•On-line systems allow for near real-time monitoring of biological events.•Systems can be customized with specific probes, separation, and detection methods.•Several interface designs are presented ...for coupling MD to ME.•Factors that affect temporal resolution in MD–ME are discussed.•Applications of MD–ME for monitoring biological events both in vivo and in vitro.
Microdialysis is a powerful sampling technique that enables monitoring of dynamic processes in vitro and in vivo. The combination of microdialysis with chromatographic or electrophoretic methods with selective detection yields a “separation-based sensor” capable of monitoring multiple analytes in near real time. For monitoring biological events, analysis of microdialysis samples often requires techniques that are fast (<1min), have low volume requirements (nL–pL), and, ideally, can be employed on-line. Microchip electrophoresis fulfills these requirements and also permits the possibility of integrating sample preparation and manipulation with detection strategies directly on-chip. Microdialysis coupled to microchip electrophoresis has been employed for monitoring biological events in vivo and in vitro. This review discusses technical considerations for coupling microdialysis sampling and microchip electrophoresis, including various interface designs, and current applications in the field.
•Novel microchip electrophoresis (ME) technology including modes and detectors are reviewed.•Recent biomedical applications of ME during 2010 to date are presented.•Advantages and limitations of ME ...are addressed.
Many separation methods have been developed for biomedical analysis, including chromatographic (e.g. high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC)) and electrophoretic methods (e.g. gel electrophoresis and capillary electrophoresis (CE)). Among these techniques, CE provides advantages in terms of high separation efficiency, simplicity, low sample and solvent volume consumption, short analysis time and applicability to a wide range of biomedically important substances. Microchip electrophoresis (ME) is a miniaturized platform of CE and is now considered as a simpler and more convenient alternative, which has demonstrated potential in analytical chemistry. High-throughput, cost-effective and portable analysis systems can be developed using ME. The current review describes different separation modes and detectors that have been employed in ME to analyze various classes of biomedical analytes (e.g. pharmaceuticals and related substances, nucleic acids, amino acids, peptides, proteins, antibodies and antigens, carbohydrates, cells, cell components and lysates). Recent applications (during 2010–2014) in these areas are presented in tables and some significant findings are highlighted.
Microdialysis (MD) is a sampling technique that can be employed to monitor biological events both
in vivo and
in vitro. When it is coupled to an analytical system, microdialysis can provide near ...real-time information on the time-dependent concentration changes of analytes in the extracellular space or other aqueous environments. Online systems for the analysis of microdialysis samples enable fast, selective and sensitive analysis while preserving the temporal information. Analytical methods employed for online analysis include liquid chromatography (LC), capillary (CE) and microchip electrophoresis and flow-through biosensor devices. This review article provides an overview of microdialysis sampling and online analysis systems with emphasis on
in vivo analysis. Factors that affect the frequency of analysis and, hence, the temporal resolution of these systems are also discussed.
Carnosine is a natural endogenous dipeptide widely distributed in mammalian tissues, existing at particularly high concentrations in the muscles and brain and possesses well-characterized antioxidant ...and anti-inflammatory activities. In an in vitro model of macrophage activation, induced by lipopolysaccharide + interferon-gamma (LPS + IFN-γ), we here report the ability of carnosine to modulate pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory activities of macrophages, representing the primary cell type that is activated as a part of the immune response. An ample set of parameters aimed to evaluate cytotoxicity (MTT assay), energy metabolism (HPLC), gene expressions (high-throughput real-time PCR (qRT-PCR)), protein expressions (western blot) and nitric oxide production (qRT-PCR and HPLC), was used to assess the effects of carnosine on activated macrophages challenged with a non cytotoxic LPS (100 ng/mL) + IFN-γ (600 U/mL) concentration. In our experimental model, main carnosine beneficial effects were: (1) the modulation of nitric oxide production and metabolism; (2) the amelioration of the macrophage energy state; (3) the decrease of the expressions of pro-oxidant enzymes (Nox-2, Cox-2) and of the lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde; (4) the restoration and/or increase of the expressions of antioxidant enzymes (Gpx1, SOD-2 and Cat); (5) the increase of the transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and the down-regulation of the expressions of interleukins 1β and 6 (IL-1β and IL-6) and 6) the increase of the expressions of Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). According to these results carnosine is worth being tested in the treatment of diseases characterized by elevated levels of oxidative stress and inflammation (atherosclerosis, cancer, depression, metabolic syndrome, and neurodegenerative diseases).
Carnosine (β-alanyl-L-histidine), a dipeptide, is an endogenous antioxidant widely distributed in excitable tissues like muscles and the brain. Carnosine is involved in cellular defense mechanisms ...against oxidative stress, including the inhibition of amyloid-beta (Aβ) aggregation and the scavenging of reactive species. Microglia play a central role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, promoting neuroinflammation through the secretion of inflammatory mediators and free radicals. However, the effects of carnosine on microglial cells and neuroinflammation are not well understood. In the present work, carnosine was tested for its ability to protect BV-2 microglial cells against oligomeric Aβ1-42-induced oxidative stress and inflammation. Carnosine prevented cell death in BV-2 cells challenged with Aβ oligomers through multiple mechanisms. Specifically, carnosine lowered the oxidative stress by decreasing NO and O₂
intracellular levels as well as the expression of iNOS and Nox enzymes. Carnosine also decreased the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, simultaneously rescuing IL-10 levels and increasing the expression and the release of TGF-β1. Carnosine also prevented Aβ-induced neurodegeneration in mixed neuronal cultures challenged with Aβ oligomers, and these neuroprotective effects were completely abolished by SB431542, a selective inhibitor of the type-1 TGF-β receptor. Our data suggest a multimodal mechanism of action of carnosine underlying its protective effects on microglial cells against Aβ toxicity with a key role of TGF-β1 in mediating these protective effects.
•An animal model for locally induced epilepsy was developed.•Microdialysis sampling was used to monitor neurochemical changes.Unique attenuation of glutamate release was observed.Potentially ...responsible pathways were further investigated.
The objective of this study was to develop an in vivo model for locally induced epilepsy. Epilepsy is a prominent neurological disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. Patients may experience either global seizures, affecting the entire brain, or focal seizures, affecting only one brain region. The majority of epileptic patients experience focal seizures but they go undiagnosed because such seizures can be difficult to detect. To better understand the effects of focal epilepsy on the neurochemistry of a brain region with high seizure diathesis, an animal model for locally induced seizures in the hippocampus was developed. In this model, two seizure events were chemically induced by administering the epileptogenic agent, 3-mercaptopropionic acid (3-MPA), to the hippocampus to disturb the balance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in the brain. Microdialysis was used for local delivery of 3-MPA as well as for collection of dialysate for neurochemical analyses. Two periods of seizures separated by varying inter-seizure recovery times were employed, and changes in the release of the excitatory transmitter, glutamate, were measured. Significant differences in glutamate release were observed between the first and second seizure episodes. Diminished glutamate biosynthesis, enhanced glutamate re-uptake, and/or neuronal death were considered possible causes of the attenuated glutamate release during the second seizure episode. Biochemical measurements were indicative that a combination of these factors led to the attenuation in glutamate release.
A method for the determination of selected aromatic amino acid biomarkers of oxidative stress using microchip electrophoresis with electrochemical detection is described. The separation of the major ...reaction products of phenylalanine and tyrosine with reactive nitrogen and oxygen species was accomplished using ligand exchange micellar electrokinetic chromatography with a PDMS/glass hybrid chip. Electrochemical detection was achieved using a pyrolyzed photoresist film working electrode. The system was evaluated for the analysis of the products of the Fenton reaction with tyrosine and phenylalanine, and the reaction of peroxynitrite with tyrosine.
Abstract The search for chemical indicators of life is a fundamental component of potential future spaceflight missions to ocean worlds. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a useful separation method ...for the determination of the small organic molecules, such as amino acids and nucleobases, that could be used to help determine whether or not life is present in a sample collected during such missions. CE is under development for spaceflight applications using multiple detection systems, such as laser induced fluorescence (LIF) and mass spectrometry (MS). Here we report CE‐based methods for separation and detection of major polar metabolites in cells, such as amino acids, nucleobases/sides, and oxidized and reduced glutathione using detectors that are less expensive alternatives to LIF and MS. Direct UV detection, indirect UV detection, and capacitvely coupled contactless conductivity detection (C 4 D) were tested with CE, and a combination of direct UV and C 4 D allowed the detection of the widest variety of metabolites. The optimized method was used to profile metabolites found in samples of Escherichia coli and Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis and showed distinct differences between the species.
On‐line separations‐based sensors employing microdialysis (MD) coupled to microchip electrophoresis (ME) enable the continuous monitoring of multiple analytes simultaneously. Electrochemical ...detection (EC) is especially amenable to on‐animal systems employing MD‐ME due to its ease of miniaturization. However, one of the difficulties in fabricating MD‐ME‐EC systems is incorporating carbon working electrodes into the device. In this paper, a novel fabrication procedure is described for the production of a PDMS/glass hybrid device that is capable of integrating hydrodynamic MD flow with ME‐EC using a flow‐gated interface and a pyrolyzed photoresist film carbon electrode. This fabrication method enables the reuse of carbon electrodes on a glass substrate, while still maintaining a good seal between the PDMS and glass to allow for pressure‐driven MD flow. The on‐line MD‐ME‐EC device was characterized in vitro and in vivo for monitoring analytes in the dopamine metabolic pathway. The ultimate goal is to use this device and associated instrumentation to perform on‐animal, near‐real time in vivo monitoring of catecholamines.
Microchip electrophoresis coupled with amperometric detection is more popular than voltammetric detection due to the lower limits of detection that can be achieved. However, voltammetry provides ...additional information about the redox properties of the analyte that can be used for peak identification. In this paper, two dual electrode configurations for microchip electrophoresis are described and evaluated for obtaining voltammetric information using amperometry. The dual-series electrode configuration was first evaluated to generate current ratios in a single run by applying two different potentials to the working electrodes placed perpendicular to the separation channel. However, it was found that it is difficult to obtain realistic current ratios with this configuration, primarily due to the relative placement of electrodes with respect to the channel end of the simple-t microchip. Correction factors were needed to obtain current ratios similar to those that would be obtained for sequential injections at two different potentials using a single electrode. A second approach using a dual-channel chip with two parallel electrodes was then developed and evaluated for obtaining voltammetric identification. The newly developed microchip permitted the injection of same amount of sample into two unique separation channels, each with an electrode at a different detection potential. Migration times and current ratios for several biologically important molecules and potential interferences including nitrite, tyrosine, hydrogen peroxide, and azide were obtained and compared to the responses obtained for analytes found in macrophage cell lysates.
Dual-channel/dual-parallel electrode configuration for microchip electrophoresis with electrochemical detection for voltammetric characterization of electrochemically active analytes in biological samples.