The development of selective and biocompatible coatings for solid phase microextraction

Smart bio-nano interface derived from zein protein as receptors for biotinyl moiety

Proteinaceous, tunable nanostructures of zein (prolamine of corn) were developed as biotinyl-specific receptors using a molecular imprinting technique. Sacrificial templates, such as latex beads (LB3) and anodized alumina membrane (AAM), have been used to control nanostructural patterns in biotin-imprinted zein (BMZ). Briefly, a methanolic solution of the zein-biotin complex was drop cast upon a self-organized LB3 and AAM templates on Au/quartz surfaces. Subsequent dissolution of these sacrificial templates affords highly oriented, predetermined, and uniformly grown hyperporous (300 nm) and nanowires (150 nm) motifs of zein (BMZ-LB3 and BMZ-AAM), as shown by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Selective extraction of biotin molecular template cast-off site-selective biotin imprints within these zein nanostructures complementary to biotinyl moieties. Alternatively, biotin-imprinted zein nanoparticles (BMZ-Np) and thin film (BMZ-MeOH) were prepared by coacervation and drop casting methods, respectively. Density functional theoretical (DFT) studies reveal strong hydrogen-bonded interaction of biotin with serine and glutamine residues of zein. Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) studies show remarkable sensitivity of the hyperporous-BMZ-LB3 and nanowires of BMZ-AAM towards biotin derivative (biotin methyl ester) by five (24.75 ± 1.34 Hz/mM) and four (18.19 ± 0.75 Hz/mM) times, respectively, higher than the BMZ-MeOH. Enhanced permeability features of the zein nanostructures, when templated with LB3, enable the QCM detection of biotin- or its derivatives down to 12.9 ng mL^-1 from dairy products (Kefir). The outcome of this study shall be a key aspect in interfacing biological materials with micro-/nano-sensors and electronic devices for detecting pertinent analytes using sustainably developed biopolymer-based nanostructures.

Aptamer-functionalized solid phase microextraction-liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry for selective enrichment and determination of thrombin

In this publication, a novel solid phase microextraction (SPME) coating functionalized with a DNA aptamer for selective enrichment of a low abundance protein from diluted human plasma is described. This approach is based on the covalent immobilization of an aptamer ligand on electrospun microfibers made with the hydrophilic polymer poly(acrylonitrile-co-maleic acid) (PANCMA) on stainless steel rods. A plasma protein, human α-thrombin, was employed as a model protein for selective extraction by the developed Apt-SPME probe, and the detection was carried out with liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The SPME probe exhibited highly selective capture, good binding capacity, high stability and good repeatability for the extraction of thrombin. The protein selective probe was employed for direct extraction of thrombin from 20-fold diluted human plasma samples without any other purification. The Apt-SPME method coupled with LC-MS/MS provided a good linear dynamic range of 0.5-50 nM in diluted human plasma with a good correlation coefficient (R(2)=0.9923), and the detection limit of the proposed method was found to be 0.30 nM. Finally, the Apt-SPME coupled with LC-MS/MS method was successfully utilized for the determination of thrombin in clinical human plasma samples. One shortcoming of the method is its reduced efficiency in undiluted human plasma compared to the standard solution. Nevertheless, this new aptamer affinity-based SPME probe opens up the possibility of selective enrichment of a given targeted protein from complex sample either in vivo or ex vivo.

Some factors affecting SPME analysis and PAHs in Philadelphia's urban waterways

Solid phase microextraction (SPME) opened up a new era in separation science and the technique has developed quickly over the past two decades. However, there are still aspects deserving more study. In this study, the effects of salt-addition, SPME fiber thickness and sample vial size on the analysis of PAHs in the aqueous phase were evaluated. An analytical method based on EPA Method 8272 was devised for the analysis of PAHs in environmental water. PAHs were analyzed in selected waterways of the greater Philadelphia area. The results show the feasible application of this method to determine the range, spatial variation of PAH concentration, composition profile and relationship with dissolved organic matter for the Philadelphia watershed. Based on above information, PAH pollution sources were evaluated along with their dynamic backgrounds. Comparison of PAH concentration in the studied area with those of other urban waterways worldwide shows that PAHs in the studied waterways were found, in this study, to be within the low range of reported concentrations and meet the criteria of the World Health Organization (WHO). The results also demonstrate that this method is suitable and reliable in monitoring PAH concentrations in environmental water.

Online microchannel preconcentrator for carbofuran detection

A simple and rapid online microchannel preconcentrator coupled with an amperometric detection for the analysis of carbofuran using polyethylene glycol coated onto magnetic particle (PEG-magnetic particles) sorbents was developed. This simple-to-prepare microchannel preconcentrator used an external magnet to retain the PEG-magnetic particle sorbents inside the microchannel. Under optimum conditions, the system provided two linear ranges, from 0.01 to 10.0 mg L(-1) and from 10.0 to 130.0 mg L(-1) with a limit of detection of 8.7 ± 0.1 μg L(-1). The microchannel preconcentrator provided very good stability; it can be used for up to 326 consecutive injections of 5.0 mg L(-1) carbofuran with a relative standard deviation of less than 3%. The developed system provided a good microchannel-to-microchannel and a good electrode-to-electrode reproducibility (n = 6, %RSD < 1). It also provided an excellent selectivity when it was tested with two other carbamate pesticides, carbaryl and methomyl, with a 43 and 256 times higher detection sensitivity for carbofuran, respectively. The developed system was successfully applied to detect carbofuran in surface water samples obtained near vegetable plantation areas. The concentrations of carbofuran in these samples were found to be in the range of non-detectable to 0.047 ± 0.001 mg L(-1). The developed system is easy to operate and easy to couple with other analytical instruments and it could be easily adapted for the analysis of other polar organic contaminants.

High-throughput polymer monolith in-tip SPME fiber preparation and application in drug analysis

Background: A simple, low-cost and reproducible automated procedure has been developed to prepare in-tip solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fibers coated with polymer monoliths using a photopolymerization technique. Up to 96 fibers were prepared at one time using a polymerization mixture consisting of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, dimethoxy-α-phenylacetophenone and 1-decanol. Results: The optimization procedures that affected polymer morphology, such as compositions of the crosslinkers and porogens, polymerization time and fiber thickness as well as extraction efficiency of the immobilized Oasis hydrophilic-lipophilic-balanced extraction sorbent were investigated. Also, the reproducibility of automated in-tip SPME fiber preparation, as well as sample process parameters, such as sample extraction and desorption volumes, are discussed. Conclusion: The performance of the polymer monoliths in-tip SPME assessed with a model drug compound from clinical studies and a head-to-head comparison using in-tip SPME and conventional SPE clearly demonstrated that the SPME is a feasible approach for routine drug analysis in the pharmaceutical industry.

Surface hydrophilic modification with a sugar moiety for a uniform-sized polymer molecularly imprinted for phenobarbital in serum

A uniform-sized polymer molecularly imprinted for phenobarbital, which is surface modified by a sugar moiety, has been prepared through a two-step swelling polymerization method using polystyrene beads as seeds, phenobarbital as the template, 4-vinylpyridine as a functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a cross-linker and 2-O-meth-acryloyloxyethoxyl-(2,3,4,6- tetra-O-acetyl-β-d-galactopyranosyl)-(1-4)-2,3,6-tri-O-acetyl-β-d-glucopyranoside as a surface-modifying glycomonomer, respectively. After deprotecting the glycopolymer, a surface sugar moiety-modified, hydrophilic, molecularly imprinted polymer for phenobarbital (glyco-MIP) was obtained. The resulting polymer beads were packed into a stainless steel column to evaluate their chromatographic characteristics by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Good selectivity for phenobarbital was obtained with the glyco-MIP compared to the unmodified molecularly imprinted polymer, which revealed that the recognition sites of phenobarbital were unchanged with sugar moiety surface modification. Furthermore, bovine serum albumin was almost completely recovered from the glyco-MIP column, which indicates that the glyco-MIP materials can be used to separate and analyze drugs in complex samples, such as biological samples. The results of pretreatment with and analysis of phenobarbital in serum suggest that this material can be used to analyze phenobarbital in serum through a pretreatment and reverse-phase HPLC analysis process.

A new method for determination of myricetin and quercetin using solid phase microextraction-high performance liquid chromatography-ultra violet/visible system in grapes, vegetables and red wine samples

A new approach for the extraction and determination of myricetin and quercetin by using SPME-HPLC-UV system has been developed. The method involves adsorption of flavonoids on CAR/TPR fiber followed by desorption in the desorption chamber of SPME-HPLC interface using citrate buffer (0.001 M):acetonitrile (70:30) as mobile phase and UV detection at 372 nm. The detection limits for myricetin and quercetin are 48.3 and 24.7 pgmL(-1), respectively. The proposed method was validated by determining myricetin and quercetin in tomato, onion, grapes and red wine samples.

Multiple pesticide analysis in wine by MEKC combined with solid-phase microextraction and sample stacking

In this work, a new method for the determination in white wines of 12 pesticides widely used in vine cultivars (namely, carbendazim, pirimicarb, metalaxyl, pyrimethanil, procymidone, nuarimol, azoxystrobin, tebufenozide, fenarimol, benalaxyl, penconazole, and tetradifon) using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and MEKC with diode-array detection (DAD) was developed. The MEKC buffer consisted of 100 mM sodium tetraborate and 30 mM SDS at pH 8.5 with 6% v/v 1-propanol. Reversed-electrode polarity stacking mode (REPSM) was applied as on-line preconcentration strategy. In order to carry out an effective and sensitive determination of these pesticides in wine samples, an off-line SPME procedure was optimized by means of an experimental design. After studying the extraction performance of different SPME coatings, PDMS/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) fibers were found the most appropriate for the extraction of most of these pesticides. Carbendazim and metalaxyl could not be extracted from wine samples. Calibration curves for extracted standards and fortified white wines were studied in order to determine the presence of a matrix effect. The combination of both preconcentration procedures (SPME and REPSM) allowed the determination of ten of these pesticides in white wines at concentrations between 0.054 and 0.113 mg/L. (i.e., levels well below the maximum residue limits (MRLs) allowed for these compounds in wine grapes). Ten homemade wines were they analyzed with the optimized method demonstrating the usefulness of the proposed procedure.

Sample preparation

A panorama of sample preparation methods has been composed from 481 references, with a highlight of some promising methods fast developed during recent years and a somewhat brief introduction on most of the well-developed methods. All the samples were commonly referred to molecular composition, being extendable to particles including cells but not to organs, tissues and larger bodies. Some criteria to evaluate or validate a sample preparation method were proposed for reference. Strategy for integration of several methods to prepare complicated protein samples for proteomic studies was illustrated and discussed.

Biocompatible Solid-Phase Microextraction Coatings Based on Polyacrylonitrile and Solid-Phase Extraction Phases

The applications of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) are continuously expanding, and one of the most interesting current aspects consists of applying SPME for fast analysis of biological fluids. The goal of this study is to develop biocompatible SPME coatings that can be utilized for in vivo and in vitro extractions, in direct contact with a biological matrix such as blood or tissue. The biocompatibility of the proposed new coatings is confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and their performance is tested by developing an SPME/HPLC method for analysis of verapamil, loperamide, diazepam, nordiazepam, and warfarin in buffer solutions and in human plasma. The coatings prove to be biocompatible by not adsorbing proteins and are successfully applied for fast drug analysis and assay of drug plasma protein binding.

Zirconia Hollow Fiber: Preparation, Characterization, and Microextraction Application

A zirconia hollow fiber membrane in the macrorange was for the first time successfully synthesized via a template method coupled with a sol-gel process. A polypropylene hollow fiber was employed as the template. The preparation procedure includes repeated impregnation of the template in the proper zirconia sol precursor, and calcination to burn off the template, producing the zirconia hollow fiber. The resulting hollow fiber membrane is almost identical to its template in terms of morphology, exhibiting a hollow core structure. In addition to that, it has a bimodal porous substructure that is different from its template, narrowly distributed nanoskeleton pores, and uniform textural pores or throughpores. The wall thickness and substructures can be conveniently controlled by the synthetic conditions and postheat treatment. Moreover, the thus-prepared zirconia hollow fiber was applied for the microextraction and concentration of a nerve agent degradation product followed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric analysis. Since the zirconia fiber exists as an individual device and is directly usable for extracting, handling is more convenient than, for example, an adsorbent in powder form that needs to be coated on a rod for the extraction process. In addition, it is easily prepared and is superior to the monolithic material in this sense. Pinacolyl methylphosphonic acid, one degradation product of organophosphorus nerve agent (soman), was used as the model analyte. Zirconia hollow fiber was demonstrated to be a highly selective adsorbent for the phosphonic acid-containing compounds with high sensitivity. Limit of detection was as low as 0.07 ng/mL (0.39 nM).

Developments in single-drop microextraction

Single-drop microextraction (SDME) has become a very popular liquid-phase microextraction technique because it is inexpensive, easy to operate and nearly solvent-free. Essentially, SDME combines extraction (and conceivably, cleanup) and concentration in a minimum number of steps, and thereafter, direct extract introduction into an analytical system. In this review, in order to encourage further development of SDME, we focus on its recent developments in its various guises. Its applications when used in combination with different analytical techniques, such as gas chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry, capillary electrophoresis, mass spectrometry and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry, are summarized. SDME does have some limitations, and these are also discussed as well. Finally, an outlook on the future of the technique is given.