Large volume sample stacking capillary electrophoresis for metallothioneins analysis in eel liver

A large volume sample stacking procedure (LVSS) is developed here for metallothionein (MT) determinations in rabbit liver by using capillary electrophoresis with UV detection. A 10-time improvement in concentration-based LODs, when compared to the normal stacking mode (CE-UV analysis of samples solved in water), is achieved.The methodology is successfully applied to analysis of MTs in eel liver cytosolic extracts, preceded by an easy cleaning-up pre-treatment in order to eliminate the high salt content. Analysis of cytosol obtained from a group of eels previously exposed to Cd (induced group) resulted in several isoforms of MTs with differences in absorbance signal compared to a control group.