 nmol/dm(3). Influence of different interferences (anions and cations) on current response of silver ions has been described. Moreover, we used HPLC-ED to analyze waters of different purity including photographic emulsion, which naturally contained silver ions. We found out that content of silver ions in the emulsion was 1.57 x 0.03 mmol/dm(3). Moreover, we investigated influence of silver ions on early somatic embryos of Blue Spruce. We were interested in the issue how much silver ions can embryos uptake during four days long treatment. For this purpose, we used optimized HPLC-ED technique. The content increased with increasing treatment time and applied concentration. We also studied how silver ions can influence thiols content in the treated embryos. For these purposes we used adsorptive transfer stripping voltammetry in connection with differential pulse voltammetry--Brdicka reaction. It clearly follows from the obtained results that content of thiols increased with increasing treatment time and applied concentration.     

Simultaneous determination of eight biologically active thiol compounds using gradient elution-liquid chromatography with Coul-Array detection

The most active form of sulfur in biomolecules is the thiol group, present in a number of biologically active compounds. Here we present a comprehensive study of thiol analysis using flow injection analysis/HPLC with electrochemical detection. The effect of different potentials of working electrodes, of organic solvent contents in the mobile phase, and of isocratic and gradient elution on simultaneous determination of thiol compounds (cysteine, cystine, N-acetylcysteine, homocysteine, reduced and oxidised glutathione, desglycinephytochelatin, and phytochelatins) are described and discussed. These thiol compounds were well separated and detected under optimised HPLC-electrochemical detection conditions (mobile phase: 80 mM trifluoroacetic acid and methanol with a gradient profile starting at 97:3 (TFA:methanol), kept constant for the first 8 min, then decreasing to 85:15 during one minute, kept constant for 8 min, and finally increasing linearly up to 97:3 from 17 to 18 min; the flow rate was 0.8 mL/min, column and detector temperature 25 degrees C, and the electrode potential 900 mV). We were able to determine tens of femtomoles (3 S/N) of the thiols per injection (5 microL), except for phytochelatin5 whose detection limit was 2.1 pmole. This technique was consequently used for simultaneous determination of compounds of interest in biological samples (maize tissue and human blood serum).