A microchip electrophoresis strategy with online labeling and chemiluminescence detection for simultaneous quantification of thiol drugs

A novel turn-on fluorescence sensor based on the Nd (III) complex for the ultrasensitive detection of 6-mercaptopurine

6-mercaptopurine (6MP) is a chemotherapeuticdrug widely used for treating inflammatory bowel diseases and several cancers. Nevertheless, determining and monitoring its concentration in the human body is highly important because over or under-doses of 6MP can lead to critical health issues. In this paper, we have developed a turn-on fluorescent probe for the determination of the anticancer drug 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) based on coordination complex [Nd (Anth)3 (H2O)3]. [Nd (Anth)3 (H2O)3] has been synthesized through a simple precipitation process taking the stoichiometric ratio of Nd (III) nitrate hexahydrate and 2-aminobenzoic acid (2-ABA), commonly known as anthranilic acid (Anth). The synthesis and structure have been investigated and validated by different characterizations like UV-visible spectroscopy, FT-IR, HRMS, XPS, and SEM. The synthesized complex displayed excellent fluorescence properties, and the fluorescence intensity was enhanced with the addition of 6MP in the form of a [Fe (6MP)3]2+ mixed complex (Fe-6MP), which is formed by dissolving it in FeCl3. The fabricated sensors displayed the best linear response in a wide range of concentrations from 2.55 μM to 45.51 μM of 6MP. The lower limit of detection (LOD) of the developed sensor was found to be 0.26 μM with a linear correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.99. The synthesized probe gives an acceptable response for the sensing of 6MP in the presence of several interfering agents.

A novel hybrid fluorescence probe sensor based on metal-organic framework@carbon quantum dots for the highly selective detection of 6-mercaptopurine

In the present study, MIL-101(Fe) and amine-carbon quantum dots (CQDs) were combined via a post-synthetic modification (PSM) method; thus, a novel MIL-101(Fe)@amine-CQD hybrid fluorescent probe sensor for the detection of 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) was synthesized. Amine-CQDs as a fluorescent material can convert the bonding interaction between MIL-101(Fe) and 6-MP into recognizable fluorescence signals, and MIL-101 (Fe) as an adsorbent can pre-concentrate 6-MP. Hereupon, this new sensor demonstrates high selectivity and sensitivity towards the detection of 6-MP. The addition of 6-MP to this probe quenches the fluorescence signal at 599 nm. In this study, factors such as pH, response time, and concentration of MIL-101(Fe)@amine-CQDs were optimized by the one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) method. Under optimal conditions, the relationship between the fluorescence enhancement factor and the concentration of 6-MP for this sensor in the range of 0.1667-1.0000 μg L^-1 was linear (R² = 0.9977, n = 3). The limit of detection and limit of quantitation were 55.70 ng L^-1 and 202.06 ng L^-1, respectively, which are better than similar techniques. The repeatability of intra-day and inter-day was 2.4% and 4.7%, respectively. This fluorescent sensor was employed to determine 6-MP in real samples and exhibited acceptable results.

A New Electrochemical Sensor for Direct Detection of Purine Antimetabolites and DNA Degradation

The development of a reliable electrochemical sensor using a hybrid nanocomposite consisting of ionic liquid (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate) functionalized graphene oxide (GrO-IL) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) stabilized by chitosan (Chit) was described. The new sensor, labelled as GrO-IL-AuNPs-Chit/CSE, exhibited an improved electrocatalytic response to cancer drugs such as purine antimetabolites (6-thioguanine, 6-mercaptopurine, and azathioprine) in a wide concentration range with a low detection limit (20-40 nmol·L^-1, S/N = 3), and satisfactory recoveries (97.1-103.0%). The sensor has been also successfully used for cyclic voltammetric study of a salmon sperm double-stranded DNA degradation and DNA-6-mercaptopurine interaction in aqueous solutions (pH 7.4).

Rapid two-dimensional characterisation of proteins in solution

Microfluidic platforms provide an excellent basis for working with heterogeneous samples and separating biomolecular components at high throughput, with high recovery rates and by using only very small sample volumes. To date, several micron scale platforms with preparative capabilities have been demonstrated. Here we describe and demonstrate a microfluidic device that brings preparative and analytical operations together onto a single chip and thereby allows the acquisition of multidimensional information. We achieve this objective by using a free-flow electrophoretic separation approach that directs fractions of sample into an on-chip analysis unit, where the fractions are characterised through a microfluidic diffusional sizing process. This combined approach therefore allows simultaneously quantifying the sizes and the charges of components in heterogenous mixtures. We illustrate the power of the platform by describing the size distribution of a mixture comprising components which are close in size and cannot be identified as individual components using state-of-the-art solution sizing techniques on their own. Furthermore, we show that the platform can be used for two-dimensional fingerprinting of heterogeneous protein mixtures within tens of seconds, opening up a possibility to obtain multiparameter data on biomolecular systems on a minute timescale.

Application of microfluidic chip technology in pharmaceutical analysis: A review

The development of pharmaceutical analytical methods represents one of the most significant aspects of drug development. Recent advances in microfabrication and microfluidics could provide new approaches for drug analysis, including drug screening, active testing and the study of metabolism. Microfluidic chip technologies, such as lab-on-a-chip technology, three-dimensional (3D) cell culture, organs-on-chip and droplet techniques, have all been developed rapidly. Microfluidic chips coupled with various kinds of detection techniques are suitable for the high-throughput screening, detection and mechanistic study of drugs. This review highlights the latest (2010–2018) microfluidic technology for drug analysis and discusses the potential future development in this field.

A chemiluminescence reagent free method for the determination of captopril in medicine and urine samples by using trivalent silver

A novel flow-injection chemiluminescence (FI-CL) method free of CL reagent was developed for the determination of captopril based on its enhancing effect on the CL derived from diperiodatoargentate(III)-sulfuric acid system. Compared with the conventional CL system, the CL system based on trivalent silver was characterized of good selectivity for the absence of CL reagent. The CL mechanism was discussed through CL spectra and UV-vis absorption spectra. The conditions of the FI-CL system were investigated and optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the relative CL intensity was linear with the captopril concentration in the range of 0.3-15.0 μg/mL. The detection limit for captopril was 0.05 μg/mL, and the relative standard deviation (n=11) was 2.0% for 5.0 μg/mL captopril. The proposed method was applied to the analysis of captopril in tablet and human urine with the recoveries of 83.1%-112.5%, and the relative standard deviations of 0.5%-4.4%. The results obtained by the proposed method agreed well with those obtained from HPLC method. The proposed method is fast, convenient, and cost-effective for the determination of captopril in medicine and biological samples.

Present state of microchip electrophoresis: state of the art and routine applications

Microchip electrophoresis (MCE) was one of the earliest applications of the micro-total analysis system (μ-TAS) concept, whose aim is to reduce analysis time and reagent and sample consumption while increasing throughput and portability by miniaturizing analytical laboratory procedures onto a microfluidic chip. More than two decades on, electrophoresis remains the most common separation technique used in microfluidic applications. MCE-based instruments have had some commercial success and have found application in many disciplines. This review will consider the present state of MCE including recent advances in technology and both novel and routine applications in the laboratory. We will also attempt to assess the impact of MCE in the scientific community and its prospects for the future.