Disposable amperometric magnetoimmunosensor for the sensitive detection of the cardiac biomarker amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide in human serum

A novel amperometric magnetoimmunosensor using an indirect competitive format is developed for the sensitive detection of the amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). The immunosensor design involves the covalent immobilization of the antigen onto carboxylic-modified magnetic beads (HOOC-MBs) activated with N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N′-ethylcarbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide (sulfo-NHS), and further incubation in a mixture solution containing variable concentrations of the antigen and a fixed concentration of an HRP-labeled detection antibody. Accordingly, the target NT-proBNP in the sample and that immobilized on the MBs compete for binding to a fixed amount of the specific HRP-labeled secondary antibody. The immunoconjugate-bearing MBs are captured by a magnet placed under the surface of a disposable gold screen-printed electrode (Au/SPE). The amperometric responses measured at –0.10 V (vs. a Ag pseudo-reference electrode), upon addition of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) as electron transfer mediator and H₂O₂ as the enzyme substrate, are used to monitor the affinity reaction. The developed magnetoimmunosensor provides attractive analytical characteristics in 10-times diluted human serum samples, exhibiting a linear range of clinical usefulness (0.12–42.9 ng mL⁻¹) and a detection limit of 0.02 ng mL⁻¹, which can be used in clinical diagnosis of chronic heart failure in the elderly and for classifying patients at risk of death after heart transplantation. The magnetoimmunosensor was successfully applied to the analysis of spiked human serum samples.     

Improved porous silicon microarray based prostate specific antigen immunoassay by optimized surface density of the capture antibody

Enriching the surface density of immobilized capture antibodies enhances the detection signal of antibody sandwich microarrays. In this study, we improved the detection sensitivity of our previously developed P-Si (porous silicon) antibody microarray by optimizing concentrations of the capturing antibody. We investigated immunoassays using a P-Si microarray at three different capture antibody (PSA – prostate specific antigen) concentrations, analyzing the influence of the antibody density on the assay detection sensitivity. The LOD (limit of detection) for PSA was 2.5 ng mL⁻¹, 80 pg mL⁻¹, and 800 fg mL⁻¹ when arraying the PSA antibody, H117 at the concentration 15 μg mL⁻¹, 35 μg mL⁻¹, and 154 μg mL⁻¹, respectively. We further investigated PSA spiked into human female serum in the range of 800 fg mL⁻¹ to 500 ng mL⁻¹. The microarray showed a LOD of 800 fg mL⁻¹ and a dynamic range of 800 fg mL⁻¹ to 80 ng mL⁻¹ in serum spiked samples.     

Double electrochemical covalent coupling method based on click chemistry and diazonium chemistry for the fabrication of sensitive amperometric immunosensor

A double electrochemical covalent coupling method based on click chemistry and diazonium chemistry for the fabrication of sensitive amperometric immunosensor was developed. As a proof-of-concept, a designed alkyne functionalized human IgG was used as a capture antibody and a HRP-labeled rabbit anti-goat IgG was used as signal antibody for the determination of the anti-human IgG using the sandwich model. The immunosensor was fabricated by electrochemically grafting a phenylazide on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode, and then, by coupling the alkyne functionalized human IgG with the phenylazide group through an electro-click chemistry in the presence of Cu(II). The amperometric measurement for the determination of the anti-human IgG was performed after the fabricated immunosensor was incubated with the target anti-human IgG and then with the HRP-labeled anti-goat IgG at −0.25 V in 0.10 M PBS (pH 7.0) containing 0.1 mM hydroquinone and 2.0 mM H₂O₂. The results showed that the increased current was linear with the logarithm of the concentration of the anti-human IgG in the range from 1.0 × 10⁻¹⁰ g mL⁻¹ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁸ g mL⁻¹ with a detection limit of 3 × 10⁻¹¹ g mL⁻¹. Furthermore, the feasibility of the double electrochemical covalent coupling method proposed in this work for fabricating the amperometric immunosensor array was explored. This work demonstrates that the double electrochemical covalent coupling method is a promising approach for the fabrication of the immunosensor and immunosensor array.     

Preparation and application of triangular silver nanoplates/chitosan composite in surface plasmon resonance biosensing

This paper reports the utilization of triangular silver nanoplates (TSNPs) to enhance the sensitivity of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor. TSNPs modified with 3-mercaptopropinic acid (MPA) were simply mixed with chitosan and glutaraldehyde to form TSNPs/chitosan composite. The composite was deposited on Au film as immobilization substrate for SPR biosensor. The novel structures of TSNPs are preserved against etching by MPA and chitosan polymer. Moreover, chitosan cross-linked by glutaraldehyde enables antibody to be immobilized on fabricated substrate directly via Schiff alkali reaction. In the optimized conditions, the resulting biosensor based on TSNPs/chitosan composite shows a satisfactory response to bovine IgG in the concentration range of 0.075–40.00 μg mL⁻¹. While the biosensor based on chitosan without TSNPs shows a response in the concentration range of 0.6–40 μg mL⁻¹ and the biosensor based on Au film shows a response in the concentration range of 2.5–40 μg mL⁻¹. The experiment results show that the sensitivity of SPR biosensor based on TSNPs/chitosan composite was significantly enhanced and the immobilization procedure of antibody was simplified.     

Magnetic-particle-based,ultrasensitive chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay for free prostate-specific antigen

We report a magnetic-particle (MMP)-based chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay (CLEIA) for free prostate-specific antigen (f-PSA) in human serum. In this method, the f-PSA is sandwiched between the anti-PSA antibody coated MMPs and alkaline phosphatase (ALP)-labeled anti-f-PSA antibody. The signal produced by the emitted photons from the chemiluminescent substrate (4-methoxy-4-(3-phosphatephenyl)-spiro-(1,2-dioxetane-3,2′-adamantane)) is directly proportional to the amount of f-PSA in a sample. The present MMP-based assay can detect f-PSA in the range of 0.1–30 ng mL⁻¹ with the detection limit of 0.1 ng mL⁻¹. The linear detection range could match the concentration range within the “diagnostic gray zone” of serum f-PSA levels (4–10 ng mL⁻¹). The detection limit was sufficient for measuring clinically relevant f-PSA levels (>4 ng mL⁻¹). Furthermore, the method was highly selective; it was unaffected by cross-reaction with human glandular kallikrein-2, a kallikrein-like serine protease that is 80% similar to f-PSA. The proposed method was finally applied to determine f-PSA in 40 samples of human sera. Results obtained using the method showed high correlation with those obtained using a commercially available microplate CLEIA kit (correlation coefficient, 0.9821). This strategy shows great potential application in the fabrication of diagnostic kits for determining f-PSA in serum.     

Preparation and evaluation of an immunoaffinity sorbent with Fab′ antibody fragments for the analysis of opioid peptides by on-line immunoaffinity solid-phase extraction capillary electrophoresis–mass spectrometry

An immunoaffinity (IA) sorbent with antibody fragments was prepared for the analysis of opioid peptides by on-line immunoaffinity solid-phase extraction capillary electrophoresis–mass spectrometry (IA-SPE-CE–MS). The antibody fragmentation was evaluated by MALDI-TOF-MS. Fab′ fragments obtained from a polyclonal IgG antibody against Endomorphins 1 and 2 (End1 and End2) were covalently attached to succinimidyl silica particles to prepare the IA sorbent. An IA-SPE-CE–MS methodology was established analyzing standard solutions of End1 and End2 and acceptable repeatability, linearity ranges and LODs (0.5 and 5 ng mL⁻¹, respectively) were obtained. The LOD of End1 was slightly better than that previously obtained using an IA sorbent with intact antibodies (1 ng mL⁻¹). In human plasma samples, End1 and End2 could be detected at 1 and 50 ng mL⁻¹, respectively, which meant an improvement of 100 and 2-fold with regard to the LODs using an IA sorbent with intact antibodies (100 ng mL⁻¹).     

Nanostructured progesterone immunosensor using a tyrosinase-colloidal gold-graphite-Teflon biosensor as amperometric transducer

A novel progesterone immunosensor using a colloidal gold-graphite-Teflon-tyrosinase composite biosensor as amperometric transducer is reported. A sequential competitive configuration between the analyte and progesterone labelled with alkaline phosphatase (AP) was used. Phenyl phosphate was employed as the AP-substrate and the enzyme reaction product, phenol, was oxidized by tyrosinase to o-quinone, which is subsequently reduced at −0.1 V at the biocomposite electrode. Variables such as the concentration of phenyl phosphate, the amount of antibody attached to the electrode surface, immersion time in a 2% BSA solution, working pH and incubation times in progesterone and AP conjugate were optimized. A linear calibration graph for progesterone was obtained between 0 and 40 ng mL⁻¹ with a slope value of −82.3 nA ng⁻¹ mL, and a detection limit of 0.43 ng mL⁻¹. The time needed to reach the steady-state current from the addition of phenyl phosphate was 30-40 s. These analytical characteristics improve substantially those reported for other progesterone immunosensors. A lifetime of 14 days with no need to apply any regeneration procedure was also achieved. The usefulness of the immunosensor was evaluated by determining progesterone in milk samples spiked with the analyte at 5.0 and 1.5 ng mL⁻¹ concentration levels. Following a very simple procedure, involving only sample dilution, mean recoveries (n = 7) of 98 ± 3% and 99 ± 3%, respectively, were obtained.     

Hot electron induced cathodic electrochemiluminescence at AuSb alloy electrode for fabricating immunosensor with self-assembled monolayers

Thin antimony oxide covered AuSb alloy electrode was firstly found to be an excellent cold cathode for generating hot electrons during cathodic pulse polarization. Owing to the injection of hot electrons and the subsequent generation of hydrated electrons, fluorescein iso-thiocyanate (FITC) that cannot be excited in common ECL was cathodically excited at the alloy electrode. Self-assembled thiol monolayers were formed on the electrode surface due to the presence of Au in the alloy, to which strepavidin was covalently bound, and then biotinylated antibody was immobilized through the strepavidin-biotin interaction. As a simple model, an immunosensor for the detection of human IgG (hIgG) using FITC as labeling agent was fabricated. ECL signals were responsive to the amount of hIgG bounded to the immunosensor. The ECL intensity was linearly changed with the logarithm of hIgG concentration in the range of 1.0-1000 ng mL⁻¹, and the detection limit was ca. 0.3 ng mL⁻¹ (S/N = 3). The proposed immunosensor showed a broad linear range (three magnitudes), good reproducibility and stability, which is promising in detecting FITC-based labels in various types of bioaffinity assays.     

A novel immunoassay based on the dissociation of immunocomplex and fluorescence quenching by gold nanoparticles

This study reports a novel, simple and sensitive immunoassay using fluorescence quenching caused by gold nanoparticles coated with antibody. The method is based on a non-competitive heterogeneous immunoassay of human IgG conducted by the typical procedure of sandwich immunocomplex formation. Goat anti-human IgG was first adsorbed on polystyrene microwells, and human IgG analyte was captured by the primary antibody and then sandwiched by antibody labeled with gold nanoparticles. The sandwich-type immunocomplex was subsequently dissociated by the mixed solution of sodium hydroxide and trisodium citrate, the solution obtained, which contains gold nanoparticles coated with antibody, was used to quench fluorescence. The fluorescence intensity of fluorescein at 517 nm was inversely proportional to the logarithm of the concentration of human IgG in the dynamic range of 10-5000 ng mL⁻¹ with a detection limit of 4.7 ng mL⁻¹. The electrochemical experiments and the UV-vis measurements were applied to demonstrate whether the immunoglod was dissociated completely and whether the gold nanoparticles aggregated after being dissociated, respectively. The proposed system can be extended to detect target molecules such as other kinds of antigen and DNA strands, and has broad potential applications in disease diagnosis.     

An electrochemical immunosensor based on enzyme-encapsulated liposomes and biocatalytic metal deposition

A novel electrochemical immunosensor based on double signal amplification of enzyme-encapsulated liposomes and biocatalytic metal deposition was developed for the detection of human prostate specific antigen (PSA). Alkaline phosphatase (ALP)-encapsulated and detection antibody-functionalized liposomes were first prepared and used as the detection reagent. In the sandwich immunoassay, the model analyte PSA was first captured by anti-PSA capture antibody immobilized on the electrode and then sandwiched with the functionalized liposomes. The bound liposomes were then lysed with surfactant to release the encapsulated ALP, which served as secondary signal amplification means. ALP on the electrode surface initiated the hydrolysis of ascorbic acid 2-phosphate (AA-p) to produce ascorbic acid. The latter, in turn, reduced silver ions on the electrode surface, leading to deposition of the metal silver on the electrode surface. Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) was chosen to detect the amount of the deposited silver. The results showed that the anodic stripping peak current was linearly dependent on the PSA concentration in the range of 0.01-100 ng mL⁻¹, and a detection limit as low as 0.007 ng mL⁻¹ can be obtained. Since the cut-off value of human PSA is 4 ng mL⁻¹, the proposed electrochemical immunosensor would be expected to gain widespread applications for the detection of PSA in clinical diagnosis.     

A label-free electrochemical immunoassay for IgG detection based on the electron transfer

In this study, a highly selective, label-free electrochemical immunoassay strategy based on the charge transport through the multilayer films associated with the electrocatalytic reduction of [Fe(CN)₆]³⁻ is proposed using human immunoglobulin G (human IgG) as the model analyte. The antibody-antigen complex formed on the sensing interface can efficiently induce change of the surface charge characteristics, the conductivity of multilayer film and/or electron transfer distance, resulting in an immunoreaction signal. The current reduction is proportional to the amount of analyte. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the proposed sensing strategy provides a linear dynamic range from 10 to 10⁴ ng mL⁻¹ and a detection limit of 3 ng mL⁻¹, indicating an improved analytical performance. This possibly makes it a potential alternative in bioanalysis of proteins and other molecules.     

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for the insecticide fenitrothion. Influence of hapten conformation and sample matrix on assay performance

This study aimed at developing competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for the organophosphorus (OP) insecticide fenitrothion using a monoclonal antibody. The hapten used to obtain the antibody had an ideal structural feature that allowed minimal functional group sacrifice. By using the antibody and a coating antigen, a competitive indirect ELISA was developed, which showed an IC₅₀ of 14 ng mL⁻¹ with a detection limit of 3.0 ng mL⁻¹. A competitive direct ELISA using an enzyme tracer was also developed, which showed an IC₅₀ of 17 ng mL⁻¹ with a detection limit of 1.6 ng mL⁻¹. The antibodies in both assays showed negligible cross-reactivity with the metabolites of fenitrothion and other OP pesticides except with the insecticides parathion-methyl and parathion-ethyl. Recoveries of fenitrothion from fortified rice and lettuce samples were determined and the bias in the recovery values was rationalized by using the standard curves obtained in the matrix extract.     

A naked-eye based strategy for semiquantitative immunochromatographic assay

It is critical to develop a cost-effective quantitative/semiquantitative assay for rapid diagnosis and on-site detection of toxic or harmful substances. Here, a naked-eye based semiquantitative immunochromatographic strip (NSI-strip) was developed, on which three test lines (TLs, TL-I, TL-II and TL-III) were dispensed on a nitrocellulose membrane to form the test zone. Similar as the traditional strip assay for small molecule, the NSI-strip assay was also based on the competitive theory, difference was that the analyte competed three times with the capture reagent for the limited number of antibody binding sites. After the assay, the number of TLs developed in the test zone was inversely proportional to the analyte concentration, thus analyte content levels could be determined by observing the appeared number of TLs. Taking aflatoxin B₁ as the model analyte, visual detection limit of the NSI-strip was 0.06 ng mL⁻¹ and threshold concentrations for TL-I–III were 0.125, 0.5, and 2.0 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. Therefore, according to the appeared number of TLs, the following concentration ranges would be detectable by visual examination: 0–0.06 ng mL⁻¹ (negative samples), and 0.06–0.125 ng mL⁻¹, 0.125–0.5 ng mL⁻¹, 0.5–2.0 ng mL⁻¹ and >2.0 ng mL⁻¹ (positive samples). That was to say, compared to traditional strips the NSI-strip could offer more parameter information of the target analyte content. In this way, the NSI-strip improved the qualitative presence/absence detection of traditional strips by measuring the content (range) of target analytes semiquantitatively.     

Production and characterization of a broad-specificity polyclonal antibody for O,O-diethyl organophosphorus pesticides and a quantitative structure-activity relationship study of antibody recognition

Polyclonal antibody (PAb) with broad-specificity for O,O-diethyl organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) against a generic hapten, 4-(diethoxyphosphorothioyloxy)benzoic acid, was produced. The obtained PAb showed high sensitivity to seven commonly used O,O-diethyl OPs in a competitive indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ciELISA) using a heterologous coating antigen, 4-(3-(diethoxyphosphorothioyloxy)phenylamino)-4-oxobutanoic acid. The 50% inhibition value (IC₅₀) was 348 ng mL⁻¹ for parathion, 13 ng mL⁻¹ for coumaphos, 22 ng mL⁻¹ for quinalphos, 35 ng mL⁻¹ for triazophos, 751 ng mL⁻¹ for phorate, 850 ng mL⁻¹ for dichlofenthion, and 1301 ng mL⁻¹ for phoxim. The limit of detection (LOD) met the ideal detection criteria of all the seven OP residues. A quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model was constructed to study the mechanism of antibody recognition using multiple linear regression analysis. The results indicated that the frontier-orbital energies (energy of the highest occupied molecular orbital, E_HOMO, and energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, E_LUMO) and hydrophobicity (log of the octanol/water partition coefficient, log P) were mainly responsible for the antibody recognition. The linear equation was log(IC₅₀) = −63.274E_HOMO + 15.985E_LUMO + 0.556 log P − 25.015, with a determination coefficient (r²) of 0.908.     

Simultaneous detection of four biomarkers with one sensing surface based on redox probe tagging strategy

In this paper, a simple and sensitive amperometric immunosensor for simultaneous detection of four biomarkers by using distinguishable redox-probes as signal tags was proposed for the first time. In sandwich immunoassay format, four kinds of capture antibodies (C-Ab) were immobilized by gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) electro-deposited on the surface of glass carbon electrode (GCE); four kinds of detection antibodies (D-Ab) labeled with different redox probes (including anthraquinone 2-carboxylic acid (Aq), thionine (Thi), ferrocenecarboxylic acid (Fc) and tris(2,2’-bipyridine-4,4’-dicarboxylic acid) cobalt(III) (Co(bpy)₃³⁺)), were combined with 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic acid (PTCA), poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) and AuNPs functionalized carbon nanotubes, and served as signal tracer. When four target antigens were present, differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) scan exhibited four well-resolved peaks, each peak indicated one antigen, and its intensity was quantitative correlational to the concentration of corresponding analyte. To verify the strategy, four biomarkers for diagnosis of colorectal carcinoma, including carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 CA125, and CA242, were used as model analytes, the immunosensor exhibited high selectivity and sensitivity, and peak current displayed good linear relationship to logarithm concentration in the ranges from 0.016 to 15 ng mL⁻¹ for CEA; 0.008 to 10 ng mL⁻¹ for CA19-9; 0.012 to 12 ng mL⁻¹ for CA125; 0.010 to 10 ng mL⁻¹ for CA242, and low detection limits of 4.2, 2.8, 3.3 and 3.8 pg mL⁻¹, respectively.     

Citrinin (CIT) determination in rice samples using a micro fluidic electrochemical immunosensor

The development of an electrochemical immunosensor incorporated in a micro fluidic cell for quantification of citrinin (CIT) mycotoxin in rice samples is described for the first time. Both CIT present in rice samples and immobilized on a gold surface electrodeposited on a glassy carbon (GC) electrode modified with a cysteamine self-assembled monolayer were allowed to compete for the monoclonal mouse anti-CIT IgG antibody (mAb-CIT) present in solution. Then, an excess of rabbit anti mouse IgG (H + L) labelled with the horseradish peroxidase (secAb-HRP) was added, which reacts with the mAb-CIT which is in the immuno-complex formed with the immobilized CIT on the electrode surface. The HPR, in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) catalyzes the oxidation of catechol (H₂Q) whose back electrochemical reduction was detected on a GC electrode at −0.15 V vs Ag/AgCl by amperometric measurements. The current measured is proportional to the enzymatic activity and inversely proportional to the amount of CIT present in the rice samples. This immunosensor for CIT showed a range of work between 0.5 and 50 ng mL⁻¹. The detection (LOD) and the quantification (LOQ) limits were 0.1 and 0.5 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. The coefficients of variation intra- and inter-assays were less than 6%. The electrochemical detection could be done within 2 min and the assay total time was 45 min. The immunosensor was provided to undertake at least 80 determinations for different samples with a minimum previous pre-treatment. Our electrochemical immunosensor showed a higher sensitivity and reduced analysis time compared to other analytical methods such as chromatographic methods. This methodology is fast, selective and very sensitive. Thus, the immunosensor showed to be a very useful tool to determine CIT in samples of cereals, mainly rice samples.     

Sensitive sandwich immunoassay based on single particle mode inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry detection

A sensitive sandwich type immunoassay has been proposed with the detection by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in a single particle mode (time resolved analysis). The signal induced by the flash of ions (¹⁹⁷Au⁺) due to the ionization of single Au-nanoparticle (Au-NP) label in the plasma torch can be measured by the mass spectrometer. The frequency of the transient signals is proportional to the concentration of Au-NPs labels. Characteristics of the signals obtained from Au-NPs of 20, 45 and 80 nm in diameters were discussed. The analytical figures for the determination of Au-labeled IgG using ICP-MS in conventional integral mode and single particle mode were compared in detail. Rabbit-anti-human IgG was used as a model analyte in the sandwich immunoassay. A detection limit (3σ) of 0.1 ng mL⁻¹ was obtained for rabbit-anti-human IgG after immunoreactions, with a linear range of 0.3-10 ng mL⁻¹ and a RSD of 8.1% (2.0 ng mL⁻¹). Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied to spiked rabbit-anti-human IgG samples and rabbit-anti-human serum samples. The method resulted to be a highly sensitive ICP-MS based sandwich type immunoassay.     

Multiplex immunodetection of tumor markers with a suspension array built upon core-shell structured functional fluorescence-encoded microspheres

A new suspension array built upon laboratory-prepared functional fluorescence-encoded polystyrene beads (FFPBs) was developed for multiplex immunodetection of tumor markers. The FFPBs were synthesized by copolymerizing rhodamine 6G (R6G) and carboxyl function groups on the surface of the seed beads forming a core-shell structure. The fabrication process was facile and the encoding fluorescence intensity of the beads can be precisely controlled by adjusting the quantity of R6G. In present work, we demonstrated that the quantity variation of impregnated R6G had negligible effect on the coupling efficiency of biomolecules onto the surface of the FFPBs. The R6G encoding fluorescence remained good monodispersity upon capture probe coupling and immunocomplex formation. No fluorescence resonance energy transfer was observed between the R6G doped in the bead shell and fluorophore used for antibody labeling. Under the optimal conditions, the proposed suspension array allowed simultaneous detection of α-fetoprotein, carcinoembryonic antigen, and prostate specific antigen in the ranges of 0.07-500 ng mL⁻¹, 1-2000 ng mL⁻¹, and 0.5-500 ng mL⁻¹, respectively, with detection limits of 0.0626 ng mL⁻¹, 0.554 ng mL⁻¹, and 0.250 ng mL⁻¹. Test on clinical serum samples demonstrated that the results obtained with suspension array were in good agreement with those of the reference electrochemiluminescence immunoassay method. We conclude that the laboratory-made FFPBs are sufficient as the microcarrier for the construction of suspension array in clinical diagnosis.     

Preparation of pH-sensitive polymer by thermal initiation polymerization and its application in fluorescence immunoassay

A fluorescence immunoassay for human IgG (Ag) was developed using a pH-sensitive polymer prepared by thermal initiation or redox initiation polymerization as a carrier. In the competitive immunoassay, appropriate quantity of Ag was immobilized on the polymer and the standard Ag (or sample) solution, and a constant amount of fluorescein isothiocyanate labeled goat anti-human IgG antibody (Ab-FITC) was added. Immobilized Ag and the standard (or sample) Ag competed for binding to the Ab-FITC in 37 °C in homogeneous format. After changing the pH to separate the polymer-immune complex precipitate, it was re-dissolved and determined by fluorescence method. The results showed that the immobilization efficiency, immunological reaction activities of immobilized Ag and phase transition pH range were improved as Ag was immobilized by thermal initiation instead of redox initiation polymerization. Under optimum conditions, the calibration graphs for the Ag in both methods, thermal initiation and redox initiation, were linear over the concentration range of 0.0-1000 ng mL⁻¹, with detection limits 8 (thermal initiation) and 12 ng mL⁻¹ (redox initiation), respectively. Moreover, some pH-sensitive polymer prepared only in organic solvent or under high temperature could also be used as an immunoreaction carrier by thermal initiation polymerization. Thermal initiation polymerization was a better immobilization mode.     

Simultaneous determination of psychotropic drugs in human urine by capillary electrophoresis with electrochemiluminescence detection

Amitriptyline, doxepin and chlorpromazine are often used as psychotropic drugs in treatment of the various mental diseases, and are also partly excreted by kidney. This work developed a simple, selective and sensitive method for their simultaneous monitoring in human urine using capillary electrophoresis coupled with electrochemiluminescence (ECL) detection based on end-column ECL reaction of tris-(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) with aliphatic tertiary amino moieties. Acetone was used as an additive to the running buffer to obtain their absolute separation. Under optimized conditions the proposed method displayed a linear range from 5.0 to 800 ng mL⁻¹ for the three drugs with the correlation coefficients more than 0.995 (n = 8). Their limits of detection were 0.8 ng mL⁻¹ (3.6 fg), 1.0 ng mL⁻¹ (4.5 fg) and 1.5 ng mL⁻¹ (6.8 fg) at a signal to noise ratio of 3, respectively. The relative standard deviations for five determinations of 20 ng mL⁻¹ amitriptyline, doxepin and chlorpromazine were 1.7%, 4.2% and 3.6%, respectively. For practical application an extract step with 90:10 heptane/ethyl acetate (v/v) was performed to eliminate the influence of ionic strength in sample. The recoveries of amitriptyline, doxepin and chlorpromazine at different levels in human urine were between 83% and 93%, which showed that the method was valuable in clinical and biochemical laboratories for monitoring amitriptyline, doxepin and chlorpromazine.