Quantification of carnosine-related peptides by microchip electrophoresis with chemiluminescence detection

Electrophoretic Determination of L-Carnosine in Health Supplements Using an Integrated Lab-on-a-Chip Platform with Contactless Conductivity Detection

The health supplement industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, but there is a lack of suitable analytical methods for the determination of active compounds in health supplements such as peptides. The present work describes an implementation of contactless conductivity detection on microchip technology as a new strategy for the electrophoretic determination of L-carnosine in complex health supplement formulations without pre-concentration and derivatization steps. The best results were obtained in the case of +1.00 kV applied for 20 s for injection and +2.75 kV applied for 260 s for the separation step. Under the selected conditions, a linear detector response of 5 × 10-6 to 5 × 10-5 M was achieved. L-carnosine retention time was 61 s. The excellent reproducibility of both migration time and detector response confirmed the high precision of the method. The applicability of the method was demonstrated by the determination of L-carnosine in three different samples of health supplements. The recoveries ranged from 91 to 105%. Subsequent analysis of the samples by CE-UV-VIS and HPLC-DAD confirmed the accuracy of the obtained results.

Enhanced capillary zone electrophoresis in cyclic olefin copolymer microchannels using the combination of dynamic and static coatings for rapid analysis of carnosine and niacinamide in cosmetics

Cosmetics having medicinal effects, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, have become a daily care routine consumption. The peptide additives, such as carnosine and nicotinamide, were frequently used to realize these medicinal effects. To accomplish rapid and effective quantitation of carnosine and niacinamide in cosmetics, a capillary zone electrophoresis was executed in cyclic olefin copolymer microchips having both dynamic and static coatings. The static coating of cyclic olefin copolymer microchannel was constructed from bovine albumin adsorption, immobilization and active site closure, while the dynamic coating was formed by adding surfactant into running buffer of capillary zone electrophoresis. The static coating can improve the hydrophilicity of cyclic olefin copolymer surface and avoid nonspecific peptide adsorption. The dynamic coating of sodium dodecyl sulfate in running buffer proved to be useful in flow velocity adjustment and the column efficiency enhancement in capillary zone electrophoresis separation channel of the cyclic olefin copolymer microchip device. A separation resolution up to 4.24 on the mixture of carnosine and nicotinamide was obtained. Moreover, an analysis method was established and applied to simultaneous carnosine and nicotinamide determination in a liquid whitening essence and a solid antiglycation pill and the results were verified by comparison with HPLC methods, indicating its potential in complex sample analysis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Carnosine, Small but Mighty-Prospect of Use as Functional Ingredient for Functional Food Formulation

Carnosine is a dipeptide synthesized in the body from β-alanine and L-histidine. It is found in high concentrations in the brain, muscle, and gastrointestinal tissues of humans and is present in all vertebrates. Carnosine has a number of beneficial antioxidant properties. For example, carnosine scavenges reactive oxygen species (ROS) as well as alpha-beta unsaturated aldehydes created by peroxidation of fatty acid cell membranes during oxidative stress. Carnosine can oppose glycation, and it can chelate divalent metal ions. Carnosine alleviates diabetic nephropathy by protecting podocyte and mesangial cells, and can slow down aging. Its component, the amino acid beta-alanine, is particularly interesting as a dietary supplement for athletes because it increases muscle carnosine, and improves effectiveness of exercise and stimulation and contraction in muscles. Carnosine is widely used among athletes in the form of supplements, but rarely in the population of cardiovascular or diabetic patients. Much less is known, if any, about its potential use in enriched food. In the present review, we aimed to provide recent knowledge on carnosine properties and distribution, its metabolism (synthesis and degradation), and analytical methods for carnosine determination, since one of the difficulties is the measurement of carnosine concentration in human samples. Furthermore, the potential mechanisms of carnosine's biological effects in musculature, metabolism and on immunomodulation are discussed. Finally, this review provides a section on carnosine supplementation in the form of functional food and potential health benefits and up to the present, neglected clinical use of carnosine.

Capillary electrophoresis of small ions and molecules in less conventional human body fluid samples: A review

In recent years, advances in sensitive analytical techniques have encouraged the analysis of various compounds in biological fluids. While blood serum, blood plasma and urine still remain the golden standards in clinical, toxicological and forensic science, analyses of other body fluids, such as breast milk, exhaled breath condensate, sweat, saliva, amniotic fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, or capillary blood in form of dried blood spots are becoming more popular. This review article focuses on capillary electrophoresis and microchip electrophoresis of small ions and molecules (e.g. inorganic cations/anions, basic/acidic drugs, small acids/bases, amino acids, peptides and other low molecular weight analytes) in various less conventional human body fluids and hopes to stimulate further interest in the field.

Determination of anti-oxidative histidine dipeptides in poultry by microchip capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection

A home-made microchip electrophoresis (MCE) device was used to quantitate two biologically important histidine dipeptides, carnosine and anserine, using capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (C⁴D), at pH 2.7. The C⁴D detector exhibited a linear response to both carnosine and anserine in the range of 0-200μM for the individual dipeptides and in the range of 0-100μM for each dipeptide when both were present as a mixture. The limit of detections (LOD) for the dipeptides in the mixture were 0.10μM for carnosine and 0.16μM for anserine. Standard addition was used to detemine the accuracy of the method. For carnosine and anserine the recoveries were in the range of 96.7±4.9-106.0±7.5% and 95.3±4.5-105.0±5.1% in thigh muscle and 97.5±5.1-105.0±7.5% and 95.3±5.4-97.3±5.6% in breast muscle, respectively.

A Rapid In Situ Colorimetric Assay for Cobalt Detection by the Naked Eye

A simple, rapid, and convenient colorimetric chemosensor of a specific target toward the end user is still required for on-site detection and real-time monitoring applications. In this study, we developed a rapid in situ colorimetric assay for cobalt detection using the naked eye. Interestingly, a yellow to light orange visual color transition was observed within 3 s when a Chrysoidine G (CG) chemosensor was exposed to cobalt. Surprisingly, the CG chemosensor had great selectivity toward cobalt without any interference of other metal ions. Under optimized conditions, a lower detection limit of 0.1 ppm via a spectrophotometer and a visual detection limit of 2 ppm with a linear range from 0.4 to 1 ppm (R² = 0.97) were determined. Moreover, the CG chemosensor is reversible and maintains its functionality after treatment with chelating agents. In conclusion, we show the superior capabilities of the CG chemosensor, which has the potential to provide extremely facile handling, high sensitivity, and a fast response time for applications of on-site detection to real-time cobalt monitoring for the general public.

An electropolymerized molecularly imprinted polymer for selective carnosine sensing with impedimetric capacity

Functional monomers are designed for the development of a polymer with molecular cavities selective for the carnosine dipeptide recognition and quantification.

A dark-field light scattering platform for real-time monitoring of the erosion of microparticles by Co2+

Monitoring chemical reactions using tools of analytical chemistry is crucial for understanding the mechanisms of these reactions. In this study, leaf-like poly(p-phenylenediamine) (PpPD) microparticles were prepared with precisely tailored properties. The dark field microscopy protocol proved to be a powerful tool for studying the erosion of microparticles induced by Co(2+). Such a protocol can have the benefit of improving the understanding of reaction mechanisms and can help expand the applications of dark field microscopy. A possible mechanism was proposed to explain the experimental observations.

A rapid and sensitive colorimetric assay method for Co2+ based on the modified Au nanoparticles (NPs): understanding the involved interactions from experiments and simulations

We previously reported a colorimetric assay method for Co(2+) based on the thioglycolic acid (TGA) functionalized hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) modified Au NPs. However, the detection limit of 3×10(-7) M was still higher than that of the sanitary standard for drinking water (6.8×10(-8) M). In addition, the interactions between the modifier and Au NPs, and between the modifier-Au NPs and Co(2+) remain to be clarified and confirmed. Thus, in the present study, the modified Au NPs solution was dialyzed and its detection limit was optimized to be 5×10(-10) M. The interactions between the modifier and Au NPs, and between the modifier-Au NPs and Co(2+) were investigated in both experimental characterizations and theoretical calculations, consistently confirming that the Au NPs were modified by the negatively charged anions of [SCH(2)CO(2)](2-) through Au-S bonds and Co(2+) was recognized by the modifier-Au NPs through Co-O chelate bonds. The results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) suggest that there were no chemical bonds formed between CTAB and Co(2+). Moreover, the colorimetric assay of Co(2+) using the modified Au NPs has been proved to be a rapid, very sensitive and highly selective method. The validation of the method was carried out by analysis of a certified reference material, GSBZ 50030-94.

Analysis of therapeutic peptides in human urine by combination of capillary zone electrophoresis-electrospray mass spectrometry with preparative capillary isotachophoresis sample pretreatment

The presented study deals with the off-line coupling of preparative isotachophoresis (pITP) with on-line combination of capillary zone electrophoresis with electrospray mass spectrometric detection (CZE-ESI-MS) used for the analysis of therapeutic peptides (anserine, carnosine, and buserelin) in complex matrix (urine). Preparative capillary isotachophoresis, operating in a discontinuous fractionation mode in column-coupling configuration, served as a sample pretreatment technique to separation, and fractionation of mixture of therapeutic peptides present in urine at low concentration level. The fractions isolated by pITP procedure were subsequently analyzed by capillary zone electrophoresis with electrospray mass spectrometric detection. Acetic acid at 200 mmol L(-1) concentration served as background electrolyte in CZE stage and it is compatible with MS detection in positive ionization mode. In pITP fractionation procedure, sodium cation (10 mmol L(-1) concentration) as leading ion and beta-alanine as terminating ion (20 mmol L(-1) concentration) were used. While using CZE-ESI-MS, the limits of detection were 0.18 μg mL(-1) for carnosine, 0.17 μg mL(-1) for anserine and 0.64 μg mL(-1) for buserelin in water and 0.19 μg mL(-1) for carnosine, 0.50 μg mL(-1) for anserine and 0.74 μg mL(-1) for buserelin in 10 times diluted urine, respectively. The cleaning power of pITP sample pretreatment was proved as the peptides provided the higher MS signals at lower concentration levels resulting from the minimized matrix effects. The quality of obtained MS/MS spectra was very good so that they can provide information about the structure of analytes, and they were used for verification of the analytes identities. The pITP pretreatment improved the detection limits of the analyzed therapeutic peptides at least 25 times compared to the CZE-ESI-MS itself.

A colorimetric assay method for Co2+ based on thioglycolic acid functionalized hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide modified Au nanoparticles (NPs)

A simple, rapid and sensitive colorimetric assay method for detection of Co(2+) through thioglycollic acid (TGA) functionalized hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) modified Au NPs has been discovered in our work. TGA functionalized CTAB modified Au NPs can be aggregated quickly in the presence of Co(2+) through a cooperative metal-ligand interaction. Transmission electron microscope (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and UV-vis spectra were used to characterize the Au NPs aggregation. The presence of Co(2+) is monitored by a colorimetric response of functionalized Au NPs, and had a detection limit of 3.0 × 10(-7) M. Moreover, the selectivity of this method has been investigated by comparing with other metal ions (Hg(2+), Na(+), Cu(2+), Cd(2+), Ba(2+), Pb(2+), Mn(2+), Ni(2+), Zn(2+), Fe(2+) and Fe(3+)).

Chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer-based detection for microchip electrophoresis

Since the channels in micro- and nanofluidic devices are extremely small, a sensitive detection is required following microchip electrophoresis (MCE). This work describes a highly sensitive and yet universal detection scheme based on chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (CRET) for MCE. It was found that an efficient CRET occurred between a luminol donor and a CdTe quantum dot (QD) acceptor in the luminol-NaBrO-QD system and that it was sensitively suppressed by the presence of certain organic compounds of biological interest including biogenic amines and thiols, amino acids, organic acids, and steroids. These findings allowed developing sensitive MCE-CL assays for the tested compounds. The proposed MCE-CL methods showed desired analytical figures of merit such as a wide concentration range of linear response. Detection limits obtained were approximately 10(-9) M for biogenic amines including dopamine and epinephrine and approximately 10(-8) M for biogenic thiols (e.g., glutathione and acetylcysteine), organic acids (i.e., ascorbic acid and uric acid), estrogens, and native amino acids. These were 10-1000 times more sensitive than those of previously reported MCE-based methods with chemiluminescence, electrochemical, or laser-induced fluorescence detection for quantifying corresponding compounds. To evaluate the applicability of the present MCE-CL method for analyzing real biological samples, it was used to determine amino acids in individual human red blood cells. Nine amino acids, including Lys, Ser, Ala, Glu, Trp, etc., were detected. The contents ranged from 3 to 31 amol/cell. The assay proved to be simple, quick, reproducible, and very sensitive.

Chemiluminescent immunoassay of thyroxine enhanced by microchip electrophoresis

A homogeneous chemiluminescent immunoassay of thyroxine (T4) enhanced by microchip electrophoresis separation has been developed. The method deployed the competitive immunoreaction of T4 and horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labeled T4 (HRP-T4) with anti-T4 mouse monoclonal antibody (Ab). HRP-T4 and the HRP-T4-Ab complex were separated and quantified by using microchip electrophoresis (MCE) with chemiluminescence (CL) detection. Highly sensitive CL detection was achieved by means of HPR-catalyzed luminol-H(2)O(2) reaction. Due to the effective MCE separation, the CL analytical signal was less prone to sample matrix interference. Under the selected assay conditions, the MCE separation was accomplished within 60s. The linear range for T4 was 5-250 nM with a detection limit of 2.2 nM (signal/noise ratio=3). The current method was successfully applied for the quantification of T4 in human serum samples. It was demonstrated that the current MCE-CL-enhanced competitive immunoassay was quick, sensitive, and highly selective. It may serve as a tool for clinical analysis of T4 to assist in the diagnosis of thyroid gland functions.