A simple microfluidic system for efficient capillary electrophoretic separation and sensitive fluorimetric detection of DNA fragments using light-emitting diode and liquid-core waveguide techniques

A miniaturized CE system has been developed for fast DNA separations with sensitive fluorimetric detection using a rectangle type light-emitting diode (LED). High sensitivity was achieved by combining liquid-core waveguide (LCW) and lock-in amplification techniques. A Teflon AF-coated silica capillary on a compact 6x3 cm baseplate served as both the separation channel for CE separation and as an LCW for light transmission of fluorescence emission to the detector. An electronically modulated LED illuminated transversely through a 0.2 mm aperture, the detection point on the LCW capillary without focusing, and fluorescence light was transmitted to the capillary outlet. To simplify the optics and enhance collection of light from the capillary outlet, an outlet reservoir was designed, with a light transmission window, positioned directly in front of a photomultiplier tube (PMT), separated only by a high pass filter. Automated sample introduction was achieved using a sequential injection system through a split-flow interface that allowed effective release of gas bubbles. In the separation of a phiX174 HaeIII DNA digest sample, using ethidium bromide as labeling dye, all 11 fragments of the sample were effectively resolved in 400 s, with an S/N ratio comparable to that of a CE system with more sophisticated LIF.