Effectiveness of charged noncovalent polymer coatings against protein adsorption to silica surfaces studied by evanescent-wave cavity ring-down spectroscopy and capillary electrophoresis

Protein adsorption to silica surfaces is a notorious problem in analytical separations. Evanescent-wave cavity ring-down spectroscopy (EW-CRDS) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) were employed to investigate the capability of positively charged polymer coatings to minimize the adsorption of basic proteins. Adsorption of cytochrome c (cyt c) to silica coated with a single layer of polybrene (PB), or a triple layer of PB, dextran sulfate (DS), and PB, was studied and compared to bare silica. Direct analysis of silica surfaces by EW-CRDS revealed that both coatings effectively reduce irreversible protein adsorption. Significant adsorption was observed only for protein concentrations above 400 microM, whereas the PB-DS-PB coating was shown to be most effective and stable. CE analyses of cyt c were performed with and without the respective coatings applied to the fused-silica capillary wall. Monitoring of the electroosmotic flow and protein peak areas indicated a strong reduction of irreversible protein adsorption by the positively charged coatings. Determination of the electrophoretic mobility and peak width of cyt c revealed reversible protein adsorption to the PB coating. It is concluded that the combination of results from EW-CRDS and CE provides highly useful information on the adsorptive characteristics of bare and coated silica surfaces toward basic proteins.

Picosecond Raman spectroscopy with a fast intensified CCD camera for depth analysis of diffusely scattering media

A spectroscopic depth profiling approach is demonstrated for layers of non-transparent, diffusely scattering materials. The technique is based on the temporal discrimination between Raman photons emitted from the surface and Raman photons originating from a deeper layer. Excitation was carried out with a frequency-doubled, 3 ps Ti:sapphire laser system (398 nm; 76 MHz repetition rate). Time-resolved detection was carried out with an intensified CCD camera that can be gated with a 250 ps gate width. The performance of the system was assessed using 1 mm and 2 mm pathlength cuvettes with powdered PMMA and trans-stilbene (TS) crystals, respectively, or solid white polymer blocks: Arnite (polyethylene terephthalate), Delrin (polyoxymethylene), polythene (polyethylene) and Teflon (polytetrafluoroethylene). These samples were pressed together in different configurations and Raman photons were collected in backscatter mode in order to study the time difference in such media corresponding with several mm of extra net photon migration distance. We also studied the lateral contrast between two different second layers. The results demonstrate that by means of a picosecond laser system and the time discrimination of a gated intensified CCD camera, molecular spectroscopic information can be obtained through a turbid surface layer. In the case of the PMMA/TS two-layer system, time-resolved detection with a 400 ps delay improved the relative intensity of the Raman bands of the second layer with a factor of 124 in comparison with the spectrum recorded with a 100 ps delay (which is more selective for the first layer) and with a factor of 14 in comparison with a non-gated setup. Possible applications will be discussed, as well as advantages/disadvantages over other Raman techniques for diffusely scattering media.

Cryogenic fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy studies on monomeric and dimeric species of 2-butylamino-6-methyl-4-nitropyridine N-oxide

2-Butylamino-6-methyl-4-nitropyridine-N-oxide (2B6M) belongs to a group of compounds that can undergo not only excited-state intra-, but also intermolecular proton transfer. The latter of course requires the presence of dimeric species. Previously, we have shown that for 2B6M in aprotic non-polar solvents in the liquid state such dimers play no role. Under these conditions, only one single monomeric species exists, exhibiting anomalous fluorescence behavior, i.e. proton transfer not only starting from the lowest excited electronic singlet state, but also from higher excited states. However, we also noted that under frozen, crystalline matrix conditions more species show up in the spectra. In order to study this multi-species system in more detail, we present absorption and fluorescence experiments on 2B6M, recorded in n-octane at various temperatures between 293 and 5 K. High-resolution spectra are included, not only in fluorescence but also in absorption. We demonstrate that under cryogenic conditions three species can be discerned, two of these providing high-resolution spectra with their main 0-0 lines around 452 and 465 nm, respectively. A detailed vibrational analysis of their emission spectra is included. The third species gives broad-banded spectra, in absorption extending to about 520 nm with its long-wavelength maximum around 460 nm, in emission with a maximum around 535 nm. We tentatively assign the three species to a monomer, a H-bonded dimer and a strongly interacting (pi-pi-stacked) dimer, respectively. We conclude from the excitation spectra that (anomalous) intramolecular proton transfer at higher excited states is still operative under cryogenic conditions. Indications for excited-state intermolecular proton transfer in the stacked dimeric species were not found.

Liquid-phase and evanescent-wave cavity ring-down spectroscopy in analytical chemistry

Due to its simplicity, versatility, and straightforward interpretation into absolute concentrations, molecular absorbance detection is widely used in liquid-phase analytical chemistry. Because this method is inherently less sensitive than zero-background techniques such as fluorescence detection, alternative, more sensitive measurement principles are being explored. This review discusses one of these: cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS). Advantages of this technique include its long measurement pathlength and its insensitivity to light-source-intensity fluctuations. CRDS is already a well-established technique in the gas phase, so we focus on two new modes: liquid-phase CRDS and evanescent-wave (EW)-CRDS. Applications of liquid-phase CRDS in analytical chemistry focus on improving the sensitivity of absorbance detection in liquid chromatography. Currently, EW-CRDS is still in early stages: It is used to study basic interactions between molecules and silica surfaces. However, in the future this method may be used to develop, for instance, biosensors with high specificity.

Evanescent-wave cavity ring-down spectroscopy for enhanced detection of surface binding under flow injection analysis conditions

The feasibility of liquid-phase evanescent-wave cavity ring-down spectroscopy (EW-CRDS) for surface-binding studies under flow-injection analysis (FIA) conditions is demonstrated. The EW-CRDS setup consists of an anti-reflection coated Dove prism inside a linear cavity (with standard or super-polishing of the total internal reflective (TIR) surface). A teflon spacer with an elliptical hole clamped on this surface acts as a 20 muL sized flow cell. The baseline noise of this system is of the order of 10(-4) absorbance units; the baseline remains stable over a prolonged time and the prism surface does not become contaminated during repeated injections of the reversibly adsorbing test dyes Crystal Violet (CV) and Direct Red 10 (DR10). At typical FIA or liquid chromatography (LC) flow rates, the system has sufficient specificity to discriminate between species with different surface affinities. For CV a much stronger decrease in ring-down time is observed than calculated based on its bulk concentration and the effective depth probed by the evanescent wave, indicating binding of this positively charged dye to the negatively charged prism surface. The amount of adsorption can be influenced by adjusting the flow rate or the eluent composition. At a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min, an enrichment factor of 60 was calculated for CV; for the poorly adsorbing dye DR10 it is 5. Super-polishing of the already polished TIR surface works counter-productively. The adsorbing dye Crystal Violet has a detection limit of 3 muM for the standard polished surface; less binding occurs on the super-polished surface and the detection limit is 5 muM. Possible applications of EW-CRDS for studying surface binding or the development of bio-assays are discussed.

Simple, rapid, and sensitive liquid chromatography-fluorescence method for the quantification of tranexamic acid in blood

Tranexamic acid (TA) is a synthetic antifibrinolytic agent that is being considered as a candidate adjuvant drug for site-specific pharmaco-laser therapy of port wine stains. For drug utility studies, a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-fluorescence method was developed for the quantification of TA in blood. Platelet-poor plasma was prepared, size-separated using 3kDa cut-off centrifuge filters, and derivatized with naphthalene-2-3-dicarboxaldehyde (NDA) and cyanide. The excess of NDA was quenched after 2 min by adding tryptophan. The derivatives were separated on a 2.1mm C18 column using an acetate buffer/acetonitrile gradient. Excellent separation from plasma background was obtained at pH 5.5. Quantification was carried out at 440/520 nm. The limit of detection was 0.5 microM and the mean+/-SD recovery from whole blood was 81.7+/-10.9%. Derivatized TA samples were stable for at least 36 h at 4 degrees C. The method was successfully applied to a heat-induced TA release study from thermosensitive liposomes.

Intramolecular Proton-Transfer Processes Starting at Higher Excited States: A Fluorescence Study on 2-Butylamino-6-methyl-4-nitropyridine N-Oxide in Nonpolar Solutions

This article describes the exceptional photophysics of 2-butylamino-6-methyl-4-nitropyridine N-oxide (2B6M). It is known from the literature that this compound may undergo excited-state intra- or intermolecular proton-transfer reactions. In nonpolar solvents, 2B6M exhibits an unusual fluorescence behavior: there is a substantial difference between the relative band intensities of the excitation and absorption spectra. Furthermore, in emission two bands are observed, and their relative intensities depend on the excitation wavelength, thus violating the Kasha-Vavilov rule. It is the objective of this research to interpret these results. For this purpose, steady-state fluorescence excitation and emission spectra in the liquid state were recorded and quantum yields were determined for the two types of emission. In addition, absorption spectra were measured at room temperature and under low-temperature conditions. Finally, fluorescence lifetimes of the emitting species were determined using the time-correlated single photon counting technique. The results suggest that in the liquid state only one (monomeric) ground state species dominates, which can emit via two different pathways (from the normal and the tautomeric excited state). The excitation spectra point at two different internal proton-transfer processes, one starting at the S1 state and one starting at the S2 state. On the basis of the measured lifetimes and fluorescence quantum yields, a kinetic scheme was completed that can quantitatively explain the observations.

Fluorescence rejection in resonance Raman spectroscopy using a picosecond-gated intensified charge-coupled device camera

A Raman instrument was assembled and tested that rejects typically 98-99% of background fluorescence. Use is made of short (picosecond) laser pulses and time-gated detection in order to record the Raman signals during the pulse while blocking most of the fluorescence. Our approach uses an ultrafast-gated intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) camera as a simple and straightforward alternative to ps Kerr gating. The fluorescence rejection efficiency depends mainly on the fluorescence lifetime and on the closing speed of the gate (which is about 80 ps in our setup). A formula to calculate this rejection factor is presented. The gated intensifier can be operated at 80 MHz, so high repetition rates and low pulse energies can be used, thus minimizing photodegradation. For excitation we use a frequency-tripled or -doubled Ti : sapphire laser with a pulse width of 3 ps; it should not be shorter in view of the required spectral resolution. Other critical aspects tested include intensifier efficiency as a function of gate width, uniformity of the gate pulse across the spectrum, and spectral resolution in comparison with ungated detection. The total instrumental resolution is 7 cm(-1) in the blue and 15 cm(-1) in the ultraviolet (UV) region. The setup allows one to use resonance Raman spectroscopy (RRS) for extra sensitivity and selectivity, even in the case of strong background fluorescence. Excitation wavelengths in the visible or UV range no longer have to be avoided. The effectiveness of this setup is demonstrated on a test system: pyrene in the presence of toluene fluorescence (lambda(exc) = 257 nm). Furthermore, good time-gated RRS spectra are shown for a strongly fluorescent flavoprotein (lambda(exc) = 405 nm). Advantages and disadvantages of this approach for RRS are discussed.

Cavity ring-down spectroscopy for detection in liquid chromatography at UV wavelengths using standard cuvettes in a normal incidence geometry

Liquid chromatography (LC) with cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) detection, using flow cuvettes (put under normal incidence inside the ring-down cavity), is demonstrated. Fresnel reflections are maintained within the capture range of a stable cavity of 4 cm length. This method circumvents the need for specific Brewster's angles and possible mirror degradation is avoided. The flow cuvettes are commercially available at low cost. At 355 nm (the frequency-tripled output of a Nd:YAG laser), the system surpasses the performance of conventional absorbance detectors; the baseline noise was 1.3 x 10(-5)AU and detection limits (injected concentrations) were between 40 and 80 nM for nitro-polyaromatic hydrocarbons with an extinction coefficient epsilon of 7.3-10.2 x 10(3)M(-1)cm(-1). The system was also tested at 273 nm, but in the deep UV the reflectivity of the currently best available mirrors (R>or=99.91%) is still too low to show a significant improvement as compared to conventional UV-vis detection.

Cavity ring-down spectroscopy for detection in liquid chromatography: extension to tunable sources and ultraviolet wavelengths

In earlier studies, it was demonstrated that the sensitivity of absorbance detection in liquid chromatography (LC) can be improved significantly by using cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS). Thus far, CRDS experiments have been performed using visible laser light at fixed standard wavelengths, such as 532 nm. However, since by far most compounds of analytical interest absorb in the ultraviolet (UV), it is of utmost importance to develop UV-CRDS. In this study, as a first step towards the deep-UV region, LC separations with CRDS detection (using a previously described liquid-only cavity flow cell) at 457 and 355 nm are reported for standard mixtures of dyes and nitro-polyaromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAHs), respectively. For the measurements in the blue range a home-built optical parametric oscillator (OPO) system, tunable between 425 and 478 nm, was used, achieving a baseline noise of 2.7 x 10(-6) A.U. at 457 nm, improving upon the sensitivity of conventional absorbance detection (typically around 10(-4) A.U.). An enhancement of the sensitivity can be seen at 355 nm as well, but the improvement of the baseline noise (1.3 x 10(-5) A.U.) is much less pronounced. The sensitivity at 355 nm is limited by the quality of the UV-CRDS mirrors that are currently available: whereas the ring-down times as obtained at 457 nm are around 70-80 ns for the eluent, they are only 20-25 ns at 355 nm. Critical laser characteristics for LC-CRDS measurements, such as pulse length and mode structure, are given and prospects for going to shorter wavelengths are discussed.

Assessing PAH exposure in feral finfish from the Northwest Atlantic

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations were examined in small finfish (<30 cm) represented by capelin, sand lance, American plaice, yellowtail flounder and herring collected opportunistically in various NAFO divisions. Analyses were performed on whole fish and in a portion of the samples; concentrations in internal organs were compared to the rest of the carcass. The effect of pool size, size differences within and between species, lipid content and location were examined to interpret PAH concentrations. Measurements were carried out before the development of the Hibernia oil fields and represent baseline levels for future comparison. Limits in assessing future risk that could be due to discharges of produced water or accidental oil spills are also discussed. Increasing knowledge on the bioaccumulation of PAH, on the production of bile metabolites, the formation of DNA-adducts and of the potential toxic effects associated with PAH will lead to better ecosystem management and protection for future generations.

Analytical separation and detection methods for flavonoids

Flavonoids receive considerable attention in the literature, specifically because of their biological and physiological importance. This review focuses on separation and detection methods for flavonoids and their application to plants, food, drinks and biological fluids. The topics that will be discussed are sample treatment, column liquid chromatography (LC), but also methods such as gas chromatography (GC), capillary electrophoresis (CE) and thin-layer chromatography (TLC), various detection methods and structural characterization. Because of the increasing interest in structure elucidation of flavonoids, special attention will be devoted to the use of tandem-mass spectrometric (MS/MS) techniques for the characterization of several important sub-classes, and to the potential of combined diode-array UV (DAD UV), tandem-MS and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) detection for unambiguous identification. Emphasis will be on recent developments and trends.

Strong Overtones and Combination Bands in Ultraviolet Resonance Raman Spectroscopy

Ultraviolet resonance Raman spectroscopy is carried out using a continuous wave frequency-doubled argon ion laser operated at 229, 244, and 257 nm in order to characterize the overtones and combination bands for several classes of organic compounds in liquid solutions. Contrary to what is generally anticipated, for molecules such as pyrene and anthracene, strong overtones and combination bands can show up; it is demonstrated that their intensity depends critically on the applied laser wavelength. If the excitation wavelength corresponds with a purely electronic transition--this applies to a good approximation for 244-nm excitation in the case of pyrene and for 257-nm excitation in the case of anthracene--mostly fundamental vibrations (up to 1700 cm(-1)) are observed. Overtones and combination bands are detected but are rather weak. However, if the laser overlaps with the vibronic region--as holds for 229- and 257-nm excitation for pyrene and 244-nm excitation for anthracene--very strong bands are found in the region 1700-3400 cm(-1). As illustrated for pyrene at 257 nm, all these bands can be assigned to first overtones or binary combinations of fundamental vibrations. Their intensity distribution can roughly be simulated by multiplying the relative intensities of the fundamental bands. Significant bands can also be found in the region 3400-5000 cm(-1), corresponding with second overtones and ternary combinations. It is shown that these findings are not restricted to planar and rigid molecules with high symmetry. Substituted pyrenes exhibit similar effects, and relatively strong overtones are also observed for adenosine monophosphate and for abietic acid. The reasons for these observations are discussed, as well as the potential applicability for analytical purposes.

The chemical interaction between the estrogen receptor and monohydroxybenzo[a]pyrene derivatives studied by fluorescence line-narrowing spectroscopy

A novel approach is presented for studying the chemical interaction between receptor binding sites and ligands. Monohydroxylated polyaromatic compounds were found to be environmentally sensitive ligands when applying a special mode of fluorescence: fluorescence line-narrowing spectroscopy (FLNS). With this technique, solvent dependencies and ligand-receptor interactions can be studied in great detail, due to the high spectral resolution and the fact that at cryogenic temperatures (4 K), no solvent reorientation effects complicate the interpretation. The FLN spectrum of a ligand bound to the receptor is compared to the spectra of the free ligand in solvent mixtures that mimic the functionalities present within the receptor's binding site. It is shown that for the well-known estrogen receptor (ER), the orientations of two xenoestrogenic ligands 3- and 9-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene (3- and 9-OH-BaP) can be determined. The FLN results clearly indicate that an H-bond accepted by HIS524 plays a major role in the binding of these ligands to the ER. Furthermore, the spectra indicated a pi-pi stacking aromatic interaction for 9-OH-BaP with PHE404. These results are in line with molecular modeling studies published earlier.

Identification and quantification of the depurinating DNA adducts formed in mouse skin treated with dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DB[a,l]P) or its metabolites and in rat mammary gland treated with DB[a,l]P

Dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DB[a,l]P) is the most potent carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and has been identified in the environment. Comparative tumorigenicity studies in mouse skin and rat mammary gland indicate that DB[a,l]P is slightly more potent than DB[a,l]P-11,12-dihydrodiol and much more potent than (+/-)-syn-DB[a,l]P-11,12-dihydrodiol-13,14-epoxide {(+/-)-syn-DB[a,l]PDE} and (+/-)-anti-DB[a,l]PDE. We report here the identification and quantification of the depurinating adducts formed in mouse skin treated with DB[a,l]P, DB[a,l]P-11,12-dihydrodiol, (+/-)-syn-DB[a,l]PDE, or (+/-)-anti-DB[a,l]PDE and rat mammary gland treated with DB[a,l]P. The biologically formed adducts were compared with standard adducts by their retention times on HPLC and their spectra obtained by fluorescence line-narrowing spectroscopy at low temperature. In mouse skin treated with DB[a,l]P, depurinating adducts comprised 99% of the total adducts. Most of the depurinating adducts were formed by one-electron oxidation, with 63% at Ade and 12% at Gua. The remainder were formed by the diol epoxide, with 18% at Ade and 6% at Gua. When mouse skin was treated with DB[a,l]P-11,12-dihydrodiol, depurinating adducts comprised 80% of the total, and the predominant one was with Ade (69%). Treatment of skin with (+/-)-syn-DB[a,l]PDE resulted in 32% depurinating adducts, primarily at Ade (25%), whereas treatment with (+/-)-anti-DB[a,l]PDE produced 97% stable adducts. The formation of depurinating adducts following treatment of rat mammary gland with DB[a,l]P resulted in approximately 98% depurinating adducts, with the major adducts formed by one-electron oxidation. Only one depurinating diol epoxide adduct was formed. Tumorigenicity, mutations, and DNA adduct data suggest that depurinating Ade adducts play a major role in the initiation of tumors by DB[a,l]P.

Coupling of size-exclusion chromatography to a continuous assay for Subtilisin using a fluorescence resonance energy transfer peptide substrate: Testing of two standard inhibitors

Liquid chromatography (LC) was coupled on-line to a homogeneous continuous-flow protease assay using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) as a readout for the screening of inhibitors of an enzyme (e.g., Subtilisin Carlsberg). The inhibitors aprotinin (a protein of approximately 6500 g/mol) and 4-(2-aminoethyl)benzenesulfonyl fluoride hydrochloride (AEBSF, 240 g/mol) were mixed with other, non-active compounds and separated on a size-exclusion chromatography column. After the separation, the analytes were eluted to the postcolumn reactor unit where the enzyme solution and subsequently the FRET peptide substrate were added; by measuring the fluorescence intensity the degree of inhibition was monitored on-line. As expected, only the two inhibitors caused a change in the FRET response. Detection limits for aprotinin were 5.8 microM in the flow injection analysis (FIA) mode and 12 microM in the on-line LC mode. System validation was performed by determining IC50 values for aprotinin for the FIA mode (19 microM) and the on-line mode (22 microM). These IC50 values were in line with the value determined in batch experiments (25 microM). With this system, chemical information (i.e., chromatographic retention time) and biological information (i.e., enzyme inhibition) can be combined to characterize mixtures.

Changed isoflavone Levels in Red Clover (Trifolium pratense L.) Leaves with Disturbed Root Nodulation in Response to Waterlogging

The effect of disturbed root nodulation on the quantitative and qualitative composition of the main isoflavonoid glucoside malonates, glucosides, and aglycones in the leaves of Trifolium pratense L. grown under waterlogging conditions was investigated. Isoflavonoids are involved in the regulation of root nodule activity and the establishment of the mycorrhizal association. Isoflavonoid determination was performed using reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometric and UV absorbance detection. In response to waterlogging, the concentrations of biochanin A and biochanin A-7-O-glucoside malonate, biochanin A-7-O-glucoside, and genistein-7-O-glucoside in the leaves increased two- to threefold after a lag period of 3 wk because of disturbed root nodulation. The other isoflavones detected formononetin, formononetin-7-O-glucoside malonate, and formononetin-7-O-glucoside-did not show any significant changes related to waterlogging. After restoring normal soil water conditions, the concentrations of biochanin A and its glucoside and glucoside-malonate rapidly returned to the initial values, whereas the concentration of genistein-7-O-glucoside remained high.