Fluorogenic reactions for biomedical chromatography

Optimized derivatization of primary amines with the fluorogenic reagent naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde toward reproducible quantitative analysis in biological systems

Primary amines are the target of many bioanalytical analyses, as they are ubiquitous in biological systems and responsible for numerous important processes including neurotransmission and cell signaling. Primary amines can be sensitively detected via fluorescence after their reaction with the fluorogenic reagent naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde (NDA) in the presence of cyanide through the formation of fluorescent N-substituted 1-cyanobenz[f]isoindole (CBI) derivatives. While fluorogenic reagents such as NDA can be advantageous for sensitive detection, improvements in both long-term stability and speed of reaction are necessary to enable practical and reproducible quantitative analysis. In this work, various CBI-amines were interrogated for their fluorescence characteristics over time under previously reported conditions (75:25 aqueous buffer:acetonitrile). An amine-specific decline in fluorescence and delay to reach maximum fluorescence were observed. Based on structural characteristics, we hypothesized that these effects were due to the solvents employed enabling analyte intermolecular interactions that resulted in fluorescence quenching over time. To mitigate fluorescence-quenching intermolecular interactions, we developed two strategies to improve the fluorescence of the CBI-product over long time periods: (1) the addition of the complexation reagent β-cyclodextrin to the reaction matrix and (2) the substitution of acetonitrile with dimethyl sulfoxide. Both strategies improved fluorescence stability over time, and the incorporation of dimethyl sulfoxide also enabled more rapid attainment of maximum fluorescence and a higher absolute fluorescence when compared to initial conditions. When employed in combination, these two approaches further improve fluorescence stability over time for the most hydrophobic analytes. In the future, these strategies can be employed for the practical and reproducible quantitative analysis of primary amines in biological systems, including those related to neurological disorders and disease states.

The synthesis of two long-chain N-hydroxy amino coumarin compounds and their applications in the analysis of aldehydes

Two long-chain N-substituted coumaryl hydroxylamines were synthesized, which can serve as excellent probes for the analysis of various aldehydes.

Bioanalytical LC separation techniques for quantitative analysis of free amino acids in human plasma

The quantitative analysis of free amino acids in human plasma has become an important and essential analysis parameter in different areas of life sciences. Free amino acid concentrations in human plasma samples are generally determined by means of GC or LC after chemical derivatization followed by UV, fluorescent or MS detection of the amino acid derivatives. Derivatization of free amino acids is done either pre- or post-column, and the amino acid derivatives obtained posess improved chromatographic behavior, increased detection sensitivity and selectivity compared with non-derivatized free amino acids. This work gives an overview of different chemical derivatization methods applied and their liquid separation techniques in bioanalytical assays for quantitative free amino acid analysis in human plasma samples. Important plasma preparation procedures, pre- and post-column derivatization, and different LC separation techniques are presented.

Rapid preparation of fluorescent 9-anthrylmethyl esters for fatty acid analysis of small amount of triacylglycerols

This paper proposes a one-step method for preparation of fluorescent 9-anthrylmethyl esters from triacylglycerols (TAG) ranging in amount from 0.1 to 5 microg. It involves base-catalyzed transesterification using potassium 9-anthracenemethoxide, prepared by proton exchange between 9-anthracenemethanol and potassium tert-butoxide. Transesterification for 10 min at room temperature gave the fatty acid 9-anthrylmethyl esters in nearly maximal yields (82-85%). The products could be analyzed by reversed-phase HPLC without purification. Excellent linear relationships were observed for standard curves of 10-250 pmol of TAG standards (16:0, 19:0, 18:2 and 22:6), and differences in the slopes were less than 5% among the standards. Almost consistent compositions of the esters were observed for the products formed from 0.5 to 5 microg or less of fish oils TAG, and they were similar to those obtained by HPLC of ordinary multi-step synthesis products and by GLC of methyl esters. The present method is a great improvement of derivatization time, and is powerful for fatty acid analysis of small amounts of natural TAG.

Development of Highly Sensitive Determination of Biogenic Compounds by High-performance Liquid Chromatography with Pre-column Fluorescence Derivatization

A sensitive fluorescent labeling reagent, 4-(5,6-dimethoxy-2-phthalimidinyl)-2-methoxyphenylsulfonyl chloride (DMS-Cl), for the determination of amino compounds in HPLC was developed. DMS-Cl reacted with amino compounds in the basic medium to produce the corresponding fluorescent sulfonamides (excition 318 nm, emission 406 nm in aqueous acetonitrile). When amino acids were analyzed using reverse-phase HPLC, the detection limits (signal-to-noise ratio = 3) of almost all amino acids labeled with DMS-Cl were less than 5 fmol/injection. DMS-Cl was utilized for highly sensitive determination of amino compounds in biological samples and HPLC methods for determination of prolyl dipeptides, Pro and Hyp, in serum and urine, pipecolic acid in serum, taurine in plasma, and free and N-acetylated polyamine in urine were established. As these proposed methods are highly sensitive and reproducible and require only a small amount of biological sample, they may be useful for clinical and biochemical research.

Quantification of fudosteine in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry employing precolumn derivatization with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate

This paper describes a novel method for the sensitive and selective determination of fudosteine in human plasma. The method involves a derivatization step with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate (FMOC-Cl) in borate buffer and detection based on high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC/ESI/MS). After acetonitrile-induced protein precipitation of plasma samples, fudosteine was derivatized with FMOC-Cl, then extracted by ethyl acetate, evaporated, reconstituted and injected using an LC/ESI/MS instrument. Separation was achieved using an ODS column and isocratic elution. Excellent linearity was obtained for the entire calibration range from 0.05 to 20 microg/ml. Validation assays of the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) as well as for the intra- and inter-batch precision and accuracy met the international acceptance criteria for bioanalytical method validation. Using the developed analytical method, fudosteine could be detected for the first time in human plasma with a low limit of detection (LLOD) of 0.03 microg/ml. The proposed method has been successfully applied to study the pharmacokinetics of fudosteine in healthy Chinese volunteers after single and multiple oral administration.

Fluorescence labeling method for aryl halides with 4-(4,5-diphenyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl)phenylboronic acid based on Suzuki coupling reaction

For the first time, fluorescence labeling methods for aryl halides with a fluorescent arylboronic acid was developed on the basis of a Suzuki coupling reaction. 4-(4,5-diphenyl-lH-imidazol-2-yl)phenylboronic acid (DPA) was used as a fluorescence labeling reagent. In order to explore its analytical performance, the reaction conditions were optimized using simple bromobenzene derivatives. The reactivity was then investigated with chloro- and iodobenzene derivatives, and also bromobenzene derivatives with different position of substituents. The order of reactivity with DPA: iodobenzene > bromobenzene more more than chlorobenzene derivatives, and p- > m- > o-substituted bromobenzenes. The detection limits of bromobenzene, 4-bromotoluene, and 4-bromoanisole ranged from 0.2 to 1.4 pmol/injection at a signal-to-noise ratio, (S/N) of 3. The applicability of the method to biological samples was also evaluated using clofibrate as the analyte. The reaction was found not only to proceed well but also to be selective for clofibrate even in the presence of plasma components. The method allowed the sensitive detection of clofibrate in human plasma with the detection limit of 170 pmol/mL (260 fmol/injection) at a S/N = 3. The proposed method is highly selective and sensitive and thus would be useful for labeling of aryl halides that do not have other functional groups that could be labeled by currently available fluorescent labeling reagents.

A Sensitive HPLC Method for the Determination of Fluoxetine and Norfluoxetine in Human Plasma with Fluorescence Detection

A selective, sensitive, and precise HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of fluoxetine (FL) and its N-demethylated metabolite norfluoxetine (NFL) in human plasma has been developed. Following extraction with n-hexane, FL, NFL, and fluvoxamine (internal standard) were derivatized with 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzofurazan (NBD-Cl) under weakly alkaline conditions. NBD derivatives were extracted with chloroform after acidification and chromatographed on a reversed-phase column with gradient elution using acetonitrile and 0.1 mol/L nitric acid (pH 3) solution. Calibration curves were linear over the range of 1.0-100.0 ng/mL and 0.1-50.0 ng/mL for FL and NFL, respectively, with inter- and intraassay precision given by a relative standard deviation (RSD%) of less than 9.2%. The lower limits of quantification were 1.0 ng/mL for FL and 0.1 ng/mL for NFL. Recoveries of FL and NFL from plasma at three different concentrations were assessed. Average recovery was about 100% for both substances. The assay was applied to pharmacokinetic study in 2 healthy volunteers after a single oral administration of 40 mg of FL.

Determination of bioactive eicosanoids in brain tissue by a sensitive reversed-phase liquid chromatographic method with fluorescence detection

Arachidonic acid (AA) is metabolized to prostaglandins (PGs) via cyclooxygenases (COX) catalysis, and to epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DiHETrEs), and hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs) via cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes. A reliable and robust fluorescence based HPLC method for these eicosanoids was developed. A new selective reverse-phase solid phase extraction (SPE) procedure was developed for PG, DiHETrEs, HETE, and EETs of interest from rat cortical brain tissue. The eicosanoids were derivatized with 2-(2,3-naphthalimino)ethyl-trifluoromethanesulphonate (NE-OTf), followed by separation and quantification at high sensitivity using reverse-phase HPLC with fluorescent detection, and further identified via LC/MS. The derivatization was studied and optimized to obtain reproducible reactions. Various PGs, DiHETrEs, HETEs, EETs, and AA were sensitively detected and baseline resolved simultaneously. LC/MS under positive electrospray ionization selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode was developed to further identify the peaks of these eicosanoids in cortical brain tissue. The method was applied in the traumatic brain injured rat brain.

Capillary electrophoresis with laser induced-fluorescence detection of profens derivatized with the water-soluble fluorogenic reagent 4-N-(4-N′-aminoethyl)piperazino-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole

Profens, including pranoprofen, fenoprofen, flurbiprofen, ketoprofen and ibuprofen (Ib), were derivatized by a water-soluble benzofurazan fluorescent reagent, 4-N-(4-N'-aminoethyl)piperazino-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole and then were run on capillary electrophoresis in a NH4Ac-HAc buffer of pH 3.1 containing 2.4 mM beta-cyclodextrin. At room temperature, the derivatization reaction was catalyzed by triphenyl phosphine and diphenyl disulfide in acetonitrile medium, and the derivatives fluoresce around 530 nm when excited at 488 nm. With the CE running on a 50 cm x 50 microm I.D. length fused-silica capillary of by using Ar+ laser induced-fluorescence detection, the detection limits attained were in the range of 0.16 to 0.3 fmol.

[Analyses of biogenic related compounds based on intramolecular excimer-forming fluorescence derivatization]

A highly selective and sensitive method based on a novel concept is introduced for the assay of biological substances. This method is based on an intramolecular excimer-forming fluorescence derivatization with a pyrene reagent, followed by reverse-phase HPLC. Polyamines, polyphenols, and dicarboxylic acids, which have two or more reactive functional groups in a molecule, were converted to the corresponding polypyrene-labeled derivatives by reaction with the appropriate pyrene reagent. The derivatives exhibited intramolecular excimer fluorescence (440-520 nm), which can clearly be discriminated from the monomer (normal) fluorescence (360-420 nm) emitted by pyrene reagents and monopyrene-labeled derivatives of monofunctional compounds. With excimer fluorescence detection, highly selective and sensitive determination of polyamines, polyphenols, and dicarboxylic acids can be achieved. Furthermore, the methods were successfully applied to the determination of various biological and environmental substances in real samples, which require only a small amount of sample and simple pretreatment.

Phenylisothiocyanate and dansyl chloride precolumn derivatizations for the high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of the antitumoral agent ES-285 in dog plasma

Chromophor and fluorophor addition reactions involving phenylisothiocyanate (PITC) and dansyl chloride (DC) were optimized to adapt two high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) procedures designed for the accurate determination of the novel antitumoral agent ES-285 in Beagle dog plasma. ES-285 was reacted with PITC at 60 degrees C for 15 min in the presence of triethylamine. The dansyl derivative was obtained by reaction of ES-285 with dansyl chloride in a basic medium at 80 degrees C for 20 min. Both reactions also worked for ES-299, a compound structurally related to ES-285 which was used as internal standard. The treatment of ES-285 and ES-299 spiked plasma samples with a basic phosphate buffer and MeOH permitted the extraction of the drug from the matrix. The purification of the analytes was carried out by solid-phase extraction followed by precolumn derivatization with PITC and DC. The phenylisothiocyanate adducts were analyzed by isocratic HPLC with UV detection at 254 nm. The ES-285 and ES-299 derivatives were eluted from a C(18) column at approximately 6.9 and approximately 8.1 min, respectively. The eluent ACN-water (95:5, v/v) was delivered to the column at a flow-rate of 1 ml/min and the analysis was completed in 15 min. The dansyl derivatives were analysed by a two-HPLC column system with fluorescence detection and gradient elution. The column temperature was maintained at 40 degrees C. The analysis lasted 55 min with the elution of ES-285 and ES-299 derivatives at approximately 35.2 and approximately 37.9 min, respectively. The PITC- and DC-based procedures were characterized by limits of quantification of 20 and 15 ng/ml, respectively. Both procedures were validated according to the ICH and FDA guidelines. They were selective for ES-285 and provided accurate, precise and reproducible results. ES-299 was shown to be a suitable internal standard. The HPLC procedure involving derivatization with DC was more sensitive and permitted to process plasma sample volumes as low as 100 microl. On the other hand, the PITC-based procedure characterised by a quite similar LOQ permitted a higher throughput but implied the processing of a 500-microl plasma volume.

Strategies for the enantiomeric determination of amphetamine and related compounds by liquid chromatography

This paper summarizes recent research on the stereospecific analysis of amphetamine, its analogs and metabolites, by liquid chromatography. The different methods proposed have been evaluated and compared in terms of resolution power, time of analysis, sensitivity, or potential for automation. Chiral derivatization, followed by separation of the diastereomers formed in achiral chromatographic systems, is still the method preferred for the analysis of amphetamines at trace levels, as derivatization also improves analyte detectability. This is the method of choice for the enantiomeric analysis of amphetamines at the low concentrations typically encountered in biological samples. In recent years, special attention has been devoted to the development of alternatives for the automation of the analytical process by integrating the derivatization step into the chromatographic scheme. A promising alternative is the employment of beta-cyclodextrins as chiral selectors, both immobilized on the stationary phase and added to the mobile phase. However, with a few exceptions, beta-cyclodextrins perform better for non-derivatized amphetamines. Therefore, the utility of these selectors in the analysis of biological samples is limited. The reliability of less-used chiral stationary phases (Pirkle type, cellulose based or protein based), as well as methods based on the mathematical treatment of the chromatographic signal, are also discussed.

Design and synthesis of a hydrophilic fluorescent derivatization reagent for carboxylic acids, 4-N-(4-N-aminoethyl)piperazino-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-PZ-NH2), and its application to capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection

A hydrophilic fluorescent derivatization reagent for fatty acids, 4-N-(4-N-aminoethyl)piperazino-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-PZ-NH(2)), was designed and synthesized. NBD-PZ-NH(2) possesses not only a fluorophore and a reacting group but also a positive charge group and, thus, was hydrophilic and suitable for application to capillary electrophoresis. NBD-PZ-NH(2) reacted with fatty acids in the presence of triphenylphosphine (TPP) and 2,2'-dipyridyl disulfide (DPDS) at room temperature within 10 min. The derivatives were strongly fluoresced and were positively charged at pH below 3. The derivatives of C4-C20 fatty acids were separated within 10 min in 50% acetonitrile in water containing 30 mM ammonium acetate and 1.0 M acetic acid by capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence (CE-LIF) detection. The detection limits attained were 6.5 nM (signal-to-noise ratio of 3). It is proposed that NBD-PZ-NH(2) is a prominent derivatization reagent for fatty acids which is suitable for CE-LIF application.

Derivatization and Fluorescence Detection of Amino Acids and Peptides with 9-Fluorenylmethyl Chloroformate on the Surface of a Solid Adsorbent

An approach that exploits the surface of a solid adsorbent is proposed for precolumn FMOC derivatization of amino acids and peptides. Amino acids (Ser, Glu, GABA, Val, Phe, Lys) and two neuropeptides (substance P and Leuenkephalin) were adsorbed on alkaline silica gel cartridges. After drying, they were reacted with 9-fluorenyl-methyl chloroformate (FMOC-Cl) in toluene. After washing off the excess FMOC-Cl with ethyl acetate, the derivatives were eluted with aqueous eluant. The eluates were separated and detected by means of HPLC with fluorescence detection. Compared with the traditional derivatization in the liquid phase, the extent of formation of byproducts of FMOC-Cl with water was greatly decreased, and the excess FMOC-Cl was eliminated completely.

Derivatization of ephedrine with o-phthaldialdehyde for liquid chromatography after treatment with sodium hypochlorite

The usefulness of the reaction with NaClO followed by derivatization with o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA) and N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) has been investigated for the chromatographic analysis of ephedrine. The influence of parameters affecting the two-stage reaction has been evaluated, including concentration of NaClO, time of reaction, temperature and pH. On the basis of these studies, conditions for the pre-column and (automated) post-column determination of ephedrine are presented. The described conditions have been applied to the measurement of ephedrine in the concentration intervals 0.2-20.0 microg/ml and 2.0-50.0 microg/ml for the pre-column and post-column methods, respectively. The possibility of applying the NaClO/ OPA-NAC method to other primary, secondary and tertiary derivative amphetamines has also been evaluated.

Fast quantitation of recombinant plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 in bacterial lysates by micropellicular reversed-phase liquid chromatography

A rapid reversed-phase HPLC assay is described for quantitating recombinant plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) in cultures of Escherichia coli. The assay utilized a short nonporous micropellicular C18 column with an acetonitrile gradient in 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid. The selective resolution of recombinant PAI-1 from major host proteins occurred within 1.3 min. Regeneration of initial chromatography conditions was fast and allowed successive injections every 3 min. The assay's limit of detection for recombinant PAI-1 was 0.5 microg in 5-microl injections of bacterial lysates and the assay was linear to 20 microg. The assay's apparent recovery was between 94 and 108% throughout the quantitative range. In a direct comparison to gel electrophoresis the reversed-phase assay proved superior in monitoring recombinant PAI-1 titers in cultures of E. coli.

Lactic acid-induced increase of extracellular dopamine measured by microdialysis in rat striatum: evidence for glutamatergic and oxidative mechanisms

Striatal lactacidosis was induced by direct lactic acid perfusion to obtain a local pH as close as possible to that observed in ischemia. In a previous study we showed that such lactacidosis produces a diphasic increase in extracellular dopamine (DA). The present work investigated whether DA accumulation is related to a glutamatergic mechanism and/or production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the striatum. Concentrations of extracellular DA, glutamate and hydroxyl radicals ((.)OH) were measured in the presence or absence of an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor blocker (dizocilpine, MK-801) or an antioxidant (Trolox). Measurements were performed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical and fluorimetric detection on samples obtained by an in vivo microdialysis perfusion technique and stored at -80 degrees C. The increase in lactic acid-induced DA was entirely suppressed by MK-801 and Trolox. Lactacidosis also induced an increase in extracellular glutamate and (.)OH concentrations at the same time as the first DA accumulation, as well as another (.)OH accumulation which preceded and accompanied the second DA concentration peak. Glutamate release was totally inhibited by MK-801 or Trolox. The first peak of (.)OH production was completely suppressed by MK-801 and Trolox, but the second one was only suppressed by Trolox. These data showed that the increase in DA induced by lactic acid was related to glutamatergic excitotoxicity and ROS production, suggested that the kinetic of events was different for the two DA accumulations.

Analytical methods for 3-nitrotyrosine as a marker of exposure to reactive nitrogen species: a review

Nitric oxide (NO*) is a diatomic free radical which has recently been found to have a key role in both normal physiological processes and disease states. The presence of NO in biological systems leads to the formation of reactive nitrogen species (RNS) such as peroxynitrite which reacts avidly with tyrosine residues in proteins to form nitrotyrosine (NTYR). Since peroxynitrite has a very short half-life at neutral pH, the presence of NTYR has been used as a marker of RNS production in various tissues. A number of methods for separation, detection, and quantitation of NTYR in biological samples have been developed. These methods include immunochemical techniques such as immunhistochemistry, ELISA, and Western blotting, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in combination with various detection systems including UV and electrochemical detection (ECD), gas chromatography (GC), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and electrospray mass spectrometry. In terms of sensitivity and specificity, it would appear that methods based on combinations of HPLC and various types of ECD are very versatile giving a limit of detection of 20 fmol per injection of protein hydrolysate. They are only limited by the sample quantity and the preparation that is required to achieve acceptable chromatograms. In addition to the detection of NTYR as a marker of RNS, its role in biological systems may be more subtle with nitration of key tyrosine residues likely to profoundly affect cellular function such as signaling cascades. Further advances are likely to be made in the localization of NTYR residues in peptide fragments using mass spectrometry.

Fluorescence derivatizing procedure for 5-hydroxytryptamine and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid using 1,2-diphenylethylenediamine reagent and their sensitive liquid chromatographic determination

A pre-column derivatization method using a fluorogenic reagent, 1,2-diphenylethylenediamine (DPE) was studied for the sensitive HPLC determination of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), which are biosubstances used in the diagnosis of several diseases. For the quantitative determination, the biogenic indole compounds were converted to their corresponding fluorescent derivatives with DPE in the presence of potassium hexacyanoferrate (III) at room temperature, and then the derivatives were separated by reversed-phase liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The chromatographic detection limits of the fluorescent peaks at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 were 0.3 fmol for 5-HT and 0.2 fmol for 5-HIAA. The proposed method permits the simultaneous quantification of 5-HT and 5-HIAA at concentrations higher than 2.4 nM in human urine without a clean-up procedure.

4-(5,6-dimethoxy-2-phthalimidinyl)-2-methoxyphenylsulfonyl chloride as a fluorescent labeling reagent for determination of amino acids in high-performance liquid chromatography and its application for determination of urinary free hydroxyproline

A highly sensitive fluorescent labeling reagent, 4-(5,6-dimethoxy-2-phthalimidinyl)-2-methoxyphenylsulfonyl chloride (DMS-Cl), for determination of amino acids by HPLC has been developed. DMS-Cl reacted with amino acids in the basic medium to produce the corresponding fluorescent sulfonamides (excitation and emission wavelength: 318 and 406 nm in aqueous acetonitrile, respectively). When the reactivity of DMS-Cl was investigated by means of reversed-phase HPLC using hydroxyproline (Hyp) and alanine (Ala) as model compounds, the reaction of Hyp was completed within 5 min at 25 degrees C and that of Ala within 15 min at 70 degrees C. The efficiency of conversion of Hyp into the fluorescent derivative was about 100%. The detection limits (signal-to-noise ratio = 3) of almost all amino acids were less than 5 fmol/injection. When the concentration of urinary free Hyp was measured with HPLC using DMS-Cl, the concentration (mean +/- SD, n = 10) was 3.8 +/- 2.76 microM (2.7 +/- 1.71 nmol/mg creatinine).

N-(4-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazoyl-7-yl)-N-methyl-2-aminoacetohydrazide (NBD-CO-Hz) as a precolumn fluorescent derivatization reagent for carboxylic acids in high-performance liquid chromatography

A new fluorescent reagent for carboxylic acids, N-(4-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazoyl-7-yl)-N-methyl-2-aminoacetohydr azide (NBD-CO-Hz) was synthesized and its applicability as a precolumn derivatization reagent in high-performance liquid chromatography was examined. NBD-CO-Hz reacted with 2-arylpropionic acids (2-APAs), a group of non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in the presence of a condensing agent, 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and pyridine at room temperature for 2 h to give fluorescent adducts. The reaction solution was subjected to a reversed phase or a chiral stationary phase HPLC and the derivatives were detected fluorometrically at a wavelength of 530 nm with an excitation of 475 nm. The detection limits were in the fmol range on column.

4-(5,6-dimethoxy-2-phthalimidinyl)phenylsulfonyl semipiperazide as a fluorescent labelling reagent for determination of carboxylic acids in precolumn high-performance liquid chromatography

A fluorescent labelling reagent, 4-(5,6-dimethoxy-2-phthalimidinyl)phenylsulfonyl semipiperazide, was designed for the determination of carboxylic acids by precolumn HPLC. The reagent was reacted with carboxylic acids at 100 degrees C for 15 min in the presence of an activating reagent (a mixture of triphenylphosphine, 2,2'-dipyridyldisulfide and pyridine) and produced highly fluorescent derivatives, which were separated on a reversed-phase column by fluorescence measurement at 317 nm (excitation) and 380 nm (emission). The detection limits were 4-12 fmol/injection. The reagent was used for HPLC assays of long chain fatty acids in human serum by isocratic elution.

Labeling reactions applicable to chromatography and electrophoresis of minute amounts of proteins

Chromatography and electrophoresis have become extremely valuable and important methods for the separation, purification, detection and analysis of biopolymers and HPLC/HPCE may become the premier, preferable approaches for both qualitative and quantitative analyses of most proteins, especially from recombinant materials. This includes smaller peptides, polypeptides, proteins, antibodies and all types of protein or antibody-conjugates (antibody-enzyme, protein-fluorescent probe, antibody-drug and so forth). This entire Topical Issue of Journal of Chromatography emphasizes the application of chromatography and electrophoresis to protein analysis. This particular review deals with approaches to the selective tagging or labeling of proteins at trace (minute) levels, again using either chromatography or electrophoresis, with the emphasis on modern HPLC/HPCE methods and approaches. We discuss here both pre- and post-column labeling methods and reagents, techniques for realizing selective labeling of proteins or antibodies, applicable approaches to protein preconcentration in both HPLC and HPCE areas and in general, methods for improving (lowering) detection limits for proteins utilizing chemical or physical derivatization and/or preconcentration techniques. There are really two major goals or emphases in that which follows: (1) methods for selective labeling of proteins prior to or after HPLC/HPCE and (2) labeling of proteins at trace levels for improved separation-detection and lowered detection limits. We discuss here a large number of specific references related to both pre- and post-column/capillary derivatizations for proteins, as well as methods for improved detectability in both HPLC and HPCE by, for example, analyte preconcentration on a solid-phase extractor or membrane support, capillary isotachophoresis and other methods. Selective reactions or derivatizations on proteins refers to the ability to tag the protein at specific (e.g. reactive amino sites) in a controlled manner, with the products having the same number of tags all at the very same site or sites. The products are all the same species, having the same number of tags at the same locations on the protein. Selective reactions can also refer to the idea of tagging all of the protein sample at only a single, same site or at all available sites, homogeneously.