Sorting and simultaneous quantitation of intact mixed-cell samples via capillary isotachophoresis.

A great need currently exists for rapid, inexpensive, and accurate methods for microbial analysis in the medical, food, industrial, and water quality fields. Here, a novel capillary isotachophoresis (CITP) method is presented for the focusing, sorting, and quantitation of intact cells in mixed samples based on their electrophoretic mobility ranges. Using a series of ion spacers dissolved in the sample, this technique results in several efficient cell peaks in the electropherogram corresponding to specific cell electrophoretic mobility ranges. The concentrations of different species in mixed-cell samples are determined from the cell peak areas and the known peak response factors for the cell species using a series of linear equations. Method design and optimization are discussed, including the choice of running buffer, pH, and ion spacers. Mixed-cell samples of up to four different species were focused and quantified as a proof-of-principle of the method. When sample cell concentrations were toward the middle of the linear response range, accuracies between 1% and 11% and relative standard deviations of 1%-14% were obtained, depending on the number of cell species in the mixture. This work provides a useful basis for future studies of cell quantitation using CITP, which could be potentially applied to a variety of fields including cell growth studies, microbial contamination testing, and sterility testing.

Rapid identification of Candida albicans in blood by combined capillary electrophoresis and fluorescence in situ hybridization.

A CE method based on whole-cell molecular labeling via fluorescence in situ hybridization was developed for the detection of Candida albicans in whole blood. Removal of potentially interfering red blood cells (RBC) with a simple hypotonic/detergent lysis step enabled us to detect and quantitate contaminating C. albicans cells at concentrations that were orders of magnitude lower than background RBC counts ( approximately 7.0 x 10(9) RBC/mL). In the presence of the lysed blood matrix, yeast cells aggregated without the use of a blocking plug to stack the cells. Short (15 min) hybridizations yielded bright Candida-specific fluorescence in situ hybridization signals, enabling us to detect as few as a single injected cell. The peak area response of the stacked Candida cells showed a strong linear correlation with cell concentrations determined by plate counts, up to approximately 10(7) CFU/mL (or approximately 1 x 10(4) injected cells). This rapid and quantitative method for detecting Candida in blood may have advantageous applications in both human and veterinary diagnostics.

What smells? Developing in-field methods to characterize the chemical composition of wild mammalian scent cues.

Olfactory cues play an important role in mammalian biology, but have been challenging to assess in the field. Current methods pose problematic issues with sample storage and transportation, limiting our ability to connect chemical variation in scents with relevant ecological and behavioral contexts. Real-time, in-field analysis via portable gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has the potential to overcome these issues, but with trade-offs of reduced sensitivity and compound mass range. We field-tested the ability of portable GC-MS to support two representative applications of chemical ecology research with a wild arboreal primate, common marmoset monkeys (Callithrix jacchus). We developed methods to (a) evaluate the chemical composition of marmoset scent marks deposited at feeding sites and (b) characterize the scent profiles of exudates eaten by marmosets. We successfully collected marmoset scent marks across several canopy heights, with the portable GC-MS detecting known components of marmoset glandular secretions and differentiating these from in-field controls. Likewise, variation in the chemical profile of scent marks demonstrated a significant correlation with marmoset feeding behavior, indicating these scents' biological relevance. The portable GC-MS also delineated species-specific olfactory signatures of exudates fed on by marmosets. Despite the trade-offs, portable GC-MS represents a viable option for characterizing olfactory compounds used by wild mammals, yielding biologically relevant data. While the decision to adopt portable GC-MS will likely depend on site- and project-specific needs, our ability to conduct two example applications under relatively challenging field conditions bodes well for the versatility of in-field GC-MS.

Determination of solute partition behavior with room-temperature ionic liquid based micellar gas-liquid chromatography stationary phases using the pseudophase model.

The use of micelles in ionic liquid based gas-chromatography stationary phases was evaluated using equations derived for a "three-phase" model. This model allows the determination of all three partition coefficients involved in the system, and elucidates the micellar contribution to retention and selectivity. Four types of micellar-ionic liquid columns were examined in this study: 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride with sodium dodecylsulfate or dioctyl sulfosuccinate, and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate with polyoxyethylene-100-stearyl ether or polyoxyethylene-23-lauryl ether. The partition coefficients were measured for a wide range of probe molecules capable of a variety of types and magnitudes of interactions. In general, most probe molecules preferentially partitioned to the micellar pseudophase over the bulk ionic liquid component of the stationary phase. Therefore, addition of surfactant to the stationary phase usually resulted in greater solute retention. It is also shown that the selectivity of the stationary phase is significantly altered by the presence of micelles, either by enhancing or lessening the separation. The effects of surfactant on the interaction parameters of the stationary phase are determined using the Abraham solvation parameter model. The addition of sodium dodecylsulfate and dioctyl sulfosuccinate to 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride stationary phases generally increased the phase's hydrogen bond basicity and increased the level of dispersion interaction. Polyoxyethylene-100-stearyl ether and polyoxyethylene-23-lauryl ether surfactants, however, enhanced the pi-pi/n-pi, polarizability/dipolarity, and hydrogen bond basicity interactions of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate to a greater degree than the ionic surfactants with 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride. However, these nonionic surfactants appeared to hinder the ability of the stationary phase to interact with solutes via dispersion forces. Therefore, it is possible to effectively predict which analytes will be most highly retained by these micellar-ionic liquid stationary phases.

Cyclodextrins as complexation and extraction agents for pesticides from contaminated soil.

The binding constants of seven commonly used pesticides (2,4-D, acetochlor, alachlor, dicamba, dimethenamid, metolachlor, and propanil) with native and derivatized cyclodextrins (α-CD, ß-CD, γ-CD, hydroxypropyl-ß-CD, methyl-ß-CD, sulfated-ß-CD, and carboxymethyl-ß-CD) were measured using affinity capillary electrophoresis. All cyclodextrins showed significant binding interactions with each of the seven pesticides investigated, with the exception of sulfated-ß-CD which exhibited negligible binding to acetochlor, alachlor, and metolachlor. Propanil was found to bind most strongly to the cyclodextrins in this study. The ability of cyclodextrins to extract these pesticides from contaminated soil was also assessed. A general correlation between the pesticide-cyclodextrin binding constants and the percent extraction enhancements was found. In most cases, aqueous cyclodextrin extraction of pesticides from soil produced soluble pesticide-cyclodextrin complexes with a Type AL solubility diagram. Hydroxypropyl-ß-CD and methyl-ß-CD generally displayed the greatest levels of extraction enhancement. However, most pesticides with γ-CD (and a few cases with α-CD and ß-CD) produced relatively insoluble pesticide-cyclodextrin complexes in these soil extraction studies, resulting in Type BS solubility diagrams. Therefore, the measured aqueous extraction level for these pesticide-cyclodextrin combinations was lower relative to the control (1.0mM phosphate at pH=7.0). The results of this study may be used for future novel methods of contaminated soil remediation, which overcome the disadvantages of organic solvent and surfactant use. In addition, such binding studies may be applicable toward the development of pesticide-cyclodextrin formulations.

Combined capillary electrophoresis and DNA-fluorescence in situ hybridization for rapid molecular identification of Salmonella Typhimurium in mixed culture.

CE, long a staple in analytical chemistry for molecular separations, has recently been adapted for separating heterogeneous mixtures of microbial cells based on intrinsic differences in cell morphology and surface charge. In this application, CE enables effective separations of both relatively broad categories of cells, as well as of more similar cell types. As a phenotypic approach, CE may be less applicable to certain populations, including those comprised of pleiomorphic cells or chain-forming cells, where differences in cell size, shape, or chain length may lead to broad, "unfocusable" distributions in cell surface charge. At the other end of the spectrum, closely related species having similar surface charge profiles may not be separable via CE alone. Successful combination of microbial CE with a compatible method for generating cell-specific signals could address these limitations, increasing the diagnostic power of this approach. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is a rapid molecular technique for fluorescence-based labeling of whole target cells. In this work, we combined a simple CE-based presence/absence test with FISH to develop a bacterial detection assay having an additional "layer" of molecular specificity. Using this approach, we were able to differentiate Salmonella Typhimurium from Escherichia coli in mixed populations via CE. Both hybridizations and CE run times were short (10-15 min), bacterial populations were highly focused ( approximately 2-3 s peak width) and there was no need for a posthybridization wash step. As few as three injected cells of S. Typhimurium were detected against a background of approximately 300 injected E. coli cells, suggesting the possibility for single-cell detection of pathogens using this technique. This proof of concept study highlights the potential of CE-FISH as a promising new tool for molecular detection of specific bacterial cells within mixtures of closely related, physiologically inseparable populations.

The use of cationic surfactants and ionic liquids in the detection of microbial contamination by capillary electrophoresis.

A rapid test of whether a laboratory sample contains any microorganisms is important and necessary for many areas of science and technology. Currently, most of the standard procedures for the detection of aerobic bacteria, anaerobic bacteria and fungi, require the preparation of microbial cultures in respective growth media, which are dramatically slow. Different approaches providing fast analysis such as CE are becoming more desired. To compensate for the natural electrophoretic heterogeneity of microbes, various buffer additives were examined to stack all bacteria and fungi in a sample plug into a single peak. This peak was removed from the molecular contaminants in the sample to prevent false positives. Both cationic surfactants and ionic liquids (IL) were investigated as run buffer additives and they are both widely applicable to different species of bacteria and fungi. Given that high concentrations of surfactants can potentially lyse cells, dicationic IL offer attractive auxiliary buffer additives for use in CE-based sterility tests. The analysis can be completed in 10 min, thus providing a great advantage over traditional direct inoculation methods that require several weeks to complete.

Single-cell detection: test of microbial contamination using capillary electrophoresis.

Single cells of bacteria and fungi were detected using a capillary electrophoresis-based test for microbial contamination in laboratory samples. This technique utilizes a dilute cationic surfactant buffer to sweep microorganisms out of the sample zone and a small plug of "blocking agent" to negate the cells' mobility and induce aggregation. Analysis times are generally under 10 min. Previously, a nutrient broth media was reported as an effective blocking agent; however, the natural background fluorescence from the nutrient broth limited the detection sensitivity to approximately 50 cells. In order to enhance the sensitivity of the technique down to a single cell, an alternative synthetic blocking agent was sought. Various potential blocking agents were screened including salts, polypeptides, small organic zwitterions, and surfactants. Zwitterionic surfactants are shown to be attractive alternatives to a nutrient broth blocker and mimic the nutrient broth's effects on cellular aggregation and mobility. Specifically, caprylyl sulfobetaine provided the sharpest cell peaks. By substituting caprylyl sulfobetaine in place of the nutrient broth, the fluorescence of the blocker plug was reduced by as much as 40 x. This reduction in background noise enables detection of a single microorganism in a sample and allows this technique to be potentially used as a rapid sterility test. All single cells analyzed using this technique displayed signal-to-noise ratios between 5 and 9.

Capillary electrophoretic method for the detection of bacterial contamination.

There has been growing interest in separations-based techniques for the identification and characterization of microorganisms because of the versatility, selectivity, sensitivity, and short analysis times of these methods. A related area of analysis that is scientifically and commercially important is the determination of the presence or complete absence of microbes (in essence, a test for sample sterility). In such a test, it is not of immediate importance to identify a particular microorganism, but rather, to know with a high degree of certainty whether any organism(s) is (are) present. Current regulations require culture-based tests that can take up to 2 weeks to complete. As a rapid alternative, capillary electrophoresis-based methods are examined. Experimental formats are developed that promote the consolidation of all cell types into a single zone (peak) which is separated from the electroosmotic flow front and any other interfering molecular constituents. This process can be accomplished using a segment of dilute cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, which serves to temporarily reverse the migration direction of the cells, and another segment of solution containing a "blocking agent", which serves to stop the cell migration and focus them into a narrow zone. Relatively wide-bore capillaries can be used to increase sample size. This approach appears to be effective for a broad spectrum of bacteria, and analyses times are less than 10 min.

Theory and use of the pseudophase model in gas-liquid chromatographic enantiomeric separations.

The theory and use of the "three-phase" model in enantioselective gas-liquid chromatography utilizing a methylated cyclodextrin/polysiloxane stationary phase is presented for the first time. Equations are derived that account for all three partition equilibria in the system, including partitioning between the gas mobile phase and both stationary-phase components and the analyte equilibrium between the polysiloxane and cyclodextrin pseudophase. The separation of the retention contributions from the achiral and chiral parts of the stationary phase can be easily accomplished. Also, it allows the direct examination of the two contributions to enantioselctivity, i.e., that which occurs completely in the liquid stationary phase versus the direct transfer of the chiral analyte in the gas phase to the dissolved chiral selector. Six compounds were studied to verify the model: 1-phenylethanol, alpha-ionone, 3-methyl-1-indanone, o-(chloromethyl)phenyl sulfoxide, o-(bromomethyl)phenyl sulfoxide, and ethyl p-tolylsulfonate. Generally, the cyclodextrin component of the stationary phase contributes to retention more than the bulk liquid polysiloxane. This may be an important requirement for effective GC chiral stationary phases. In addition, the roles of enthalpy and entropy toward enantiorecognition by this stationary phase were examined. While enantiomeric differences in both enthalpy and entropy provide chiral discrimination, the contribution of entropy appears to be more significant in this regard. The three-phase model may be applied to any gas-liquid chromatography stationary phase involving a pseudophase.

Use of the three-phase model and headspace analysis for the facile determination of all partition/association constants for highly volatile solute-cyclodextrin-water systems.

A versatile method for measuring the partition coefficients of volatile analytes with an aqueous pseudophase using headspace gas chromatography is reported. A "three-phase" model accounts for all equilibria present in the system, including the partitioning of the analyte in the gas and aqueous phases to the pseudophase. This method is applicable to a wide variety of volatile analytes and aqueous pseudophases, providing that sufficient pseudophase may be used to reduce the analyte partial pressure. Generally, the method offers good reproducibility and high sensitivity. The associations of five volatile analytes (hydrogen sulfide, methanethiol, dimethyl sulfide, dichloromethane, and ethyl ether) with various cyclodextrins were examined. All analytes were found to partition preferentially to the cyclodextrin pseudophase compared to the aqueous phase. In addition, several analyte-cyclodextrin combinations formed insoluble complexes in solution that enhanced the extraction of the analyte from the gas and aqueous phases. Derivatization of the cyclodextrins generally decreased the extent of analyte-cyclodextrin interaction.

Enantiomeric separation of furan derivatives and fused polycycles by cyclodextrin-modified micellar capillary electrophoresis.

The enantiomeric separations of highly hydrophobic furan derivatives and polycycles were performed and optimized using CD-modified micellar CE. The most effective chiral selector for the enantiomeric separation of these analytes was hydroxypropyl-gamma-CD. The effects of CD and SDS concentration and organic modifier were examined in order to optimize the separation conditions. The ratio of CD to surfactant concentration affected the enantiomeric separation significantly, with increases in the derivatized CD concentration generally enhancing resolution. Addition of an organic solvent modifier to the run buffer served to increase the analytes' solubility and enhance the separation efficiency. A highly acidic pH was necessary to effectively suppress the EOF when operating in the reverse polarity mode.

Enantiomeric separation of neutral hydrophobic dihydrofuroflavones by cyclodextrin-modified micellar capillary electrophoresis.

The enantiomeric separations of several very hydrophobic dihydrofuroflavones were performed and optimized using cyclodextrin-modified micellar capillary electrophoresis. Overall, the greatest enantiomeric peak-to-peak separations for the greatest number of flavones were obtained with hydroxypropyl-gamma-cyclodextrin. The effects of cyclodextrin and sodium dodecyl sulfate concentration and pH were examined in order to optimize the separation conditions. The ratio of surfactant-to-cyclodextrin concentration affected the chiral discrimination of the system significantly, with increases in the derivatized cyclodextrin concentration generally enhancing resolution. Higher efficiencies were obtained with lower concentrations of surfactant and cyclodextrin, although enantioseparation optimization often required higher concentrations to be used. A highly acidic pH was necessary to effectively suppress the electroosmotic flow when operating in the reversed polarity mode. Experiments utilizing the normal polarity mode and higher pH produced no separations.