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Biomedical subjects

G K Bonn

Publications and source records attributed to G K Bonn.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Role of carbon nano-materials in the analysis of biological materials by laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry.

At present, carbon nano-materials are being utilized in various procedures, especially in laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) for analyzing a range of analytes, which include peptides, proteins, metabolites, and polymers. Matrix-oriented LDI-MS techniques are very well established, with weak organic acids as energy-absorbing substances. Carbon materials, such as nano-tubes and fullerenes are being successfully applied in the small-mass range, where routine matrices have strong background signals. In addition, the role of carbon nano-materials is very well established in the fractionation and purification fields. Modified diamond powder and surfaces are utilized in binding peptides and proteins from complex biological fluids and analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS). Polylysine-coated diamond is used for solid-phase extraction to pre-concentrate DNA oligonucleotides. Graphite is useful for desalting, pre-concentration, and as energy-absorbing material (matrix) in desorption/ionization. Carbon nano-tubes in their different derivatized forms are used as matrix materials for the analysis of a range of analytes, such as carbohydrates, amino acids, peptides, proteins, and some environmental samples by LDI-MS. Fullerenes are modified in different ways to bind serum entities analyzed through MALDI/TOF-MS and are subsequently utilized in their identifications. In addition, the fullerenes are a promising matrix in LDI-MS, but improvements are needed.

Biological Products↗

Silica particles encapsulated poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) monolithic stationary phases for micro-high performance liquid chromatography.

In the paper we demonstrate a new approach for the preparation and application of continuous silica bed columns that involve encapsulation (entrapment) of functionalized silica microparticles, which can be used as packing material in micro high performance liquid chromatography (micro-HPLC) and capillary electrochromatography (CEC). Like traditional packed columns, these capillaries possess characterized silica particles that offer high phase ratio and narrow pore size distribution leading to high retention and separation efficiency, respectively. More importantly, immobilization of the microparticles stabilizes the separation bed and eliminates the need for retaining frits. The developed capillary columns were fabricated in exactly the same way as a packed capillary column (slurry packing) but with an additional entrapment step. This immobilization of the packed bed was achieved by in situ polymerization of styrene and divinylbenzene in presence of decanol as a porogen and azobisisobutyronitrile as thermal initiator. Silica particles with different particle sizes and pore sizes ranging from 60 to 4000 A were studied. In addition different modified silica was used, including C-18 reversed phase, anion exchange and chiral stationary phases. Efficient separation of polyphenolic compounds, peptides, proteins and even DNA mutation were achieved using the developed technique depending on the properties of the silica particles used (particles pore size). For example, using 3 microm ProntoSIL C-18 particles with 300 A pore size, separation efficiencies in the range of 120,000-200,000 plates/m were obtained for protein separation, in a 6 cm x 200 microm i.d. capillary column. Using encapsulated silica C-18 with 1000 A pore size, separation of DNA homo and hetero duplexes were achieved under denaturing HPLC conditions for mutation detection. In addition, nucleotides were separated using anion exchange material encapsulated with poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) (PS/DVB), which indicated that the chromatographic properties of the silica packing material were still active after polymerization. The prepared capillary columns were found to be stable and could easily be operated continuously up to a pressure of 350 bar without column damage and capillary can be cut to any desired length.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

Near infrared spectroscopy, cluster and multivariate analysis hyphenated to thin layer chromatography for the analysis of amino acids.

A method based on near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was developed for the rapid and non-destructive determination and quantification of solid and dissolved amino acids. The statistical results obtained after optimisation of measurement conditions were evaluated on the basis of statistical parameters, Q-value (quality of calibrations), R(2), standard error of estimation (SEE), standard error of prediction (SEP), BIAS applying cluster and different multivariate analytical procedures. Experimental optimisation comprised the selection of the highest suitable optical thin-layer (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 mm), sample temperature (10-30 degrees C), measurement option (light fibre, 0.5 mm optical thin-layer; boiling point tube; different types of cuvettes) and sample concentration in the range between 100 and 500 ppm. Applying the optimised conditions and a 115-QS Suprasil cuvette (V = 400 microl), the established qualitative model enabled to distinguish between different dissolved amino acids with a Q-value of 0.9555. Solid amino acids were investigated in the transflectance mode, allowing to differentiate them with a Q-value of 0.9155. For the qualitative and quantitative analysis of amino acids in complex matrices NIRS was established as a detection system directly onto the plate after prior separation on cellulose based thin-layer chromatography (TLC) sheets employing n-butanol, acetic acid and distilled water at a ratio of 8:4:2 (v/v/v) as an optimised mobile phase. Due to the prior separation step, the established calibration curve was found to be more stable than the one calculated from the dissolved amino acids. The found lower limit of detection was 0.01 mg/ml. Finally, this optimised TLC-NIRS method was successfully applied for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of L-lysine in apple juice. NIRS is shown not only to offer a fast, non-destructive detection tool but also to provide an easy-to-use alternative to more complicated detection methods such as mass spectrometry (MS) for qualitative and quantitative TLC analysis of amino acids in crude samples.

Amino Acids↗

Derivatized nanoparticle coated capillaries for purification and micro-extraction of proteins and peptides.

Various methods are used to enrich or purify a protein of interest from other proteins and components in a crude cell lysate or other sample. One of the most powerful methods is affinity purification, also called affinity chromatography, whereby the proteins of interest are purified by virtue of their specific binding properties to an immobilized ligand. Affinity purification is becoming more widely used for exploring post-translation modifications and protein-protein interactions, especially with a view toward developing new general tag systems and strategies of chemical derivatization on peptides for affinity selection. Our work was aimed to immobilize proteins or ligands for affinity purification of antibodies, fusion-tagged proteins and other proteins and peptides. Selected proteins or peptides are efficiently extracted and enriched using chemically derivatized walls of a fused silica capillary column. In this paper, we present an open tubular capillary, where the inner wall of a fused silica capillary was derivatized by covalent binding of modified polystyrene latex particles. The capillaries were derivatized with iminodiacetic acid and loaded with Fe3+ or Ni2+ for the purification and enrichment of phosphopeptides or His-tagged proteins, respectively. The latex coated capillaries have been successfully applied to enrich phosphopeptides from beta-casein tryptic digest and ovalbumin tryptic digest at a micro volume scale with recoveries ranging from 92 to 95%. The capillaries have been eluted under conditions compatible with MALDI-MS without any prior desalting step. In another approach, concanavalin A (Con A) or Protein G were immobilized on the epoxy modified latex on the inner wall of the fused silica capillary for the purification of glycoproteins and immunoglobulin, respectively. The design of the capillary and the protocols used for purification permits the direct detection of eluted proteins and peptides with gel electrophoresis or with mass spectrometry. The elution volumes are passed as discrete segments of few microliters over the inner surface of the open-tube capillary, achieving enrichment factors of more than 20-fold from starting samples.

Caseins↗

Characterisation and evaluation of metal-loaded iminodiacetic acid-silica of different porosity for the selective enrichment of phosphopeptides.

Silica particles of different porosity were functionalised with iminodiacetic acid (IDA) and loaded with Fe(III) to yield immobilised metal affinity chromatography stationary phases (Fe(III)-IDA-silica) for phosphopeptide enrichment. The elution step of bound phosphopeptides was optimised with a 32P radioactive labelled peptide by a comprehensive study. Several elution systems, including phosphate buffers of different pH and concentration and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid solutions were employed. Furthermore the effect of support porosity on elution behaviour was investigated. Under best conditions recoveries higher than 90% were achieved. A solid-phase extraction (SPE) protocol was developed for fractionation of phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated peptides and desalting of the fractions which is essential for subsequent mass spectrometric analysis by the combination of Fe(III)-IDA-silica and C18-silica particles. The pH of the loading buffer was found to be a critical parameter for the efficiency of the SPE protocol. As tryptic digests of alpha-lactalbumin, lysozyme and ribonuclease A mixed with three synthetic phosphopeptides were fractionated, pH 2.5 provided minimal proportion of unspecific bound peptides when comparing the fractions after mu-LC-electrospray ionization MS separation. The effect of a sample derivatisation reaction (methylation) on the efficiency of phosphopeptide enrichment was further investigated. Blocking carboxylate groups by methyl ester formation totally prevented unspecific interaction with the immobilised Fe(III) ions, but generated partially methylated phosphopeptides that increased the complexity of the phosphorylated fraction.

Chromatography, Affinity↗

Cu(II)-loaded iminodiacetic acid-silica particles for protein profiling of human serum samples using surface-enhanced affinity capture: support porosity effects.

Silica particles of different porosity were functionalised with iminodiacetic acid (IDA) and loaded with Cu(II) ions to yield Cu(II)-IDA-silica. These immobilised metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) materials were subjected to a comprehensive characterisation study. The Cu(II) content--determined via UV/Vis spectroscopy and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS)--was found to be linearly dependent on the specific surface area of the silica particles. The evaluation of protein adsorption isotherms provided information on binding properties towards biomolecules. The data fitted Langmuir's adsorption theory. Binding capacity of hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) was highest for Cu(II)-IDA-silica with mean pore diameter of 120 A, reaching nearly 350 mg/g. All derivatised materials were applied to the fractionation of human serum samples and subsequent mass spectrometric analysis (m/z: 2000-10,000) according to a surface-enhanced affinity capture (SEAC) protocol. Pore size of the support material affected the appearance of the mass spectra to a great extent, showing that surface morphology is another parameter that has to be considered in addition to surface chemistry. Signal intensity as well as the number of detected masses were strongly dependent on the pore diameter, indicating that the carrier material has to be carefully chosen to assure best results.

Blood Chemical Analysis↗

Simultaneous determination of gentisic, salicyluric and salicylic acid in human plasma using solid-phase extraction, liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

A method is developed for the simultaneous extraction of gentisic (GA), salicyluric (SUA) and salicylic acid (SA) in human plasma from Willow Bark extract, by solid phase extraction (SPE) using Waters Oasis HLB (divinylbenzene-n-vinylpyrrolidone copolymer) cartridges. Also, a method is optimized comprising of reversed-phase (RP) high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in connection with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), fluorescence detection (FLD) and photo diode array detection (DAD) to identify and quantify GA, SUA and SA in the SPE effluents. An improved sensitivity regarding the lower detection limit (LOD) of < 7 ng/ml, the limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 20 ng/ml and short analysis times of < 15 min is required. The validated SPE method shows linearity in the range of 9.0-58.2 ng/ml for GA, 9.4-191.5 ng/ml for SUA and 12.8-1101.6 ng/ml for SA. The correlation coefficient values are > 0.9994 and 0.99 for fluorescence detection (FLD) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), respectively. The recoveries are from 91.3-102.1% for gentisic acid (GA), 86.8-100.5% for salicyluric acid (SUA) and 75.8-81.4% for salicylic acid (SA) depending on the starting concentrations. RP-LC-ESI-MS/MS studies using collision induced dissociation (CID) confirm that the investigated analytes are not artifacts and facilitate further specific identification in addition to the determination of the parent ion mass even in the presence of co-eluting peaks. The established method is also used to analyze gentisic (GA), salicyluric (SUA) and salicylic acid (SA), not only after intake of Willow Bark capsules (Assalix, BNO 1455) but also as naturally occurring constituents in human plasma after the intake of salicylic acid containing foods.

Calibration↗

Simultaneous determination of hypericin and hyperforin in human plasma and serum using liquid-liquid extraction, high-performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

A method for the simultaneous extraction of hypericin and hyperforin from a St. John's Wort extract, which is used in case of moderate depressions and skin injuries, from human plasma and serum by liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) with n-hexane-ethylacetate (70:30, w/w) was developed. A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method with UV, fluorescence (FLD) and mass spectrometric (MS) detection using electrospray ionization (ESI) was used to identify and quantify hypericin and hyperforin in the extracts from blood samples. Linearity was obtained in the ranges 8.4-28.7 ng/ml (hypericin) and 21.6-242.6 ng/ml (hyperforin). Recoveries were between 32.2 and 35.6% for hypericin and 100.1 and 89.9% for hyperforin. Intra-day accuracy and precision for this method ranged between 3.2 and 4.3% and 2.6 and 2.8%, respectively. After validation of the LLE, the method was tested on real plasma samples which were obtained by ingestion of St. John's Wort extract capsules. Blood samples were taken 2, 4, and 6 h after ingestion. Finally, this method proved to be highly suitable for clinical and pharmacologically relevant studies.

Anthracenes↗

Fast analysis of flavonoids in plant extracts by liquid chromatography-ultraviolet absorbance detection on poly(carboxylic acid)-coated silica and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric detection.

A highly hydrophilic poly(7-oxonorbornene-5,6-dicarboxylic acid-block-norbornene) [=poly-(ONDCA-b-NBE)]-coated silica was investigated for the liquid chromatographic (LC) determination of flavonoids in plant extracts of complex biological origin using UV absorbance and mass spectrometric (MS) detection. Compared to the most commonly used octadecyl derivatized silica this sorbent allowed fast separations even at extreme pH values. Furthermore, UV absorbance and MS detection were evaluated. As we found, UV detection at 254 nm allows the determination of flavonoids down to the ng range with a linearity of R2>0.9906. For the more selective characterization the validated LC system was coupled to a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer via an electrospray ionization (ESI) interface. MS detection showed high linearity (R2>0.9904) for all investigated flavonoids. Due to the relatively high flow-rate of 1 ml/min the limits of detection were found in the lower-microg range. Collision induced dissociation was applied to obtain characteristic fragmentation fingerprints. Finally, the validated LC-ESI-MS-MS method demonstrated that this poly-(ONDCA-b-NBE) stationary phase allows fast characterization and quantitation in onion, elderflower blossom, lime blossom, St. John's Wort and red wine.

Calibration↗

Mutation detection by capillary denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography using monolithic columns.

The high resolving power of the chromatographic separation of single- and double-stranded nucleic acids in 200 microm i.d. monolithic poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) capillary columns was utilized for mutation screening in polymerase chain reaction amplified polymorphic loci. Recognition of mutations is based on the separation of homo- and heteroduplex species by ion-pair reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (IP-RP-HPLC) under partially denaturing conditions, resulting in characteristic peak patterns both for homozygous and heterozygous samples. Six different single nucleotide substitutions and combinations thereof were confidently identified in 413 bp amplicons from six heterozygous individuals each of which yielded a different unique chromatographic profile. Alternatively, mutations were identified in short, 62 bp PCR products upon their complete on-line denaturation at 75 degrees C taking advantage of the ability of IP-RP-HPLC to resolve single-stranded nucleic acids of identical length that differ in a single nucleotide. Separations in monolithic capillary columns can be readily hyphenated to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and promise increased sample throughput by operating in arrays similar to those already used in capillary electrophoresis.

Alleles↗

Determination of flavonoids and stilbenes in red wine and related biological products by HPLC and HPLC-ESI-MS-MS.

To investigate probable health benefits of flavonoids and stilbenes in red wine a new reversed-phase (RP) high-performance liquid-chromatographic (HPLC) method with enhanced separation efficiency and improved selectivity, sensitivity, and speed has been established for determination of the flavonoids quercetin, myricetin and kaempferol and the stilbenes cis- and trans-resveratrol, in a single run . UV-absorbance, fluorescence (FLD), and mass-spectrometric (MS) detection were also evaluated. UV-absorbance detection at 320 nm for stilbenes and 377 nm for flavonoids enables their determination up to the nanogram range with a linearity of R2>0.9999 (linear range 50 ng mL(-1)-50 microg mL(-1)). Calculated values of average recoveries were between 95 and 105% for all analytes. For resveratrol, fluorescence detection was highly selective and twice as sensitive as UV detection, and linearity was satisfactory (R2>0.9996; linear range see UV detection). For the detection of the hydrophilic glycosidic compounds piceid and rutin, which are coeluted with other hydrophilic ingredients, the validated RP HPLC system was coupled to a quadrupole ion-trap mass-spectrometer (MS) via an electrospray interface (ESI) with 25% ammonia solution as sheath liquid. MS detection was, highly linear (R2>0.9878; linear range 50 ng mL(-1)-50 microg mL(-1)) for all investigated analytes and the limits of detection were in the low nanogram range. Compared with UV detection MS detection resulted in a 200% increase in signal intensity for myricetin and 400% increases for quercetin and kaempferol, but equal signal intensity for resveratrol. Calculated values of average recoveries were 102% for myricetin and 79% for piceid. Collision induced dissociation (CID) was also used to obtain characteristic fragmentation fingerprints to facilitate qualitative and quantitative analysis even in complex matrices. Finally, this hyphenated HPLC-ESI-MS method was highly suitable and an essential improvement compared with UV- and fluorescence detection.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

Recent developments in polymer-based sorbents for solid-phase extraction.

A review with 136 references on the principles and recent developments in the solid-phase extraction based on polymer sorbents is presented. New polymer-based materials, chromatographic modes, experimental configurations are described and their advantages for a rapid sample preparation of certain classes of compounds with different functional groups are discussed and compared to silica-based sorbents.

Chromatography, Liquid↗

Isolation and characterization of methoxylated flavones in the flowers of Primula veris by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry.

Characterization of six flavones, which were named substances G1, G2, G3, G4, G5 and G6 according to their R(F) values in normal-phase thin-layer chromatography, is reported. The pure flavones were purified after maceration with methanol by normal-phase solid-phase extraction, normal-phase medium-pressure liquid chromatography, normal-phase preparative thin-layer chromatography and preparative reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The collected fractions of several isolation steps were analyzed by normal-phase (NP) and RP-HPLC. Detection and identification of the substances G was accomplished by UV detection at 213-216 nm, diode array UV detection, or fluorescence detection (lambda(ex)=330 nm; lambda(cm)=440 nm). The molecular mass, the elementary composition, and the structure of the six components was determined by electron-impact high-resolution mass spectrometry (EI-HRMS). Substance G4 was identified as 3',4',5'-trimethoxyflavone. The substances G1-G6 were shown to be mono-, di- tri- and pentamethoxyflavones. HPLC-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS-MS) of the flavones was carried out employing a 150x2 mm I.D. column packed with a 3 microm/100 A octadecylsilica stationary phase and a mobile phase comprising 1.0% acetic acid in water-acetonitrile (50:50). Comparative RP-HPLC-ESI-MS of the raw methanol extract and the isolated substances G1-G6 proved that the isolated compounds were pure and were not artifacts. Finally, RP-HPLC-ESI-MS-MS was used to identify substances G1-G6 in phytopharmaceutical drugs.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

Development and evaluation of a new method for the determination of the carotenoid content in selected vegetables by HPLC and HPLC-MS-MS.

Epidemologic studies have shown inverse correlation between the consumption of carotenoid-rich vegetables and the incidence of cancer. Therefore, analytical techniques for the quantitative determination of carotenoids in complex sample matrices are important. The most used method is reversed-phase (RP)-high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In this study, seventeen mobile-phase systems described in the literature and six RP-HPLC columns with differences in particle size and porosity are evaluated. Derived from these results, a new mobile-phase (acetonitrile, methanol, chloroform, and n-heptane) including solvent modifiers is presented, which allows an improved and more efficient separation of carotenoids. From all columns tested, the best chromatographic parameters are found using a silica C18 column (250 x 2 mm, 5 microm, 100 A). As was found, absorbance detection at 450 nm allows the determination of the carotenoids down to the picogram range with good linearity (R2 > 0.98). For the identification and quantitation of carotenoids in complex sample matrices (containing additionally other ultraviolet-absorbing compounds), the optimized RP chromatographic system is coupled to a mass spectrometer (MS) using an atmospheric pressure ionization interface. The calibration plots show high linearity (R2 > 0.99), and the detection limit is found in the lower nanogram range. Furthermore, collision-induced dissociation in the ion source allows for the identification of carotenoids by their characteristic fragmentation pathways. In this study, a total of nine species of vegetables commonly consumed in Central Europe are analyzed for their contents of carotenoids (namely lutein, zeaxanthin, beta-cryptoxanthin, and beta-carotene) by RP-HPLC and RP-HPLC-MS-MS. It is found that good sources for lutein are spinach, kale, and broccoli, and sources for beta-carotene are broccoli, spinach, kale, carrots, and tomatoes. This new method is an improvement for the identification and quantitation of carotenoids in complex biological tissues.

Carotenoids↗

Determination of airborne, volatile amines from polyurethane foams by sorption onto a high-capacity cation-exchange resin based on poly(succinic acid).

A high-capacity carboxylic acid-functionalized resin prepared by ring-opening metathesis polymerization based on cross-linked endo,endo-poly(norborn-2-ene-5,6-dicarboxylic acid) was used for the sampling of volatile, airborne amines from polyurethane (PU) foams. Six tertiary amines which represent commonly used promotors for the formation of PUs from diisocyanates and polyols, namely pentamethyldiethylenetriamine, diazabicyclooctane, N-methylmorpholine, N-ethylmorphine, 1,4-dimethylpiperazine and N,N-dimethylethanolamine, were sorbed onto the new resin. The sorption behavior of the new material was investigated in terms of loading capacities, the influence of concentration, flow-rate as well as of the amount of resin. Breakthrough curves were recorded from each single component as well as of mixtures thereof. Finally, the resin was used for the sampling of amines evaporating from PU foams applied in buildings. Further information about time dependent concentration profiles were obtained using a combination of GC-MS and Fourier transform IR spectroscopy.

Adsorption↗

Capillary electrophoresis of peptides and proteins in fused-silica capillaries coated with derivatized polystyrene nanoparticles.

High-resolution capillary electrophoretic separation of proteins and peptides was achieved by coating the inner wall of 75 microm ID fused-silica capillaries with 40-140 nm polystyrene particles which have been derivatized with alpha-omega-diamines such as ethylenediamine or 1,10-diaminodecane. A stable and irreversibly adsorbed coating was obtained upon deprotonation of the capillary surface with aqueous sodium hydroxide and subsequent flushing with a suspension of the positively charged particles. At pH 3.1, the detrimental adsorption of proteins to the capillary inner wall was suppressed efficiently because of electrostatic repulsion of the positively charged proteins from the positively charged coating which enabled protein separations with maximum efficiencies of 400000 plates per meter. A substantial improvement of separation efficiency in particle-coated capillaries was observed after in-column derivatization of amino functionalities with 2,3-epoxy-l-propanol, resulting in a more hydrophilic coating. Five basic and four acidic proteins could be separated in less than 7 min with efficiencies up to 1900000 theoretical plates per meter. Finally, coated capillaries were applied to the high-resolution analysis of protein glycoforms and bioactive peptides.

Animals↗

Speciation studies by capillary electrophoresis- Simultaneous determination of chromium(III) and chromium(VI).

A method for the simultaneous determination of chromium(III) and chromium(VI) by capillary electrophoresis (CE) has been developed. The chromium(III) has been chelated with 1,2-cyclohexanediaminetetraacetic acid (CDTA) in order to impart a negative charge and similar mobility to both the chromium(III) and the chromium(VI) species. The effects of the amount of the reagent, pH and heating time required to complete the complexation have been studied. Factors affecting the CE behaviour such as the polarity of electrodes and the pH of electrophoretic buffer have been investigated. The separated species have been monitored by direct UV measurements at 214 nm. The detection limits achieved are 10 microg/l for Cr(VI) and 5 microg/l for Cr(III) and linear detector response is observed up to 100 mg/l. The procedure has been applied to the determination of both chromium species in industrial electroplating samples and its accuracy was checked by comparing the results (as total chromium) with those of atomic absorption spectrometry. No interference occurred from transition metal impurities under optimized separation conditions. The method is also shown to be feasible for determining Cr(III) as well as other metal ions capable to form complexes with CDTA (like iron(III), copper(II), zinc(II) and manganese(II)) in pharmaceutical preparations of essential trace elements.

Journal Article↗

High-resolution liquid chromatography of fluorescent dye-labeled nucleic acids.

Using 100 mM of triethylammonium acetate as ion-pairing reagent, phosphodiester oligonucleotides labeled fluorescently at their 5' terminus could be separated successfully on alkylated nonporous 2.3-microns poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) particles by means of high-resolution liquid chromatography. Applying excitation wavelengths of 490, 520, 550, and 575 nm, respectively, optimum sensitivity was achieved for the fluorophores 5-carboxyfluorescein, 2',7'-dimethoxy-4',5'-dichloro-6-carboxyfluorescein, N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-6-carboxyrhodamine, and 6-carboxy-X-rhodamine (FAM, JOE, TAMRA, and ROX, respectively) at emission wavelengths of 520, 550, 580, and 605 nm, respectively. With calibration curves being linear over at least three orders of magnitude, the lower detection limits were 0.5, 2, 2, and 3 fmol, respectively. Depending on the type of fluorescent dye attached, retention times increased in the order JOE < FAM < TAMRA < ROX. Subsequently, fluorescent oligonucleotides were employed to prime polymerase chain reactions (PCR). Again the fluorophores were found to increase the retention times of double-stranded nucleic acids, but to a lesser degree than those of single-stranded oligonucleotides. Using a single FAM label attached to one of the two PCR primers, the sensitivity of fluorescence detection was found to be approximately 1 fmol or 30-70 times higher than that of uv absorbance detection depending on the length of the PCR product. Since the technique allows the separation of PCR products differing only 4 to 8 base pairs in length within a size range of 50 to 200 base pairs, it may be employed for the quantitative assessment of competitive PCR.

Base Sequence↗