Chemiluminescence detection in capillary electrophoresis

Integrated Refractive Index Optical Ring Resonator Detector for Capillary Electrophoresis

We developed a novel miniaturized and multiplexed, on-capillary, refractive index (RI) detector using liquid core optical ring resonators (LCORRs) for future development of capillary electrophoresis (CE) devices. The LCORR employs a glass capillary with a diameter of approximately 100 mum and a wall thickness of a few micrometers. The circular cross section of the capillary forms a ring resonator along which the light circulates in the form of the whispering gallery modes (WGMs). The WGM has an evanescent field extending into the capillary core and responds to the RI change due to the analyte conducted in the capillary, thus permitting label-free measurement. The resonating nature of the WGM enables repetitive light-analyte interaction, significantly enhancing the LCORR sensitivity. This LCORR architecture achieves dual use of the capillary as a sensor head and a CE fluidic channel, allowing for integrated, multiplexed, and noninvasive on-capillary detection at any location along the capillary. In this work, we used electro-osmotic flow and glycerol as a model system to demonstrate the fluid transport capability of the LCORRs. In addition, we performed flow speed measurement on the LCORR to demonstrate its flow analysis capability. Finally, using the LCORR's label-free sensing mechanism, we accurately deduced the analyte concentration in real time at a given point on the capillary. A sensitivity of 20 nm/RIU (refractive index units) was observed, leading to an RI detection limit of 10-6 RIU. The LCORR marries photonic technology with microfluidics and enables rapid on-capillary sample analysis and flow profile monitoring. The investigation in this regard will open a door to novel high-throughput CE devices and lab-on-a-chip sensors in the future.

On-Column Coaxial Flow Chemiluminescence Detection for Underivatized Amino Acids by Pressurized Capillary Electrochromatography Using a Monolithic Column

A new method for pressurized capillary electrochromatography (pCEC) coupling with chemiluminescence (CL) detection using a modified on-column coaxial flow detection interface was developed. To evaluate the feasibility and reliability of the experimental setup, the typical CL compounds luminol and isoluminol were separated and detected by using this pCEC-CL system. A detailed investigation of CL detection interface and postcolumn CL reagent flow rate parameters was described. The excellent resolution and detection sensitivity was achieved by using 3-microm ODS-C18 packed column with 30% ACN (v/v), 5 mmol/L phosphate buffer (pH 8.0). Moreover, with the presence of Co(II) (1.0 x 10(-4) mol/L) in the mobile phase, the linear range of the concentration for luminol was 2.0 x 10(-9)-2.0 x 10(-6) mol/L with a detection limit (S/N = 3) of 2.0 x 10(-10) mol/L, and 2.5 x 10(4) theoretical plates was achieved. In addition, separation and detection of the underivatized amino acids (l-threonine and l-tyrosine) were accomplished by using a polymerized monolithic column based on the principle of the luminol-H2O2-Cu(II)-amino acid CL system. Under the optimum conditions, the mixture of amino acids was efficiently separated with satisfactory results.

Determination of folic acid by capillary electrophoresis with chemiluminescence detection

A rapid and simple method is presented for the determination of folic acid (FA) by capillary electrophoresis (CE) with chemiluminescence (CL) detection. This method was based on enhance effect of FA on the CL reaction between luminol and BrO(-) in alkaline aqueous solution. Optimal separation and determination was obtained with an electrophoretic buffer of 35 mM sodium borate (pH 9.4) containing 0.8 mM luminol, and an oxidizer solution of 1.6 mM NaBrO in 100 mM NaCO(3) buffer solution (pH 12.0). Under the optimal conditions, the determination of FA was achieved in less than 20 min, and the detection limit was 2.0 x 10(-8) M (S/N=3). The relative standard deviations (RSDs) on peak area and migration time were in the 1.5 and 1.1%, respectively. The present CE-CL method was applied to the determination of FA in commercial pharmaceutical tablets, apple juices and human urine.

Determination of agmatine in biological samples by capillary electrophoresis with chemiluminescence detection

A fast and simple method based on capillary electrophoresis (CE) with chemiluminescence (CL) detection has been developed for the determination of agmatine, a recently identified neurotransmitter/modulator. The CE run time was approximately 2 min for each sample injected. CL detection employed a lab-built reaction flow cell and a photon counter. The CL reagents used were luminol and NaBrO. The optimized conditions for the CL detection were 5 x 10(-4)M luminol added to the CE running buffer and 5.0 x 10(-4)M NaBrO in 100 mM NaCO3-NaOH buffer solution at pH 12.5 introduced post column. Detection limit for agmatine was 4.3 x 10(-6)M (S/N=3). The precision (R.S.D.) on peak height (at 1 x 10(-5)M agmatine) and migration time were 3.7 and 2.5%, respectively. The present CE-CL method was evaluated with the determination of agmatine in tissue samples taken from rat brain, and rat and monkey stomachs. Samples were directly injected into the CE-CL system after the removal of proteins. A higher level of agmatine was detected in the stomach samples. Agmatine concentrations in the tissue samples taken from rat and monkey stomachs were similar at approximately 1950 ng/g wet tissue.

Indirect chemiluminescence detection for capillary zone electrophoresis of monoamines and catechol using luminol-K3[Fe(CN)6] system

Indirect chemiluminescence (ICL) detection for capillary electrophoresis (CE) of monoamines and catechol using luminol-K3 [Fe(CN)6] system was described. A strong and stable background chemiluminescence (CL) signal can be generated by luminol-K3 [Fe(CN)6] reaction. Based on the principle of that some phenolic compounds may be oxidized in the presence of K3 [Fe(CN)6], quenching effect of catecholamines for luminol-K3[Fe(CN)6] CL reaction results in a quantifiable decrease in the background signal. The conditions for CE separation and the CL detection for four standard catecholamines were systematically investigated using a homemade CE-ICL system. Under the optimum conditions, the detection limits of dopamine (DA), epinephrine (EP), norepinephrine (NE) and catechol (CA) were determined to be 0.18 mciroM 0.39 microM 0.48 microM and 0.09 microM, respectively. It also has been successfully applied to analyze seven pharmaceutical samples and seven human urine samples.

A facile and sensitive chemiluminescence detection of amino acids in biological samples after capillary electrophoretic separation

It was found that native amino acids enhanced the chemiluminescence (CL) reaction between luminol and BrO(-) in an alkaline aqueous solution. This has led to the development of a facile and highly sensitive CL detection scheme for the determination of amino acids in biological samples after capillary electrophoretic (CE) separation. The CE-CL conditions were optimized. An electrophoretic buffer of 2.5 x 10(-2) M sodium borate (pH 9.4) containing 1 x 10(-4) M luminol was used. The oxidizer solution of 8 x 10(-4) M NaBrO in 0.1 M sodium carbonate buffer solution (pH 12.5) was introduced post-column. Under the optimal conditions, the detection limits were 1.0 x 10(-7) M for glutamic acid (Glu) and 1.3 x 10(-7) M (S/N = 3) for aspartic acid (Asp). The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of peak area and migration time were in the ranges of 3.8-4.3% and 1.4-1.6%, respectively. The present method was applied to the determination of excitatory amino acids (i.e., Asp and Glu) in rat brain tissue and monkey plasma. The levels of these major excitatory amino acids in monkey plasma were quantified for the first time and found to be 1.17 +/- 0.17 x 10(-5) M (mean +/- SD, n = 6) for Glu and 1.64 +/- 0.19 x 10(-6) M for Asp, which were comparable with the levels in human plasma.

Comparative study of different fluorescent dyes for the detection of proteins on membranes using the peroxyoxalate chemiluminescent reaction

We have previously shown that the bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)oxalate (TCPO)-H(2)O(2) chemiluminescent reaction in acetone can be used for the detection of proteins labeled with the fluorescent reagent 2-methoxy-2,4-diphenyl-3(2H)-furanone (MDPF) on polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes. To improve this method, in this work we have designed and constructed a cell that allows us to perform this chemiluminescent reaction on PVDF membranes with a homogeneous distribution of the reagents. Using this cell we have examined the analytical properties of several recently developed fluorescent protein dyes chemically different from MDPF. We have found that the metal chelate dye SYPRO Ruby can also be excited by the high-energy intermediate produced in the TCPO-H(2)O(2) reaction.

Derivatization of biomolecules for chemiluminescent detection in capillary electrophoresis

An overview is presented on the power and drawbacks of the relatively unfamiliar chemiluminescence-based detection technique applied in analysis by capillary electrophoresis, for determining chemically derivatized biomolecules. Examples of the most common systems are given for many series of biologically active compounds as well as for some pharmaceuticals. The most common chemiluminescent systems include the application of peroxyoxalate ester chemiluminescence, acridinium esters, luminol and derivatives, detection based on the tris(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(III) system, the huge potentials offered by direct oxidations-though often with still unelucidated reaction mechanisms-and the powerful area of bioluminescence techniques, revealing as well the fast developing area of microchip-based analysis employing this specific luminescence principle.

Ultrasensitive chemiluminescence detection in capillary electrophoresis

Capillary electrophoresis techniques offer high plate numbers and are highly suited for the efficient separations of a wide variety of chemical components in diverse matrices. Because of the small capillary and detection cell dimensions, together with the minute volumes of samples to be injected, sensitive detection schemes based on different physicochemical principles are being developed. One logical approach to increased sensitivity in capillary electrophoresis detection has been the development of chemiluminescence-based detectors. The development of on-line ultrasensitive chemiluminescence detection (referred to the concentration detection limit of nM order of magnitude or mass detection limit of amol order of magnitude) in capillary electrophoresis system is reviewed. The applications and limitations of the current detection methodology are briefly considered and future prospects for the development are discussed.

Luminol-type chemiluminescence derivatization reagents for liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis

The present paper provides the principles for chemiluminescence of luminol-type compounds and their wide and powerful application to the detection system in liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis as derivatization reagents. The reagents can be classified into two types, chemiluminescence labeling and chemiluminogenic reagents. The former reagents are highly chemiluminescent themselves and used for tagging their intense chemiluminophores to analytes, whereas the latter are weakly chemiluminescent but generate intense chemiluminescence by reaction with analytes. The liquid chromatographic methods utilizing chemiluminescence derivatizing reactions with luminol-type reagents allow the analytes to be detected at pmol-sub-fmol levels. Furthermore, the chemiluminogenic reactions show high selectivity owing to their selective reaction against the analytes permitting facile and reproducible detection.

Highly sensitive chemiluminescence detection of copper(II) in capillary electrophoresis with field-amplified sample injection

Field-amplified sample injection of copper(II) was investigated using capillary electrophoresis with chemiluminescence detection. The sensitivity of copper(II) has been improved markedly by the field-amplified sample injection technique and the detection limit reaches 2 x 10(-11) M. By injection of a short plug of water before sample introduction, the sensitivity can be further improved 5-fold and the detection limit reaches 4 x 10(-12) M. The relative standard deviations (n = 6) of the migration time and the peak height are 0.61% and 4.7% at 1.0 x 10(-9) M Cu(II), respectively. Parameters affecting the field-amplified sample injection, such as separation voltage and concentration of electrophoretic buffer, have been investigated.

Ultrasensitive chemiluminescence detection of sub-fM level Co(II) in capillary electrophoresis

A method of on-line ultrasensitive chemiluminescence detection with capillary electrophoresis for Co(II) is reported. Using our newly developed capillary electrophoresis with chemiluminescence detection system and novel mixing mode of the reagents, the effects of field-amplified injection on detection limits of metal ions were studied in detail. The sub-fM level (1.3 x 10(-16) M, 1.6 x 10(-24) mol, 1 molecule) detection of cobalt ions in ultradilute solution was performed. The catalytic behavior of the chemiluminescence reaction of luminol and hydrogen peroxide by cobalt ions and the reaction conditions, such as the concentration of luminol, H2O2, and pH of chemiluminescence reagent were investigated. The separation of fM level Co(II) and trace amounts of Ni(II) was performed successfully.

Tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(III)-based electrochemiluminescence detector with indium/tin oxide working electrode for capillary electrophoresis

A novel tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(III) [Ru(bpy)3(3+)]-based electrochemiluminescence (ECL) detector for capillary electrophoresis (CE) has been developed. The detector was of the wall-jet configuration and an indium/tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass plate was used as the working electrode for end-column detection. Potential control of the ITO electrode was provided using a DC battery, without decoupling the detector from the CE field. Electrochemical behavior of Ru(bpy)3(2+) at the ITO electrode was found to be analogous to that at a Pt electrode. In the presence of tertiary or some secondary amines, ECL emission due to reaction between in situ generated Ru(bpy)3(3+) and analytes can be observed at the ITO surface. With 15 mM sodium borate (pH 9.5) plus 1 mM Ru(bpy)3(2+) present in the detection cell and the ITO electrode biased at 1.5 V (vs. Pt wire reference), a detection limit of 1 microM proline with a theoretical plate number of 4000 was obtained using the developed CE-ECL detection system. The detector response was found to be analyte-dependent, e.g. tryptophan gives no response, and the response for histidine is about 13-fold lower than that of proline.

Sensitive and universal indirect chemiluminescence detection for capillary electrophoresis of cations using cobalt(II) as a probe ion

Highly sensitive and universal indirect chemiluminescence detection for capillary electrophoresis of cations was described. This novel method is based on use of the ultrasensitive cobalt(II) as a probe ion in the running buffer. A strong and stable background chemiluminescent signal can be generated by the luminol-hydrogen peroxide reaction catalyzed by cobalt(II) ion. Displacement of the cobalt(II) probe ion in the running buffer by a migrating sample cation results in a quantifiable decrease in the background signal. The conditions for electrophoresis and the chemiluminescent reaction were systematically investigated using a commercial capillary electrophoresis instrument with an in-house-built chemiluminescence detector. Under the optimal conditions, the detection limits of the concentration for manganese(II), cadmium(II), nickel(II), lead(II), and 14 lanthanides were (3.0-6.0) x 10(-9) mol/L (S/N = 3), which was approximately 3 orders of magnitude better than indirect UV detection and 2 orders better than indirect laser-induced fluorescent detection. A mixture of 18 metal ions including 14 lanthanides was efficiently separated within 3.5 min using lactate to partially complex the metal ions. Our data demonstrated that CE with indirect CL detection was a powerful and universal tool for analysis of inorganic and organic cations.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering: a structure-specific detection method for capillary electrophoresis

A new approach to detecting capillary electrophoresis (CE) eluent components by interfacing CE with a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) system is described. In this approach, CE-based separation of a mixture of trans-1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene and N,N-dimethyl-4-nitrosoaniline has been detected by SERS in a postcolumn geometry. The retention time obtained from SERS corresponds well with that from conventional UV-visible detection. Meanwhile, CE eluants are identified by their characteristic vibrational spectra, demonstrating the validity of SERS as a structure-specific detection method for CE. In addition, the ability to monitor SERS intensity changes at molecule-specific frequencies makes selective detection of individual analytes possible, even when separation is incomplete. Finally, CE-SERS is evaluated for separation of amino acids (tyrosine and tryptophan) and environmental pollutants (chlorophenol mixtures).

Detection in the liquid phase applying chemiluminescence

Several chemiluminescence-based reactions are applicable to the determination of various bio-pharmaceutically important analytes, and they can be applied for monitoring chemiluminescence emission using flow injection, liquid chromatographic and capillary electrophoretic analysis, as well as for the development of chemiluminescence-based sensors or in immunoassays. As in general the emission intensity is linearly proportional to the concentration of any of the reagents, the technique allows the analysis of different species involved in the light-producing reaction, amongst which are the chemiluminescent reagent, oxidants, inhibitors, cofactors, catalysts, some fluorophore, etc. The present overview illustrates some important applications of the last decade on this rather unfamiliar luminescence technique to detectional challenges in the liquid phase. The required instrumentation is limited as no external light source is needed. Also, the technique opens perspectives for increasing detection sensitivity in miniaturized flowing streams. On the other hand, several drawbacks still limit full application, eg dependence of the emission signal upon a number of environmental factors forcing the analyst to make a compromise between separating and measuring conditions, a lack of selectivity in specific cases, the critical detection of the signal at strictly defined periods, especially in the case of sharp emission vs time profiles, and the development of detection devices in capillary electrophoresis.

Capillary electrophoresis of peptides

This article gives a review of the recent developments in capillary electrophoresis (CE) of peptides. New approaches to the theoretical description of electromigration behavior of peptides are described, and methodological aspects of CE separations of peptides such as selection of separation conditions, sample treatment, suppression of peptide adsorption to the capillary wall and specificities of CE separation modes are discussed. Progress in application of high performance detection schemes, namely laser-induced fluorescence and mass spectrometry, in peptide separations by CE is presented. Applications of different CE techniques, zone electrophoresis, isotachophoresis, isoelectric focusing, affinity electrophoresis, electrokinetic chromatography and electrochromatography to peptide analysis, preparation and physicochemical characterization are demonstrated.

Overview of capillary electrophoresis and capillary electrochromatography

This paper provides an overview on the current status of capillary electrophoresis (CE) and capillary electrochromatography (CEC). The focus is largely on the current application areas of CE where routine methods are now in place. These application areas include the analysis of DNA, clinical and forensic samples, carbohydrates, inorganic anions and metal ions, pharmaceuticals, enantiomeric species and proteins and peptides. More specific areas such the determination of physical properties, microchip CE and instrumentation developments are also covered. The application, advantages and limitations of CEC are covered. Recent review articles and textbooks are frequently cited to provide readers with a source of information regarding pioneering work and theoretical treatments.

Analysis of recombinant cytokines in human body fluids by immunoaffinity capillary electrophoresis

An immunoaffinity capillary electrophoresis (ICE) system for rapidly quantifying recombinant cytokines in human body fluids has been developed. Cytokines within biological fluids were labeled with a red light emitting fluorochrome and injected into the capillary. Selected cytokines were captured by immobilized antibodies on the internal surface of the capillary, and held while unbound materials were purged. The cytokines were then eluted electrophoretically in acidic buffer. Individual cytokine peaks were detected by on-line laser-induced fluorescence detection coupled to a computerized fiber-optic spectrometer, and analyzed by integration of the eluted peaks. The comparison of the results of ICE to routine assays used for these cytokines demonstrates that ICE provides a fast and accurate procedure for defining these cytokines in complex biological samples. Immunoaffinity separations can be used for any material to which a specific antibody can be raised, making this procedure applicable to a wide range of molecules of biomedical interest.